Sick or not,Those who would like to hear from Fellow ADGies.
Alan Atherton...........02-66875920
Paul Tuck....................02-49911964
Mick Brodie................ 02-99404340
Paul Pannowitz...........02-49500306
Bushy Bill Trevethan..02-68290177
Trevor Nye...................07 41256279
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Wishing all the best for a speedy recovery Tex, they tell me that you can,t keep a good man down.
Pom and the Fellas.
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VA113 Monday 2 September 2002
VETERANS' REVIEW ENTERS FINAL PHASE
The independent Review of Veterans' Entitlements has entered its final
phase, with the committee closing off submissions in preparation for writing
its report, due in mid-November.
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, said the committee finished
accepting submissions on 30 August, after extending its original April
closing date to accommodate the overwhelming interest in the Review from the
veteran community.
"The Review was intended to be a high-profile, independent and open inquiry
which would bring clarity to issues of concern to sections of the veteran
community," Minister Vale said.
"With 3000 submissions received and strong attendances at the public
meetings, it has certainly been high-profile. I would like to thank the
committee members for their hard work to date and wish them well in the
difficult task of bringing these issues together in their final report."
Under its terms of reference, the committee is considering perceived
anomalies in eligibility for access to veterans' benefits and qualifying
service. The committee is also considering the appropriateness of current
veteran disability benefits and the extent to which the medical, social and
vocational rehabilitation needs of compensation recipients are being met.
The Minister said the committee's report would be made public and its
recommendations considered in the context of the 2003 Federal Budget. She
said she intended to see that the Review recommendations were given careful
consideration by the Government, in line with the principles outlined at the
beginning of the process.
"First and foremost is the Government's commitment to provide fair,
consistent and appropriate benefits to members of the veteran community,"
she said.
"Second is our commitment to maintain the integrity of qualifying service.
For decades, the repatriation system has operated on the principle that a
special level of entitlement should be set aside for those who have faced
the enemy in wars and conflicts, suffering special deprivations and
pressures as a result. This has been endorsed by successive Australian
governments on both sides of politics and we will stand by that principle.
"Third is the Government's commitment to responsible economic management, a
continuing imperative not only for the Veterans' Affairs portfolio but
across all Government programs.
"We must take a responsible approach to any additional spending, which is
why the Review committee was instructed to consider the potential to
restructure benefits and programs in order to assist the funding of possible
improvements to disability benefits and support programs.
"As I said, it is no easy task to bring together all of these issues. The
Review committee has had a range of concerns and proposed solutions placed
before it, and I look forward to seeing its recommendations," the Minister
said.
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VA114 Monday 2 September 2002
STORIES OF THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA - 1942
In 1942 the people of Australia were called upon, for the first time, to
defend their own shores. Throughout that year, supported by their allies,
Australians fought to turn the initial defeats of 1942 into the beginnings
of victory in the Pacific. This series, issued by the Minister for
Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, to mark the 60th anniversary of the defence
of Australia, highlights some of the key events of those 12 momentous
months.
WOMEN IN THE DEFENCE OF AUSTRALIA
Women played a key role in the defence of Australia in 1942. When the nation
appeared to be threatened, thousands enlisted in the services while many
others worked in civilian jobs vital to the war effort.
During 1942, Service nurses tended the wounds and illnesses of troops in the
Middle East, Malaya, Ceylon, Papua New Guinea and at home. Service nurses
suffered more losses in 1942 than in any other year. In January, six nurses
were captured at Rabaul and taken to Japan as prisoners of war. In
February, the Vyner Brooke was sunk escaping from Singapore and 33 nurses
lost their lives, 12 going down with the ship or drowning and 21 shot dead
in the massacre at Banka Island which only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel
survived. Of the 32 survivors from the ship, eight were to die in the
Japanese PoW camps in Sumatra. One nurse was killed in the bombing of
Darwin and four others died of illness that year.
Nursing aides of the Australian Medical Women's Army Service also served in
operational areas and in hospitals in Australia. Other women enlisted as
doctors and physiotherapists. In addition, the Royal Australian Air Force
and Royal Australian Navy raised Nursing Services.
All three armed forces had also formed women's services, which expanded in
1942. The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, Australian Women's Army
Service and Women's Royal Australian Naval Service released thousands of men
for service in operational areas. Most of the servicewomen worked as
typists, stores clerks, drivers, signallers and cooks, but many were
airframe and engine mechanics, anti-aircraft gunners or intelligence staff.
Women also contributed to the war effort in other ways, often in traditional
'male' occupations stretched by the enlistment of so many men. Thousands
joined the Australian Women's Land Army, a non-military force that worked on
farms and orchards. Others worked as conductors on buses and trams; in
factories building military equipment including tanks, aircraft and guns; in
canneries supplying food; and in shops, hotels and entertainment venues.
Many undertook volunteer work with organisations like the Red Cross, or
joined unit and prisoner of war relatives' associations, supporting each
other and sending 'comforts' overseas. They also maintained homes and raised
families.
As Australia rallied in a national effort to support our war in the Pacific,
Australian women were at the forefront.
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VA115 EMBARGOED UNTIL 0001am Wednesday 4 September
Battle for Australia DAY - WEDNESDAY 4 sEPTEMBER
I urge all Australians to take time on Battle for Australia Day to remember
those who protected Australia from attack in the darkest days of World War
II.
Today we remember those who fought in land, sea and air battles at home and
throughout the south-west Pacific to defend Australia's shores from the
threat of Japanese invasion.
This year is the 60th anniversary of the historic events of 1942 that marked
the beginning of the series of actions and battles remembered today as the
Battle for Australia.
Today is our opportunity to honour those who fought for our freedom and to
remember those who did not return.
Battle for Australia Day, held on the first Wednesday of September,
coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942, when
Australian and American forces defeated a major Japanese assault to try to
secure Milne Bay in New Guinea as a base for sea and air attacks on Port
Moresby.
Milne Bay was the scene of bitter fighting between 25 August and 7 September
1942 as the Japanese attempted to seize Allied airfields to secure a base
for an attack on Port Moresby.
The Allied defenders, including 4500 Australian infantrymen and RAAF
Kittyhawk fighters, counter-attacked and by 6 September had driven the
Japanese forces back to their main base.
Corporal John French of the 2/9th Battalion was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross for his bravery at Milne Bay in capturing three Japanese
machine-gun posts that had pinned down his section.
While the fighting was going on at Milne Bay the Australians were waging
their determined battle to halt the Japanese advance in the horrific
conditions of the Kokoda Track.
Days like Battle for Australia Day show the nation's gratitude and ensure
that current and future generations of Australians never forget the historic
events that helped shape our nation and our identity as Australians.
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VA116 Wednesday 4 September 2002
RSL DIRECTORY HELPS VETERANS GET GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
The Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Danna Vale, today launched a new project
by RSL Care to help Queensland ex-service organisations (ESOs) obtain
Government funding to benefit the State's veterans.
Minister Vale said the RSL Community Services Funding Directory was a
step-by-step guide to applying for a range of grants and funding offered by
Federal, State and Local Government.
"Applying for funding can be a difficult process. There are many guidelines
and processes that ex-service and community organisations must adhere to,"
Minister Vale said.
"This directory fulfils an important need for ESOs, by describing in
practical terms how organisations can access grants for a variety of
purposes and the types of funding available throughout Queensland.
"That includes the range of support available to ESOs from the Federal
Government, including Veteran & Community Grants, the Saluting Their Service
commemorations program and the BEST program, which offers grants to help
ESOs provide advice and advocacy services to the veteran community."
The Minister said the Funding Directory itself had been funded with a
Federal Government grant of $34,800, through the Veteran & Community Grants
program.
"Veteran & Community Grants provide assistance to projects that support and
provide fundamental services for the veteran community," she said.
"The directory will be a valuable resource and I consider the grant a
worthwhile investment by the Federal Government in meeting the needs of
Queensland veterans."
Minister Vale said the Funding Directory was produced by RSL Care, through
its community care arm, RSL Community Services.
"RSL Care has been looking after the needs of the veteran community in
Queensland since 1936. This directory is another example of their commitment
to the needs of ex-servicemen and women and I congratulate all those
involved with the production of this publication.
"I encourage all ESOs in Queensland to refer to this directory for a
comprehensive overview of the grants and funding programs available within
the state," the Minister said.
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Or is Bluey Fulton just looking for some lost nut,s ??
