Going fast have you got yours a full record of 2001 all pages(weeks) are included, so catch up on all that's been happening.
Tom Feeley The Association of the RAF Regiment
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Date Posted: 12:09:01 01/30/02 Wed
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Gday to all you lads out there.
Firstly let me thank you on behalf of the Rocks for the beuatiful plaque that Jim Gable "delivered" to my door just after New Year. His good lady took a photo of the event & so once I receive my copy it will be placed both on the site & in our magazine.
In the not too distant future our "representative, Mick Mills of Holmview Qld, will be receiving the "Rocks" plaque & Mick will contact Jim & on our behalf Mick will do the presentation at Jim's.
here's to a long & prosperous affiliation of our associations.
From the "Rock" fraternity in the UK, or as you guys call us "Pom's" to you "Blue" lot, all the very best.
Tom Feeley National Secretary
My geographical disease has been halted for the moment. My son decided the
only way to stop us moving was to buy us a house (to rent off him)
I decided 30 addresses in 30 years was about enough. My friends ran out of
address books.
My email above will change next month to big pond when I get ADSL put on.
I am now living in Hobart.
Now I'm settled I hope to get back into circulation
Tiny
POM,
I found this photo the other day. Every year Keith Fisher has a get together
on the March long weekend at his place. Alas this years will be the last as
he is moving to Qld (no comment). Standing Matt Dillon - Keith Fisher
sitting Wally Tennick - Ken Triffitt
The Tassie Correspondant
Pom,
Just been reading through the electronic blue beret & noticed one small error in the week 11-1-2002 you have Ken Lovell's third tour when it should read as Ken McLeod's third tour as I was the one who went back & then wrote the story. I should have started with enjoy the site very much keep up the good work & don't worry about small errors.
Ken McLeod
POM
While things are working ok. I thought I would send some more photos.
Another rtu party was a bit of a booze up at someones house L to R
Triff_Judy(Mrs Triff)_Dutchy VanHeek
Learmonth for those that were there for the exercise will remember the sign
that was put at the front gate, the question is ? :Who was appointed C.O. Of
Learmonth for the exercise" Hint, he used to be a C.O. Of 1RTU.
Another one of the fancy dress party at RTU, Kaye MacGuire_John Littlewood
or" Shaky" as he was known amongst the troops.
The boys in Fat Arsed Chicken Land (N.Z.) on exercise, thought the bush
looked a bit dry and decided to help it grow by watering it, don't know if
it was a success.
TRIFF
PoW forced to sell war art
From AAP
25jan02
A BRITISH veteran who risked death to record the inhumanities of the Thai-Burma railway is being forced to sell his collection of wartime paintings and drawings and hopes it will end up in Australia.
Jack Chalker spent three years as a prisoner of war in Thailand alongside Sir Weary Dunlop and other Australian soldiers, painting and drawing their desperate experiences between the severe beatings he received from their Japanese captors.
Much of his art, drawn on both sides of scraps of paper with stolen and smuggled materials, feature Australian PoWs working in the Hintok cutting and Kanyu River camps.
However, Chalker must auction off over 100 of his works to pay for medical expenses for he and his wife and he said it would be fitting if they all went to Australia.
"It was a great and enormous privilege and honour to be involved with those Australians, they meant so much to me," Chalker said today from his home in Somerset.
"It's my dearest wish the whole bloody lot would go to Australia. I hate doing this, but I have to part with them in this way. We've both been very ill and it's been hard and we'd like some jam on the bread.
"I didn't want to do this, my intention was to give them all to Canberra.
"I just hope someone, one of your millionaires, what's his name, Packer, hopefully he can come into the auction.
"We don't want a lot of money. I'd much rather it go as a complete lot for much less and all end up in Australia than be separated and go all over the place for more money."
Bonhams auctioneers in London predicted the series of watercolours, monochrome washes and pen, pencil and ink drawings would fetch up to £80,000 at the auction on April 16.
For Chalker and his PoW mates, however, they are priceless.
He received regular beatings when his hidden drawings were discovered but continued to record the inhumane conditions endured by the 68,000 allied prisoners forced to work on the 415km railway which claimed 16,000 of their lives.
He also sketched the medical and surgical procedures performed by Colonel Dunlop, the Australian surgeon and soldier who was a hero to the PoWs.
"It was not just for my own use, it was imperative that we recorded it all," he said. "I'm glad Weary and I got them out."
His collection returned to its origin for a special display on Anzac Day 1999 on one of six trips he has made back to Thailand, including two with Dunlop with whom Chalker was in regular contact until his death in 1993.
Three weeks after Chalker was called up in 1942, the 22-year-old artist turned infantry gunner was captured in the fall of Singapore and ended up in Thailand where he forged lifelong friendships with Dunlop and many other Australians.
"Weary was a man of enormous courage and kindness and skill. I owe my life to him and so do many others. He was an inspiration to us all," Chalker said.
"I think he's one of the great heroes, he's a very great man. I feel privileged to have been a friend of his."
Dunlop's son John donated 30 of Chalker's drawings and paintings to Canberra after his father's death.
After the war, Dunlop asked Chalker to join him at Australian HQ in Bangkok where he was able to finish many of his drawings and paintings, including an oil of Dunlop in the operating theatre at Chungkai Hospital camp, which Bonhams said would fetch between £5,000 ($13,955) and £8,000 ($22,330).
© The Australian
RAF Regiment in Kabul
by Steve Rooney
(36/M/scotland) 26/1/02 9:08
hi all my matey has posted pics of 34 sqn raf regt...currently in kabul
http://www.rafregt.com/kabul.htm
Click on the above photo to pay the boys a visit.
Take care fellas and do your country proud.
POM
Some of the boys at a fancy dress party at RTU
LtoR.... Simmo... Triff...Ben Hall
You have an up to date one of Tucky, here is one of a young Tucky.
The Story to the Photo's below.
POM,
The second photo you put up of Bill was taken on the same day as the other,
I don't think Bill could wait to get to the pissaphone, or he was trying to
shake a guerilla out of the bamboo. Was a good day and any other 9 Sqn
blokes that had the day off will testify that the seafood was tops as was
the booze. Therein lies a story in itself, the SAS blokes had decided to
have a major pissup with 9 Sqn so the planning started, the major problem
was how to get the quantity of beer that was required. They got some sent to
them from W.A. But Bill and myself supplied the rest from Vungers. They used
to leave an Echelon bag down at the chopper pad and we would pick it up and
bring it back the next morning with 2 cartons of cans in it. When they did
their rubbish run after the sqn arrived in the morning they would drop by
the pad and pick up the bag and its contents then take them back to SAS hill
and hide the cartons in the roof of their boozer. This went on for some
weeks and the day they put the last 2 cartons in the roof the SAS CO was
doing an inspection, walked into the boozer and the bloody ceiling collapsed
spilling all these cartons all over the floor. From what I can remember a
couple of them got a kick in the bum but that was about all, he had a bit of
a laugh about it and their initiative of getting so much booze and the way
of hiding it.
TRIFF
Not bad pom but Irene said that she would have taken the picture of all of us, thought for next time. George the 3 rd...........
L to R.... Ian Wheat, George Schubert and Paul Tuck.
Sluggo Wheat stopping George Schubert from eating all the stale biscuits,
This has turned into quite an event with George and Paul meeting, after not seeing each other since 1972 at Richmond.
30 Years is a long break between drinks.
The POM wishes to thank all for attending .
POM,
Thanks for the preview, as you can guess Billy Hazel ( second from right ) was the man, the other
blokes are SAS troopers. They had a big pissup on SAS hill and invited 9
sqn, top day.
TRIFF
I'll let young Stumpy Triffitt supply the details to this photo as it's part of his collection that i have just put on CD for him.
Over the next couple of weeks i'll include the odd one or two.
Would this be a photo of Billy Hazel going walkabout??
The sign says stay off the grass Bill.
Note; Bill left us a few years ago, may he rest in peace.