RAA Liaison Letter Autumn 2007
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The Royal Australian Artillery LIAISON LETTER Autumn Edition 2007 The Official Journal of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery Incorporating the Australian Gunner Magazine First Published in 1948 RAA LIAISON LETTER Autumn Edition 2007 Publication Information Front Cover: Top Row Left: Iraqi – (standing) Gunner Lah, Bombardier Bradshaw, Gunner Eady and Captain Griffin and (kneeling) Gunner Williamson and Lance Bombardier O’Connor – 8th/12th Medium Regiment; Middle: East Timor – 1st Field Regiment; Right: Iraqi – 20th Surveillance & Target Acquisition Regiment Middle Row Australia – 48th Field Battery Bottom Row Left: Solomon Islands – 103rd Medium Battery; Middle: Afghanistan – Captain Bucci (centre) 4th Field Regiment; Right: Solomon Islands – 103rd Medium Battery Front Cover Design by: Corporal Michael Davis, 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit Edited and Compiled by: Major D.T. (Terry) Brennan, Staff Officer to Head of Regiment Published by: Deputy Head of Regiment, School of Artillery, Bridges Barracks, Puckapunyal, Victoria 3662 Desktop Publishing by: Michelle Ray, Combined Arms Doctrine & Development Section, Bridges Barracks, Puckapunyal, Victoria 3662 Printed by: Defence Publishing Service - Victoria Distribution: For issues relating to content or distribution contact the Editor on email [email protected] Contributors are urged to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in their articles; the Royal Australian Artillery, Deputy Head of Regiment and the RAA Liaison Letter editor accept no responsibility for errors of fact. The views expressed in the Royal Australian Artillery Liaison Letter are the contributors and not necessarily those of the Royal Australian Artillery, Australian Army or Department of Defence. The Commonwealth of Australia will not be legally responsible in contract, tort or otherwise for any statement made in this publication. RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition Contents Distribution 3 Editors Comment 5 Letters to the Editor 7 2007 Regimental Conference and Farewells 10 40th Anniversary ‘Battle of Coral’ 11 Regimental Aspects 13 Chief of Army Letter to Head of Regiment 15 Letter from Queen Elizabeth II 17 Representative Colonel Commandant – Major General T.R. Ford 18 Head of Regiment – Outgoing – Brigadier G.P. Fogarty 19 Head of Regiment – Incoming – Brigadier P.D. Winter 19 Regimental Master Gunner – Warrant Officer Class One P. Washford 21 New Colonel Commandant – Western Region 22 Personnel Aspects 25 Honours and Awards 27 Vale 29 New Regimental Appointments 36 Senior Full-time Officer List 39 Full-time Officer List 40 Full-time Warrant Officer and SNCO List 48 Career Management 51 2006 Regimental Conference and Farewells 53 Professional Paper 55 Introduction to Essential Fire Tasks 57 Operations 61 Warfighting in Afghanistan 63 Combat Team Sphinx 66 60 Years of Australian Peacekeeping 68 Book Review 69 History 73 Gunners Behind Long Tan 75 Recollections of Long Tan 79 Parachute Artillery at Nadzab 80 Another Veteran Saved 82 113th Field Battery 83 1 RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition Around the Regiments 87 8th/12th Medium Regiment 89 16th Air Defence Regiment 91 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment 94 2nd/10th Field Regiment 97 7th Field Battery 98 Doctrine & Training 99 Artillery Trade & Training 101 Royal Australian Artillery Doctrine Currency List 103 Associations & Organisations 105 Associations & Organisations Contact List 107 Regimental Fund Benefactors 110 Regimental Fund – Seeking Your Contribution for 2007 112 Association Updates 114 Regimental Advertisements 120 Regimental Shop 121 Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company and North Fort Memorial Walk Application Forms 122 Regimental Publications Index 126 2 RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition Distribution • Representative Colonel Commandant • Colonels Commandant • Royal Australian Artillery Association (QLD) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (North Queensland) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (NSW) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (NSW) Newcastle Sub-Branch • Royal Australian Artillery Association (ACT) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (VIC) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (TAS) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (SA) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (WA) • Royal Australian Artillery Association (NT) • Miscellaneous Unit and Sub Unit Associations • Royal Australian Artillery Historical Company • Royal Australian Artillery National Museum • Head of Regiment • All COs • All BCs of Independent Batteries • RMG HQ CATC • All RSMs • DJFHQ (Joint Exercises and Targeting) • 1st Field Regiment • 2nd/10th Field Regiment • 4th Field Regiment • 7th Field Regiment • 23 Field Regiment • 7th Field Battery • 16th Field Battery • 48th Field Battery • 8th/12th Medium Regiment • 20th Surveillance and Target Acquisition Regiment • 16th Air Defence Regiment • School of Artillery • Joint Proof and Experimental Unit • 1st Ground Liaison Group • Miscellaneous Individual Gunner Officers/Warrant Officers and SNCO 3 RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition 4 RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition Editors Comment Introduction Welcome to the Royal Australian Artillery Liaison Letter 2007 – Autumn Edition. I thank all our readers who have taken the time to contact me with their thoughts and recollections - they are most appreciated. I again thank everyone who has found the time to support this edition with contributions, your efforts are most appreciated. Without your support we would not have a Liaison Letter which is gaining a larger and broader reading audience and receiving accolades from interesting and varied quarters including from retired Gunners now residing overseas. I wish to thank all those Associations who have placed me on their newsletter distribution list as I requested. Your support makes my task of keeping track and reporting events, activities and occurrences across the Regiment much easier. The closure of Headquarters Land Command Artillery has resulted in the end of the monthly ‘Land Command Artillery Situation Report’. I will do my bit to capture some of the important information disseminated in that forum in the Liaison Letter. The only danger is trying to make the Liaison Letter become everything for everyone and failing on all accounts. I would draw your attention to the letter from the Chief of Army to Head of Regiment complimenting the contribution and performance of Gunners on operations. It makes enjoyable reading, especially for those who have questioned our relevance in the Army of the future. The range of articles in this edition continues to reflect Gunner events ranging from current operations to history. I would draw your attention to the article submitted from Captain Adrian Bucci and Bombardier James Bell of 4th Field Regiment, what a different and professionally rewarding Exercise Long Look they found themselves involved on! Whilst on a slightly different tact I ask anyone who has been involved with peacekeeping to consider becoming a sponsor or member of the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial project which our Representative Colonel Commandant, Major General Ford, draws to our attention in his article on 60 Years of Australian Peacekeeping. Official Regimental Websites If you look under my signature block you will notice that I list two official Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery websites. One is the ‘internet’ (World Wide Web) and the other is the ‘intranet’ (internal defence web). The ‘intranet’ is only available to those who have access to the Defence Restricted Network; consequently the content on this site is not available to the public. I am currently responsible managing the information on both sites. Due to the potential sensitive nature of some information, the content on our ‘internet’ site is limited. I make no apologies for that situation. Regimental Farewells Policy As I am sure you are aware, if you have completed 20 years service you are entitled to be farewelled from the Regiment generally in the Regimental Officers’ or Sergeants’ Messes. The Regimental farewells are currently held in conjunction with the annual Regimental conference convened at the School of Artillery. In broad terms the function in the officers’ mess is held on the Friday night as a dining in night, while the sergeants’ mess hold a buffet on the Saturday night. The warrant officers and sergeants have a very well established procedure over seen by the Regimental Master Gunner and Regimental Sergeant Major, School of Artillery. In the officers case, due to the changes over recent years, it has taken a few years to establish a suitable format. The policy agreed by the Regimental Committee and Head of Regiment is to have a ‘flexible’ approach to farewells. The background for adopting this approach includes an effort to make it easier for individuals to attend the farewells at Puckapunyal. Individuals retiring or transferring from full-time to part-time service may elect to be farewelled prior to separating provided they are within 12 months of leaving and have actually submitted their documentation. The other grey area on which guidance has been provided by the Regimental Committee is that for individuals transferring from full-time to part-time. People in this situation may choose to be farewelled from the Regiment at the conclusion of their full-time service. It is important to note you only receive one farewell from the Regiment. 5 RAA Liaison Letter 2007 - Autumn Edition Army Combat Badge By now most people are aware of the Army