ANZAC Day

[ozbob]

Photographs R Dow 1970/71

[ozbob]

Photographs R Dow 1970/71

[ozbob]

Photographs R Dow 1970/71

[ozbob]

As 2016 draws to a close, we look back on the first 75 years of the Australian War Memorial. https://t.co/W1mjFfdjLv

— Aust War Memorial (@AWMemorial) December 31, 2016

[ozbob]

20th February 2017
   
Media Release
Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection and Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef
The Honourable Steven Miles

Call for stories to bring ex-HMAS Tobruk to life

Queensland's Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing (NPSR) would like to hear from local community members who served time on the ex-HMAS Tobruk.

These recollections will form part of an interactive website being created by NPSR to promote the scuttling of the vessel to create an artificial reef and world-class dive site in waters off Hervey Bay.

"Throughout the transformation of this historical icon to dive site, we want to make sure the stories of former servicemen and women are recognised and recorded for future generations," Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef, Dr Steven Miles said.

"It's important that those who served our great state and nation are given an opportunity to tell their story.

"Their tales will help to honour and understand the important role the HMAS Tobruk played in troop deployment and the movement of munitions and heavy transport equipment."

A former medic who served on the HMAS Tobruk has reached out to share his story with the department.

Dr Brad Murphy created a memorial at his medical centre just outside of Bundaberg for veterans and ex-servicemen.

"Ashfield Country Practice is a mainstream general practice with a specialisation in aboriginal and veteran health.

"The memorial is a central feature of the surgery, surrounded by a garden to ensure that his patients feel comfortable when visiting.

"It is a great way to honour those who served, many of which are patients of mine," Dr Murphy said.

Member for Bundaberg Leanne Donaldson said NPSR is working in partnership with the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg Regional Council to prepare the vessel for scuttling.

Ms Donaldson said the dive site will provide a unique experience for divers, attracting international tourists to the Fraser and Bundaberg Coast.

"The two-year project to transform the ex-HMAS Tobruk into a world-class dive site will support an estimated 50 new local jobs," she said.

"NPSR could consider the possibility of staging a community open day when health and safety risks have been addressed on the vessel, providing the public with an opportunity to board the ship before it is declared a construction zone".

Those people wishing to contribute their story can email Alyse.paterson@npsr.qld.gov.au or visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/exHMASTobruk/

ENDS

War Memorial at Ashfield Country Practice



HMAS Tobruk


========================

I voyaged on the HMAS Tobruk in 1983 from Sydney to Port Alma as part of a deployment of 1st Aust Field Hospital.

[ozbob]

#OTD 1942, near midnight, the Battle of Sunda Strait saw the sinking of both HMAS Perth & USS Houston: https://t.co/6h2sStBdQv pic.twitter.com/PZJhC6Nw3b

— Nat. Maritime Museum (@ANMMuseum) February 28, 2017

[ozbob]

Soldiers past and present gathered at Gallipoli Barracks to commemorate the anniversary of Long Hai Day. #7News https://t.co/XcDn0Su6C4

— 7 News Queensland (@7NewsQueensland) February 28, 2017

[ozbob]

Henry Dalziel VC (1893–1965)

by Helen Mays

This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, (MUP), 1981

Henry Dalziel (1893-1965), soldier, locomotive fireman and farmer, was born on 18 February 1893 at Irvinebank, Queensland, son of James Dalziel, miner, and his wife Eliza Maggie, née McMillan, both of whom were native-born. He was educated at Irvinebank and became a fireman on the Cairns-Atherton railway.

Dalziel enlisted as a private in the Australian Imperial Force on 16 January 1915 and embarked with reinforcements for the 15th Battalion. Joining his unit at Gallipoli in July, he served in the battle of Sari Bair in August and was eventually evacuated with his battalion to Egypt. On 31 May 1916 he sailed for France, going into the line at Bois Grenier and from July serving on the Somme, at Pozières and Mouquet Farm. In 1917 Dalziel saw action at Gueudecourt, Lagnicourt, Bullecourt and Messines before being wounded by shrapnel at Polygon Wood on 16 October. He resumed duty on 7 June 1918, first as a driver and then as a gunner.

For valour during the battle of Hamel on 4 July Dalziel won the thousandth Victoria Cross awarded. When his battalion's advance met with strong resistance from a heavily armed enemy garrison at Pear Trench, Dalziel as second member of a Lewis-gun team helped his partner to silence machine-gun fire. When fire opened up from another post he dashed forward and, with his revolver, killed or captured the crew and gun, thus allowing the advance to proceed. During this action the tip of his trigger-finger was shot away; he was ordered to the rear, but instead continued to serve his gun in the final storming of Pear Trench. Although again ordered back to the aid-post he began taking ammunition up to the front line, continuing to do so until he was shot in the head.

Dalziel's wound was so severe that his skull was smashed and the brain exposed. He received extensive medical treatment in England before returning to Australia in January 1919. While travelling home by train, he received a hero's welcome at every station from Townsville to Atherton. On 8 April 1920, at the Congregational manse, South Brisbane, he married Ida Maude Ramsay, a nurse who had served with the 17th Australian General Hospital. They took up a soldier-settlement block, which they named Zenith, on the Tolga railway line. As Dalziel was unable to cope with the day-to-day duties of a small mixed farm his wife assumed most of the work-load.

His interest in farming waned after a few years and Dalziel left her to run Zenith and moved south. He worked in a Sydney factory in the late 1920s but by 1933 had settled in Brisbane where he was out of work for some time; he later received a war pension. In the early 1930s he joined the Citizen Military Forces, becoming a sergeant in the 9th/15th Battalion. He developed an interest in song-writing, cultivated at first during long periods of hospitalization; some of his songs, such as A Song of the Tableland and Love Time, Merry Love Time, were published in England. In 1956 he went to London for the V.C. centenary celebrations.

Dalziel died of a stroke on 24 July 1965 at the Repatriation General Hospital, Greenslopes, Brisbane, and was cremated with military honours.

Select Bibliography

    C. E. W. Bean, The Australian Imperial Force in France, 1918 (Syd, 1942)
    T. P. Chataway, History of the 15th Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces, War 1914-1918 (Brisb, 1948)
    L. Wigmore (ed), They Dared Mightily (Canb, 1963)
    London Gazette, 17 Aug 1918
    Reveille (Sydney), Feb 1929, May 1932, Dec 1964, Sept 1965
    Mufti, 4 Dec 1965
    Courier Mail (Brisbane), 21 May 1919, 15-16 Aug 1933, 23 Aug 1956, 26-28 July 1965
    Age (Melbourne), 26 Apr 1927, 27 July 1965
    Herald (Melbourne), 25 Jan 1935
    Sun (Sydney), 10 Jan 1937
    Labor Daily, 11 Jan 1937
    Tablelands Advertiser, 25 Apr 1979
    private information.

http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dalziel-henry-5876

Here is a photograph of Henry Dalziel's VC medals

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

STORY || 'Always take the weather with you' — an Anzac garden in #Iraq made by @NZArmy soldier. #AnzacDay https://t.co/vGR3WMcM31

— NZ Defence Force (@NZDefenceForce) April 21, 2017

[ozbob]

Australia At War 1914 - 1918

[ozbob]

Norman McWaters, 11th Australian Field Ambulance and only son of the Mayor of Toowoomba - https://t.co/4KzkFDH3lN pic.twitter.com/V2R4lUOtF1

— State Library of Qld (@slqld) April 24, 2017

^

I served with 11 FD AMB in 1969, based at Wacol.
To follow in the footsteps of such brave medics is very humbling.
Lest We Forget ... https://t.co/fhInhViH1P

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) April 24, 2017

[ozbob]

24th April 2017

Media Release
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Queensland to honour veterans for 75th anniversary of Battle of the Coral Sea

The Palaszczuk Government is supporting local commemorations of the Battle of the Coral Sea, providing $10,000 to the Coral Sea Commemorative Association to mark the 75th anniversary of the largest naval encounter off Australia's coastline.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said commemorations in Brisbane, Cardwell, Townsville and the Gold Coast would recognise the Allied forces who fought in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942.

"My Government is proud to support commemorations to recognise the sacrifice of Allied sailors and airmen who lost their lives defending Port Moresby from a sea-borne invasion," the Premier said.

"The Battle of the Coral Sea was a pivotal turning point in the Second World War and helped to forge the Australia–American bond."

Ms Palaszczuk said it was important to continue to honour the brave Australians and Americans who fought in this battle and changed the course of the war in the Pacific.

Brisbane-based Australian-American Association Life Member Barry Thiess said the Government's assistance would ensure the continued recognition of the Battle of Coral Sea.

"Survivors from USS Lexington (CV-2) and families of veterans will be coming to Australia to attend memorial services in Queensland," he said.

The Coral Sea Commemorative Association had also been supported by the Queensland Government to hold commemorations for the 65th and 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, in recognition of the important and enduring connection between Australia and America. 

[ozbob]

Queensland Times --> RSPCA honours animals for their service on Anzac Day

THIS Anzac Day, staff and volunteers from the RSPCA will also be remembering the animals that risked their lives to save humans.

To honour their service, the RSPCA established the Purple Cross Award in 1993 to recognise animals who had done just that.

Since then, only 10 Purple Cross Awards have been issued, and one of those were given posthumously. Murphy, Simpson's donkey was awarded the Purple Cross to recognise the courage shown by the pack donkeys who risked their lives in World War One.

Two ex-military dogs have also received the Purple Cross. Sarbi, an explosive detection dog and Smoky, a tiny Yorkshire terrier who helped engineers lay a teletype wire beneath an air strip in extremely hazardous conditions. Smoky later became a post- traumatic stress dog who helped numerous soldiers cope with their injuries and mental issues.

Other recipients of the Purple Cross include beloved pets who stared danger right in the eye to save their owners from house fires, snakes, and even from drowning.

A rottweiler cross named Tank and a staffy named Muck saved the life of a toddler near Mackay in 2008. Both dogs dragged the young boy from the water to the bank.

These two dogs are the only dogs in the state to be given this prestigious recognition.

To bring greater awareness about the Purple Cross Award, the RSPCA have been selling special purple poppies to recognise those animals that went above and beyond their duties.

They'll be available at all World for Pets stores or online at www.worldforpets.com.au.

[ozbob]

G W Judd  DFC
RAF WW2

[ozbob]

Battle of the Coral Sea - Lest We Forget

The Coral Sea holds great historical significance for Australia and the United States. In May 1942, it was the scene of a naval battle that reversed the tide of World War II in the Pacific. The Protect Our Coral Sea campaign has produced an 8-minute documentary in honour of those who fought and died in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Special thanks to veterans Tommy Simms and Ted Simpson and their families and naval historian Dr David Stevens and everyone else involved with this documentary for their contribution.

[ozbob]

Dawn service for the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea is about to get underway in #Townsville. @ABCnorthqld @ABCNewsBrisbane pic.twitter.com/IXcjBGxDBi

— Krystal Gordon (@KrystalGordon89) April 30, 2017

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Aus_AirForce/status/898280291877363713

[ozbob]

25th August 2017

Media Release
Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection and Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef
The Honourable Steven Miles

Registrations open to get on board ex-HMAS Tobruk

The Queensland Government will host a community open weekend on board ex-HMAS Tobruk on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September, allowing registered guests to take a guided tour of the main decks and through the bridge of the ship.

Minister for National Parks and the Great Barrier Reef Steven Miles said the open weekend was an opportunity for the community to walk the decks of ship before she is transformed into a world-class dive site and reef.

"There has been tremendous public support for the ex-HMAS Tobrukproject and demand from members of the public to access the ship before it is scuttled as a dive site," Mr Miles said.

"We are extremely happy to announce that we can open part of ex-HMAS Tobruk to the community."

Member for Bundaberg Leanne Donaldson said the community open weekend would also allow ex-service personnel to be reunited with their ship before she is scuttled in Wide Bay.

"It is important that the community and ex-service personnel are part of the journey as we transform this iconic ship into a tourism drawcard," Ms Donaldson said.

"Ensuring safe community access to the ship before it is declared a construction zone is a significant milestone that we have achieved for the project.

"This will be a significant piece of tourism infrastructure and important to the region's tourism industry.

Local jobs have been a key consideration at all stages of the transformation works and will continue to be once the wreck is a dive site."

Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the open days will help to attract tourists to the region, fulfilling the project's promise to boost the local economy.

"We always knew securing the ex-HMAS Tobruk would bring dividends to both the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg regions, and since it arrived here last December there has been a stream of visitors coming to the Port to view the vessel," Ms Jones said.

"I am sure this will turn into a flood of visitors over the weekend.

"We are expecting the first divers to be on the site in early 2019 when it will become a unique tourism attraction in Queensland, generating significant spending and flow-on economic benefits including jobs to the Fraser Coast and Bundaberg regions, and also the wider Queensland economy.

"The transformation of this historic vessel will be a great legacy for the state and those who served on her.

"Her first home port was in Brisbane in 1981 and we have always said it is fitting that her last will also be in Queensland."

Register to attend the event at https://ex-hmastobruk.eventbrite.com.au

ENDS

[ozbob]

Canberratimes --> Nearly 50 years after Vietnam heroism, veteran Ian Reid considered for Victoria Cross


Ian Reid, aged 20, in Vietnam. Photo: Supplied

Just how Ian Reid wasn't killed in a paddy field in Vietnam, no one can agree.

The 20-year-old Army recruit found himself in the middle of a sustained firefight on the night of April 30, 1970, when he saw another Australian soldier shot in the throat near enemy lines.

A rifleman and medic with the 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Private Reid went to the aid of Newcastle-born Noel William Cooper to stem the bleeding from his jugular vein.

Known as "Flappers" because of his prominent ears, he held Private Cooper upright for at least 39 minutes, likely saving his life while waiting in the dark for a helicopter rescue.

Completely exposed and with his back to the enemy, it has taken more than 47 years for the Army to formal recognition of his heroism.

On Tuesday, the Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal sitting in Canberra will be asked to award him Australia's highest honour, the Victoria Cross.

Mr Reid, who lives in Brisbane, will be one of four witnesses at the hearing.

"Although it has been 47 years since the actual event, I've also been tied up for more than six years with this process.

"It began in about April 2011 when following a change to the legislation, someone like myself who actually hadn't ever been recommended for an award could apply.

A father-of-three who went on to spend 12 years in the Army, he has not sought any award for himself.

"I consider myself extremely lucky to have such an understanding family that we're all still together at the end of the process," he said.

The morning after the fighting, still in shock, the man who would become his champion told Private Reid he was a hero.

"It had me stuffed how they never nicked one of his ears," John Abernethy told his mate.

"Private Reid was exposed from the waist up, with his back to the incoming barrage of AK47 [gunfire] and rocket propelled grenades, and with the enemy tracer all around him," he says today.

"I couldn't understand how he couldn't have been hit."

Mr Abernethy was discharged from the Army after being injured and left Vietnam assuming recognition of Private Reid's bravery was in train.

At an Army reunion in 1987 he learned an application for an honour had been rejected, later being told it was because an awards quota for the battalion had been filled.

"Despite occupying a place in the written history of the battalion... his actions were totally ignored at the time and to this day Army remains steadfastly opposed to any form of retrospective recognition," he said.

Ian Reid and John Abernethy agree something extraordinary happened that night, with records showing Private Reid moved to an exposed position to save a mate.

"I was also looking in the same direction as the enemy, and the only clear target was Flappers Reid," Mr Abernethy said.

"Everyone else was down behind cover. His actions were heroic," he said.

After the hearing, the tribunal will make a recommendation to Defence Personnel Minister Dan Tehan.

Mr Reid would become the 101st Australian to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/928698107415502848

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/928891770208784384

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/CWGC/status/929101126062034944

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Australian_Navy/status/931982930733404160

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/931991710103625728

[ozbob]

The Australian --> Secret return from Vietnam for Long Tan cross


Long Tan veteran Peter Dinham with the cross at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra last night. Picture: Kym Smith

Two weeks before Malcolm Turnbull was due to fly to last month's APEC meeting in ­Da Nang, the Australian embassy in Hanoi received an unexpected approach from a Vietnamese ­official.

Ambassador Craig Chittick was told Hanoi wanted to hand over a monument from the Vietnam War — one of only two ­memorials to foreign forces that have been officially allowed in Vietnam. The government official wanted to know if Mr Chittick would accept it. If so, it would have to be done quickly. Such were sensitivities around the item they also wanted it done quietly.

And so began an operation to repatriate the Long Tan Cross, a shrine first hammered into the red dirt of a rubber plantation in South Vietnam almost 50 years ago to honour the 18 Australian soldiers of Delta company 6RAR killed during the now infamous and bloody battle.

For the past month, the 120kg cross that surviving members of 6RAR carved from concrete, has been secretly kept in a warehouse in Canberra after being couriered from Saigon with a military ­escort. It will be unveiled today at the Australian War Memorial.

For Long Tan veteran Peter Dinham, it will bring closure to a 20-year personal campaign to ­obtain a memorial he said had ­become a beacon for all retired Vietnam veterans.

The Prime Minister revealed to The Australian yesterday he had thanked his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, in a private meeting on the sidelines of APEC three weeks ago.

A condition of the goodwill gesture, secured by Veterans' ­Affairs Minister Dan Tehan following months of quiet negotiations, was that there not be any publicity around the handover due to long-held sensitivities in Vietnam over the annual commemoration of the 1966 battle.

Both leaders agreed that they did not want the cross to become a focus of the strategic partnership that was being negotiated.

"When I was at APEC last month, it was great to thank him for the cross," Mr Turnbull said.

"I think it is a fantastic thing to bring back here, a really wonderful thing. It has come to symbolise the sacrifice, the suffering in the eyes of many, the suffering on both sides. It became imbued with symbolism that went well beyond that one engagement."

Mr Tehan said discussions about bringing the cross to Australia permanently began after last year's controversial decision by the Vietnamese government to ban access to the site for Australians wanting to visit the site for the annual commemoration.

The Vietnamese take issue with a ceremony that suggests a military victory for foreign forces on their soil. "Fifty years later and the wounds for veterans of Vietnam are still there ... this will have a great healing effect," Mr Tehan said. "It is important for the nation considering what occurred when our veterans returned."

Mr Dinham recalls that the cross was first mounted on a small rise in a rubber plantation in the shadows of a hill known as Nui Dat. The elevation in the landscape had offered a shield to the line of fire for the 108 soldiers of D company who had managed to defeat a flanking force of about 2000 communist forces. It is recognised as a rare battle to have been won against such odds.

The cross wasn't erected until three years later when members of 6RAR returned to the battlefield and secured the site. An RAAF helicopter delivered the cross and a ceremony with 10 members of the D company platoon was held.

With the fall of Saigon, the cross was removed and used for a memorial marker for a Catholic priest until the mid-1980s when it was recovered by a Vietnamese museum. A replica has been on the site ever since.

Mr Dinham, a lieutenant with A company 6RAR, had been part of a re-enforcement group sent in to support D company. Yesterday he looked on as the cross was being put in place at the war memorial. "You can tell it is the real one because of the mud stains from where it was put into the soil," he said. "Many of us see the cross as being fairly sacred ... today at the memorial they were touching the cross with rubber gloves."

Mr Dinham began his campaign to try to convince the Vietnamese government to give the cross to Australia in the early 1990s, when he was still with the Australian Defence Force as a colonel and chief of personnel.

"We are very thankful to the Vietnamese authorities," he said yesterday. "It must have been a traumatic thing for the Vietnamese ... they didn't want to do it ... so good on them. For us it will form some sort of closure."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AWMemorial/status/938147492671000576

Lest We Forget ...

Stand tall Diggers!

[ozbob]

Kings Park Perth WA

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/943387187726270464

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/943387655798009857

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/trenchdetective/status/958245335847063552

[ozbob]

http://minister.dva.gov.au/media_releases/2018/mar/va015.htm

29 March 2018

One month until Australia's 2018 Commemorative Program begins

APRIL will mark the start of a significant program of military commemorations in Australia and overseas, with 2018 culminating in the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.

Armistice Day, 11 November 2018, will mark the end of the most important commemorative period in Australia's history - the Anzac Centenary spanning 2014-2018.

Minister for Veterans' Affairs Darren Chester encourages all Australians to attend the domestic and overseas commemorations throughout 2018 to recognise the service and sacrifice of the men and women who have fought to defend our country in all wars and peacekeeping operations.

"It is always a moving experience to attend a commemorative service in Australia and a truly memorable experience attending a service overseas where Australians actually fought," Mr Chester said.

"As the last year of the Anzac Centenary, 2018 is an important year for Australians to commemorate those who have served our country and to learn about Australia's military history so that it is remembered for generations to come.

"Many Australians will be planning overseas trips this year and I encourage them to register early for commemorative services to pay their respects."

In Australia, commemorations will be held for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic, the 50th anniversary of the Battles of Coral and Balmoral, the 65th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the 75th anniversary of Australian work on Hell Fire Pass and completion of the Thai Burma Railway and the Centenary of the First World War Armistice.

Overseas, Australia will commemorate the Centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, the Centenary of the Battle of Hamel and the Centenary of the First World War Armistice.

The Australian Government will support Anzac Day Services in France, Turkey, Belgium, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia in 2018.

On 25 April 2018, the commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of Villers-Bretonneux will be recognised in a Dawn Service at the Australian National Memorial situated just north of the village of Villers-Bretonneux, France.

The anniversary marks the day 100 years ago when the Australian 13th and 15th brigades successfully retook the village from German forces in a surprise night attack.

A commemoration to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Hamel will be held at the Australian Corps Memorial, Le Hamel, France on 4 July 2018. The 93 minute long battle on 4 July 1918 was a success due to the planning and direction provided by Lieutenant General John Monash.

In 2018 Australia will also mark other days of national significance including Kapyong Day (Korean War), Battle of Coral Sea Day, Victory in Europe Day, Battle of Lone Pine, Victory in the Pacific Day, Vietnam Veterans Day, the Battle for Australia Day, Merchant Navy Day and National Peacekeepers and Peacemaker Day.

Registration to attend overseas commemorations is now open and passes are provided at no cost. Details on how to register are available on DVA's website at www.dva.gov.au. Passes are not required to attend domestic commemorations.

[ozbob]

10 April 2018

Media Release
Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Leeanne Enoch

Final chance to board ex-HMAS Tobruk before it sinks

It is now only a matter of months before ex-HMAS Tobruk will be scuttled as a dive wreck, meaning people have a final chance to hop on board during a community open weekend next month.

Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leeanne Enoch said the community open weekend on May 5-7 would be a free event to allow the community and ex-service personnel to say goodbye to the ship.

"More than 2000 free tickets will be available, allowing visitors the opportunity to view the ship's galley, engine room, troop's quarters and a walk-through of the iconic tank deck that stretches almost the entire length of the ship from stern to bow," Ms Enoch said.

"This will be the final opportunity for members of the community to walk the decks of the ship before it is scuttled mid this year, and becomes a world-class dive site and artificial habitat for Queensland's vibrant marine life.

"While the ship remains a construction site, the contractors Birdon Pty Ltd have provided access to some internal compartments of the ship to display some of the work involved in preparing it to become a dive wreck.

"The project is ahead of schedule and I am excited to say that ex-HMAS Tobruk will soon join some of Queensland's premier tourist attractions."

Ex-HMAS Tobruk Project Manager Steve Hoseck said the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service held a community open weekend on board the ship in September 2017, with tickets allocating within the first five hours of release.

"If the last open weekend is any indication, these tickets will be snapped up quickly, so jump online as soon as they're available," Mr Hoseck said.

The ship is expected to be scuttled in June 2018 (weather permitting), and once safe will be accessible by commercial operators and private divers via an online booking system.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said it was fitting to hold an open day as a farewell gesture to ex-HMAS Tobruk.

"Ex-HMAS Tobruk has a special place in the hearts and minds of so many Queenslanders and ex-service personnel – we were her first port of call and now her last," Minister Jones said.

"This will be a very special day to close a chapter in her history - but the next exciting chapter is soon to begin.

"Ex-HMAS Tobruk will be scuttled in Wide Bay, becoming a world-class dive site that will attract visitors from across Australia and the world to this region."

Tickets to the open weekend will be available at 5pm Thursday 12 April at https://www.bundabergregion.org/play/tobruk

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/FairfaxArchives/status/987145558228783105

[ozbob]

General Sir John Monash Centre

> https://www.facebook.com/sirjohnmonashcentre

The Sir John Monash Centre is the centrepiece of Australia's Anzac Centenary 2014–18, honouring more than 295,000 soldiers who served on the Western Front and the 46,000 who died there.

Named after the commander who led Allied troops to victory at the famous Battle of Hamel in 1918, the Centre is located alongside the historic Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux, north of Paris.

The Centre offers an innovative approach to presenting history, with an immersive multimedia experience. It is being officially opened by the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, and the Prime Minister of France, Édouard Philippe.

===================

John Monash was an engineer.  He supervised the construction of the Outer Circle Line (Melbourne) before WW1.

> http://www.aholgate.com/misc/oclhist.html

[ozbob]

Saluting Monash Council

The purpose of the Council is to have General Sir John Monash GCMG KCB VD promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by 11 November 2018.
Executive Members

Patron: Prof Roland Perry OAM F Monash
Chair: The Hon Tim Fischer AC
Deputy Chair: Dr Judy Landau
CEO: LTCOL John Moore OAM RFD ED Ret'd



>> https://salutingmonash.org.au/

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailMuseum_Qld/status/988560570465976320

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/sirjohnmonash/status/988855091133407234

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/988817290207510529

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/988820494165032960

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/988821438948769792

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AWMemorial/status/990376383078682624

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/CAJohnsonAus/status/993590637789306881

https://twitter.com/CAJohnsonAus/status/993593725497425921

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/993595229528735744

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/AustralianArmy/status/994725058085081088

===================

http://www.anzaccentenary.gov.au/events/50th-anniversary-battles-fire-support-bases-coral-and-balmoral



50th anniversary of the Battles at Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral

A national commemorative service to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battles at Fire Support Bases Coral and Balmoral will be held at 11.00am on Sunday 13 May 2018 at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on Anzac Parade in Canberra.

This is a free event and members of the public are encouraged to attend. This is not a ticketed event and limited, un-allocated seating will be provided for general public. Standing room will be available once the unallocated seating area has reached capacity.

A Last Post Ceremony will also take place at 4.55 pm at the Australian War Memorial, conducted in honour of the veterans of the battles.

The Australian Government, through the Department of Veterans' Affairs, will provide grant funding to enable Vietnam veterans associations to conduct commemorative activities outside of Canberra. The department will also provide financial assistance to bring two descendants of each serviceman killed in the battles to Canberra for the national commemoration.
Historical information

Australian, New Zealand and United States forces were involved in a series of actions between May and June 1968 at Fire Support Bases (FSB) Coral and Balmoral some 20 kilometres north of Bien Hoa City. These bases, established across a route used by North Vietnamese forces to attack Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) and Bien Hoa, provided defended positions for artillery and mortars which would, in turn, support infantry patrols of the area.

The 1st and 3rd Battalions Royal Australian Regiment (1 and 3RAR), 102 Field Battery Royal Australian Artillery and 161 New Zealand Field Battery, deployed into FSB Coral on 12 May 1968. One and 3RAR began preparing defensive positions, but these were incomplete when a North Vietnamese Regiment attacked the base during the early hours of 13 May. The North Vietnamese, having penetrated the artillery positions and briefly forcing the defenders to abandon one of their guns, were forced back after heavy fighting.

Coral came under attack for a second time at 2.15 am on 16 May when an estimated three battalions of North Vietnamese infantry assaulted the base which was now defended by armoured personnel carriers of A Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment as well as 1RAR's infantry. Fighting lasted several hours before the attackers were forced to withdraw.

Further attacks on Coral followed, on 22 May, and again on 26 and 28 May, but the Base was not seriously threatened again. Having had the opportunity to establish a strong defensive perimeter, the Australians were able launch their own attacks against the North Vietnamese and did so on 26 May when infantry and tanks destroyed a North Vietnamese bunker system that had been discovered in the vicinity. The Australians continued to launch aggressive patrols from Coral, engaging in combat against North Vietnamese forces and experiencing some fierce actions through until the end of May.

By this time the North Vietnamese had turned their attention to FSB Balmoral, which had been established by 3RAR some 4.5 kilometres north of Coral, on 24-25 May. Tanks from Nui Dat helped Australian infantry defeat a two battalion-strong North Vietnamese attack just hours after their arrival at the base on 25 May. A second attack followed on 28 May, but a combination of infantry, tanks, artillery and mortars repelled the North Vietnamese assault. North Vietnamese activity in the area subsided and operations at Coral and Balmoral were suspended on 6 June 1968.

A total of 26 Australians were killed during the fighting at FSB Coral and Balmoral. Estimates suggest that more than 300 North Vietnamese were killed in these actions, but exact figures will never be known.