NINER
NEWS 
The Official Newsletter of the 9RAR
Association (Qld)
Patron:
Major General A. L. Morrison AO DSO MBE (Ret’d)
Issue 41 April 2006
As
yet, no one has come forward to nominate for the position of President. Therefore, as per the BGM in October 2005,
a Special General Meeting will be conducted on ANZAC Day with the purpose of
electing a President. All other
positions are filled and all business is being conducted according to the
rules. It is rather a strange situation
so if you wish to be nominated please give the Secretary a call.
Subsequent
to the election of your new Committee the following appointments have been
made:
(Vacant) President
Barry Stalder Vice
President, merchandise
Jock Gordon Tribal Elder, mail collection.
Steve Donaldson Secretary
Jack English Assistant
Secretary
Don Gow Treasurer
Jim Kelly Assistant
Treasurer
Dan Penman Newsletter
Editor, Website
Kev Lynch Committee
Member
Wayne Woodcroft Committee
Member
Tue. 25 Apr 06 ANZAC Day & 9RAR
Assn (Qld) Special General Meeting.
Fri.
18 Aug 06 40th
Anniversary
Sat. 7 Oct 06 9RAR
Assn (Qld), rostered work party at the RAR National Memorial Walk, Gallipoli
Barracks, Enoggera.
It has been brought forward from Nov. due to the clash with
Sat. 28
Oct 06 9RAR Assn (Qld)
Battalion Birthday & Annual Commemoration
Service. From 1000 hrs at the RAR
National Memorial Walk & later at the Diggers Rest BBQ Picnic Area.
**** Yet to be
confirmed.
Sat. 11 Nov 06 Remembrance Day (Brisbane). RAR National Memorial
Walk, assemble from 1030 hr.
Fri. 17, Sat. 18,
& Sun. 19 Nov 06 9RAR National Reunion - Perth.
Dawn Service:
Where: Contemplation Building, RAR
National Memorial Walk, Lavarack Pde., Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera. Access is via Fraser Road, Ashgrove OR Lloyd
St., Enoggera.
Note: All gates will be closed to vehicular traffic at 0445 hours
When: Service commences at 0500
hours
(Coffee from 0430 hours)
Special
General Meeting:
Where: The meeting will be conducted
immediately after the Dawn Service, most likely at Diggers Rest. We will take nominations for President AND if
there is none forthcoming then we will need to discuss what we are to do as an
Association.
Breakfast:
Where: Available at 6 RAR’s OR’s Mess
from 0615 hours. All relatives and
friends welcome. Pay at door.
Refreshments (alcohol) will NOT be available from the 6 RAR’s OR’s Mess or
the Long Tan Sgts Mess till after the March.
This also applies to all messes within the Barracks.
I believe that
breakfast and refreshments will be also available at Victoria Barracks where
some 8/9 RAR personnel are going to after the Dawn Service. Make your own arrangements from there for
getting to the March.
Transport
to March:
Where: For those 9RAR personnel who
stay at Enoggera there will be some form of transport available to take you the
March at approx.9.30am. Please check
for details at the Dawn Service.
March:
Where: The form-up place is in
Charlotte Street near George Street.
Look for the 9 RAR Banner. First
step off will be 1030 hours
Order of March is RAR Assoc., 3 RAR, 4 RAR, 5 RAR, 6 RAR, 7 RAR, 8 RAR. 9 RAR,
8/9 RAR, 1 RAR, 2 RAR
If you require jeep transport for the March please contact the Secretary.
Post
March:
Where: The normal get together will be
back at the 6 RAR’s Long Tan Sgts Mess.
Buses will be available straight after the March at the bottom end of
Queen Street to take us back to Enoggera.
Pay as you get on.
There have been no arrangements made for drinks in the city as has been the
custom over the last few years.
39th Anniversary
National Reunion
Perth – 17 to 19th November 2006.
Have you advised the WA Branch
of your intentions?
Venues/Accommodation:
The following information is
what we have to hand thus far and could still change.
Friday Meet and Greet Novotel
Langley Hotel
Saturday Night
Dinner Hyatt Hotel
Sunday
Commemoration
Sunday BBQ
The WA Branch is
proposing to send out a list of accommodation places that are near the above
venues.
Merchandise:
We have been
advised that SA Branch will assist the WA Branch to promote and market the
merchandise for the
Forms will be available on the
internet or give the secretary a call and we will post one out to you.!
Twelve
"
“At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the Australian Government invited
veterans from all conflicts to attend the opening ceremony. This year, to mark the 40th anniversary of
the Battle of Long Tan in
You will notice that the
format of the Niner News has changed to the new compact form (no not
tabloid). I think the Brisbane Courier
Mail must have thought our idea was a good one. I propose that it be kept quite basic to
cover the current items and have inserts as required. In future, the edition will be possibly two
double pages. We will also investigate
the cost of colour.
The arrangement of the
content has been altered to fit in with the updated website and at the same
time to give those members without access to the internet the full stories.
We are always looking for
good photographs to include in the newsletter and then to post on the website
(Gallery) for other units to see us in action.
Can be either current or maybe some old ones.
I know that in today's
busy lives it is always most difficult getting relevant articles from anybody
as most of us don’t make the time to put something together. Having said that, as this is your newsletter please give me some feedback on the format and
content that you would like to see.
If you have an article for
printing please send it in
OR if you wish, please
make a comment in the Guest Book on the 9RAR website at www.9rarqld.org
Many thanks to Rod Slater
and Steve Donaldson for helping me make the transition to the new format. Their advice has been most helpful.
Dan..……Newsletter Editor
Our existing website has had a small
makeover so you will notice some minor changes.
These will be ongoing over the next few months so that we can develop the
site to make it both current and relevant.
Watch out for a notice board and a different gallery.
Just click on the banner!!
The most recent addition is the return of
the Guest Book. It was developed by the
host provider Adam Shaw for us and I think it is very easy to use. So please check it out and keep coming back
to read the new comments.
Again many thanks to Rod
Slater and also to Lionel Corrie for their advice in making the changes.
Author: Gordon Dickens
This
book tells the story of one of the finest battalions of the Second AIF. The 2/9th Battalion was formed on
As
the successor to the 9th Battalion, First AIF, the 2/9th wore a rectangular
colour patch of Black over Blue with the border of grey that signified the
Second AIF.
The
book is a great read and copies are available for $50.00 from the Ninth
Battalions Museum, Enoggera.
Please
contact Dan Penman for details.
The Mini Banner (900 mm x 650 mm) is still available for purchase. The miniature banner is an exact copy of the new Branch Banner but does not
display the Queensland Branch Website.
The material and colour is guaranteed not to fade.
It is just
$75.00 delivered to your door.
Great
gift idea. Please see the order
form..
AFGHAN
VETERANS WELCOMED HOME
AND SOLDIERS' GALLANTRY
HONOURED
On
25 February the Governor-General and the Prime Minister officially welcomed
home members of the Afghanistan Special Forces Task Group (SFTG) in a ceremony
at
The
dangers faced by the SFTG were highlighted by the presentation of two gallantry
awards to two SFTG members. A Sergeant
and a Warrant Officer Class Two were both awarded the Medal for Gallantry for
their outstanding actions, leadership and bravery during long and difficult
engagements with anti-coalition militia (ACM) elements early in the SFTG's
tour.
The WO2, as a Patrol Commander, while under intense
ACM fire and showing total disregard for his own safety attempted on three
occasions to recover a critically wounded Afghanistan National Army soldier.
The Sergeant, as a Patrol Commander, while under
intense ACM fire and showing total disregard for his own safety manoeuvred
forward to recover a machine gun in order to protect the left flank and to
neutralise enemy fire positions.
The
Medal for Gallantry is the third highest award for gallantry in the Australian
Honours and Awards system.
A Corporal was sitting in
his weapons pit, eating one ration pack after
another.
After having consumed his sixth ration pack in
a row, the newly appointed Platoon Commander, straight out of RMC Duntroon,
called out from an adjacent weapons pit, "Hey
Corporal, do you know that eating all those ration packs isn't good for
you? They'll only give you acne, rot your teeth and make you fat! Besides,
you're eating all your food for the next week!!"
To
this the Corporal replied, "Sir, my first Platoon Commander stayed in the
Army for thirty-five years, attained the rank of Major General upon retirement,
and went on to live to be 107 years old".
"Oh, is that so?", replied the
Platoon Commander, impressed with what he
had just been told, "Did your first Platoon Commander eat six ration packs
at a time as well?"
"No, Sir",
replied the Corporal, "He minded his own %#@ business!"
***
Merchandise Special ***
Battalion Polo Shirt
We
have some shirts that we would like to sell so we can improve our cash
flow. To assist us and to give you a
great deal for the reunion in Perth the following special will apply for the
next few months or until stocks run out.
BUY ONE POLO SHIRT AND GET A SECOND POLO SHIRT FOR HALF PRICE.
(That means two shirts for $45.00
Site 1: http://brokenyellow.com/
Broken Yellow is a
music/film production company in
Site 2: http:/gunneraustralia.com/
This is a very professional site and has a lot of good
information spread over many pages.
Worth a look!
The Post-1945 Conflicts Galleries:
The
AWM is currently redeveloping these galleries and they should be completed by
October 2007.
The
new galleries will begin with a series of large screens that will present
images of Australians who have served in all areas of conflict and peacekeeping
operations since 1945. Adjacent to this, we hope, will be a fully kitted-out
Long Range Patrol Vehicle from
Exciting experiences for
The
major experience planned for the
Other
major relics to be displayed include the “Coral” gun (overrun during the battle) which will be
displayed as a Chinook load; the cockpit section of a
The
above article was taken from the newsletter of the AWM.
More
detail on website www.awm.gov.au under
The following is courtesy of 8 RAR Association:
An Australian Soldier was attending
some university courses between deployments. He had completed tours in
One day the professor shocked the class
when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you
are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform.
I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."
The
lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and
the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting."
It got
down to the last couple of minutes when the Soldier got out of his chair, went
up to the professor, and punched him; knocking him off the platform. The
professor was out cold. The Soldier went back to his seat and sat there,
silently. The other students were shocked and sat there looking on in silence.
The
professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Soldier and
asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"
The Soldier calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting
The
following is an extract from an email received giving us a very detailed update
on the Kokoda Track. I know that a
number of you are considering doing the walk.
If you want to know more, let me know and I will forward you the email
or a copy.
“Welcome to our first Adventure
Kokoda Niusleta. Our objective is to keep you
informed of developments across the Kokoda track and other wartime trekking
opportunities in
This
issue will focus on the journey from what has been a neglected jungle shrine
for 60 years to what is now becoming a rite of passage for adventurous young
Australians in search of the qualities that have made us what we are today - a
proud, strong, prosperous and free nation. We also provide some information on
The Kokoda Track Foundation; the PNG Government Kokoda Track Special Purpose
Authority; the memorial at Isurava; and the ongoing debate as to whether it is
a ' track' or a 'trail'.
The
numbers of people trekking across the Kokoda Trail have been: 2001: 76 trekkers
2002:365 trekkers 2003: 586 trekkers 2004: 1181 trekkers 2005: 1868 trekkers
The next issue will be out in June 2006.
Coming articles will be:-
*
* RAR website
* National Memorial Walk
