VA41 Wednesday 7 May 2003
IMPROVED ACCESS TO HOSPITAL CARE FOR WA VETERANS
The Federal Government would introduce veteran partnering contracts for
private hospitals in outer metropolitan Perth, enhancing veteran access to
quality hospital care while recognising the special place held by Hollywood
Hospital in serving the West Australian veteran community, the Minister for
Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, said today.
Mrs Vale said the package of changes was endorsed yesterday in a special
meeting of ex-service leaders, as a sensible way of meeting the range of
veteran preferences for hospital access.
"As a first step, the Repatriation Commission will invite private hospitals
outside a 20kilometre radius from the Perth CBD to seek Tier 1 status under
the Repatriation Private Patient Scheme.
"To gain contracts, hospitals will need to meet the relevant quality and
range of service standards and agree to acceptable fee arrangements.
Successful hospitals will join Hollywood as being able to admit Gold Card
and White Card holders for treatment without the need for prior approval
from the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
"Metropolitan hospitals within the 20-kilometre radius will have the
opportunity to take up Tier 2 contracts, enabling them to take veteran
patients when Hollywood and any other Tier 1 private hospital in the wider
Perth region is unable to do so.
"Veteran partnering will then be expanded to offer Tier 1 status to all
metropolitan hospitals in 2006, when the current contract with Hollywood
expires," the Minister said.
Mrs Vale said supplementary funding would be provided to assist Hollywood
Hospital in making the transition to the new arrangements, and to ensure the
hospital continued to provide a centre of excellence in veteran care,
particularly for aged and frail veterans and war widows.
"This will involve supplementary payments of $500,000 a year for the balance
of Hollywood's current contract and the continuation of current teaching and
research funding for two years beyond 2006, at a cost of approximately $4
million per year.
"This approach is consistent with that taken by the Government during the
successful introduction of veteran partnering in South Australia, when
funding was provided to the Daw Park Repatriation General Hospital to
facilitate the transition in that State.
"These new arrangements acknowledge the importance of Hollywood as a
significant veteran health provider, while further improving the
availability of private hospital services, in keeping with the Government's
commitment to the health and well-being of all veterans and war widows," the
Minister said.
OK everybody the moment you have been waiting for has finally arrived.
The first ADG Reunion 2004 raffle was drawn and the winners were:
1st prize of a Deluxe combination Picnic set and Hamper was won by Mr. W. Ting from Waratah in Newcastle.
2nd prize of a combination seat, small picnic set and cooler was won by Larry Searle of Niagara Park.
3rd Prize of a Bar B Q set and wine carrier was won by Judy Triffitt who lives at Quamby Brook in the wonderful state of Tasmania.
Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to all who bought tickets and were unsuccessful.
A special thanks to all of you folks who bought and sold the tickets and returned the books to us here. You know who you are. Thanks!
For those of you who were disappointed about not winning the raffle, take heart, we will be holding another raffle in a couple of months.......If you think you can move a few books let me know and I'll see that you get them!
The money raised from these raffles will be put to good use in the planning and preparation for the Reunion to be held in Newcastle in the week leading up to ANZAC day in 2004. This site will be carrying updated details of the event so keep calling in to see what we will be doing in 2004.
If anyone out there knows any former or serving ADGs who may not have heard about the Reunion please let them know and if anyone needs any more information please contact me at either peterjb@optusnet.com.au or phone me on:
02 49545037
---------------
Be in Touch
Peter B.
My girlfriend said I never listen to her, or something ...
Pom, here's the pricing of the shirts for the Web Site.
Ok then we have finalized our prices for the Shirts and Caps:
We have endeavoured to keep the price down as much as we possibly can, so let me know
how many of each you want and I'll get them to as quickly as is humanly possible.
A slight change has been made to the Logo.......RAAF has been added under the Scorpion.
This was overlooked on the prototype.
The lettering is in gold and the Scorpion is Red with highlights. It really does look great!
The shirts are Polo type shirts which has a collar. At present we are restricted to two colours.
Light Blue and Dark Green. They both look terrific.
Sizes range from M to XXXL ............
The Price of the shirts is $30.00 ea.
The Caps are sunbuster style.....Adjustable size.
We have Green Caps at present. Once again the green looks great!
The Price of the Caps is $20.00 ea.
If postage is required a further $2.50 per order needs to be charged.
The postage is per order not per item. if a group get together and order a number of shirts and caps the postage will still be only $2.50.
Cheques, Cash, or Money Orders will be fine although we can't handle cheques drawn on the Bank of Baghdad
Please send the required amount to:
The Secretary
ADG Reunion 2004
C/- 46 Delasala Drive
Macquarie Hills
NSW 2285
ONCE AGAIN: They Really Do Look Great!
---------------
Be in Touch
Peter B.
I pretend to work, they pretend to pay me
JOHN Howard will fly to the Gulf state of Doha at the end of the week to thank and congratulate Australian troops before they return from the Iraq war.
Re will be the first head of a government which fought with the coalition against Saddam Hussein to visit military sites in the area.
The Prime Minister yesterday did not reject the possibility of crossing into -Iraq, possibly to meet SAS soldiers, but is expected to confine himself to the neighbouring state where allied commanders were based.
"It will be an opportunity for me before they actually return to Australia to express my thanks and the thanks of the Australian people for their brave deeds and for the tremendous work they did in our name," he said In New York.
"And I look forward to the oppQrtunity of meeting as many qf them as possible and expressing, close to the theatres of action in which they are involved, the gratitude of the Australian people."
The visit will b~eak Mr Howard's flight home from London where, after talks in New York with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, he will consult with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and have an audience with the Queen.
Australia contributed about 2000 naval, air and ground fighters to the war. With the end of the war and the start of reconstruction there will be 1000 to 1200 troops in Iraq for the next few months.
Australian troops are patrolling the streets of Baghdad and helping to reopen the skies above the beleaguered nation.
A team of 60 RAAF air traffic controllers has been Installed at Baghdad International Airport, controlling all flights in and out of the capital. RAAF ground defence guards are providing protection.
This small article was scanned from the Daily Telegraph Tuesday 6th May 2003
Note as of this time this is all the info available, but we'll look forward to any future updates and they'all be posted here.
VA39
Monday 28 April 2003
GOVERNMENT DELIVERS CERTAINTY FOR VETERANS' HEALTH
The Federal Government's new $917 million A Fairer Medicare - Better Access,
More Affordable package delivered Australia's veterans and war widows
continued access to free, comprehensive, quality health care, the Acting
Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Larry Anthony, said today.
A key element of the package, announced today by the Prime Minister, is the
introduction of a veteran access payment.
"GPs who register under the repatriation health scheme as Local Medical
Officers will receive an additional $3 for each consultation given to the
nation's 340,000 Gold Card and White Card holders," Mr Anthony said.
"This payment is on top of the 100 per cent Medical Benefit Schedule fee
already paid to LMOs for treating veteran patients.
"Overall it will deliver an extra $61.7 million in Federal Government
funding over four years into health care for the veteran community."
As well as receiving more Commonwealth funding for treating veterans,
doctors may also receive their payments faster by being able to
electronically bill veteran and other consultations.
"A Fairer Medicare - Better Access, More Affordable provides Australian
families with greater access to affordable doctors' services and meets the
long-term health needs of the veteran and wider community," Mr Anthony said.
"A Fairer Medicare - Better Access, More Affordable recognises the concerns
raised by doctors about the cost of providing services to veterans and
delivers certainty to veterans and war widows that they will continue to
have free access to the health care they need and deserve.
"The more than 80 per cent of LMOs who agreed to extend their contracts
with the Government while the new fee arrangements were determined
demonstrates the commitment of the overwhelming majority of doctors to
caring for our veterans and war widows."
Gold Card and White Card holders wanting to know more about the veteran
health package can contact their Department of Veterans' Affairs State
office on 133 254.
More information about the Medicare package is available from the Department
of Health and Ageing on 1800 011 163.
Media contact: Rachael Thompson (02) 6277 7820 or 0417 265 289
VA37 Monday 28 April 2003
AUSTRALIAN UNIFORM DONATED TO FRENCH ARMISTICE MUSEUM
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, today presented an
Australian uniform to the museum in France dedicated to commemorating the
Armistice that ended World War I.
Mrs Vale has been representing Australia at Anzac Day ceremonies in Belgium
and France, for the 85th anniversary year of the end of World War I.
The Minister said the battle tunic had been donated to the Armistice Museum
at Compiègne from the collection of the Australian War Memorial.
"The tunic is a replica of the type worn by the 6th Battalion, one of the
most distinguished Australian units to serve during World War I," Mrs Vale
said.
"It is fitting that the battalion should be represented at the Armistice
Museum as a reminder of Australia's service during World War I and of the
deep friendship between Australia and France that has endured since then."
The 6th Battalion was raised in Victoria as part of the 2nd Australian
Infantry Brigade, First Australian Division.
The battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. It went on to serve in
all of the Australian Imperial Force's major battles at Gallipoli and on the
Western Front.
The Battalion's Battle Honours, as displayed on the Regimental Colours, are
Pozieres, Bullecourt, Ypres 1917, Menin Road, Lys, Hazebrouck, Amiens,
Hindenburg Line, Krithia and Landing at Anzac.
The Armistice Museum stands in the clearing where the German surrender was
signed on 11 November 1918, ending World War I.
It includes a replica of the railway carriage where the signing took place,
the original having been destroyed after Adolf Hitler ordered the
destruction of the surrender site during World War II.
VA36 Saturday 26 April 2003
AUSTRALIAN EXHIBIT AN ANZAC DAY GIFT TO FLANDERS MUSEUM
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, today will present a new
interactive exhibition to the In Flanders Field Museum in the city of Ieper,
as an Anzac Day gift from Australia to the people of Belgium.
Mrs Vale is representing Australia at Anzac Day ceremonies in Belgium and
France, for the 85th anniversary year of the end of World War I.
During a visit to the Menin Gate last year, Prime Minister John Howard
announced Australia would develop the exhibition, Australian Battles at
Ypres, 1917, to help visitors understand the significance of our nation's
involvement in the major battles on the Ypres Salient.
"The Ypres (Ieper) Salient in 1917 again saw joint operations by the troops
of Australia and New Zealand under the name Anzac," Mrs Vale said.
"The two Anzac Corps spearheaded five of the 11 major assaults against the
German lines during the Third Battle of Ypres. By the end of the campaign
some 38,000 Australians had been killed or wounded.
"Belgians and Australians alike have a deep commitment to ensuring that
those who fought and died here are remembered.
"This exhibition, developed by the Australian War Memorial, will help ensure
future generations continue to honour that commitment."
The exhibition features hundreds of images, stories and film from the
Memorial's collections documenting the experiences of World War I Diggers in
Belgium in 1917.
"The Battles Section provides details of each of the battles fought by the
Anzac Corps, including film footage of Australian tunnellers preparing for
the battle of Messines and graphic images of soldiers preparing for battle,
struggling through the mud and bringing casualties back down the line," Mrs
Vale said.
"The Stories Section features 15 stories of Australians who were involved in
the battles, including Lance Corporal Ted Smout, now one of the last
surviving Australian veterans of World War I. The Remembering Section
documents the many ways that Australians and Belgians remember and
commemorate the sacrifice of those who fought and died during World War I."
A smaller section of the display uses historic and modern pictures to show
the changed landscape on the Salient.
"Today, Hellfire Corner is a country intersection; a sea of mud is now a
woodland; a German pillbox is a quiet farm; the destroyed town of Ypres is
now the rebuilt city of Ieper.
"The land has changed. But this museum shows us that the memory of those
who served here endures," the Minister said.
Mrs Vale said a copy of the exhibition would also be installed at the
Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Friday 25 April 2003
Veterans of war and football honoured
War veterans who have made their mark on the Aussie Rules football field
will be honoured today at the South Australian National Football League's
traditional Anzac Day match at Adelaide Oval.
The Acting Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Larry Anthony, said 30 veterans
who are also former players would take part in the Anzac Day cavalcade
before the SANFL game between last year's grand finalists, Sturt and Central
District.
"The procession will feature former players from South Australian clubs,
representing all the armed forces and will include both World War II and
Vietnam veterans" Mr Anthony said.
Member for Adelaide, Trish Worth, said that the veterans would take a lap of
honour around Adelaide Oval in historic motor vehicles, led by The
Australian Army Band, Adelaide.
The South Australian Football Commission will again award the 'Bob Quinn'
medal to the player judged as 'Best on Ground' in the traditional Anzac Day
match.
"The medal recognises the outstanding career of one of the State's most
decorated and courageous players, Bob Quinn, who won Magarey Medals in 1938
and 1945 and the Military Medal in whilst serving in Tobruk in North
Africa," Ms Worth said.
This year marks the 60th Anniversary of the campaigns on the Huon Peninsula
and in the Markham and Ramu Valleys of PNG in 1943 and the 50th Anniversary
of the end of the Korean War on 27th July 1953.
"In recognition of the servicemen and women who served in these two
theatres, the coin will be tossed by Len Opie who servedin Papua New Guinea
during World War II as well as in the Korean and Vietnam Wars," Mr Anthony
said.
The Ode will be read by Bill Howlett, who served on HMAS Australia in the
South West Pacific in 1943 while Fred Shilcock, who served as an RAAF
Liberator bomber pilot in Papua New Guinea, will raise and lower the
Australian flag.
"The SANFL is to be congratulated for again taking the opportunity to honour
the contribution of veterans and to commemorate those who served in the
South West Pacific in 1943 and the Korean War," Ms Worth said.