Thank You Jessie Mary Vasey
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Thank you Jessie Mary Vasey 1 AUSTRALIAN WAR WIDOWS QLD INSIDE THIS EDITION PATRON His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey, AC Governor of Queensland NATIONAL PRESIDENT Regular Mrs Meg Green STATE PRESIDENT Mrs Jenny Gregory, B AppSc Nursing Sc, GradDip HlthServMgt Page 3. AWWQ Reports CHAIRMAN Page 14. Property for Rent Mr Stephen Scott Page 16. Sub Branch Directory BOARD OF DIRECTORS Page 18. Sub Branch & Social Group News Mr Steven Blinkhorn, B Bus, GAICD Page 25. Instructions on how to vote Mrs Bron Drinkwater Page 26. Nominations for State Council Mr Peter Eardley, BA, LLB Page 27. Friendship Day RSVP Form Page 29. AGM & 70th Anniversary RSVP Form Mrs Michelle McGrath, OAM Page 34. Notices & Reminders Mrs Val Rooney Page 36. Health & Wellbeing - Chair Yoga Mrs Helen Strange, OAM Page 38. Nutrition - Slow Cooked Lamb Mrs Suzi Vincent Page 39. Crossword Puzzle CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Sonja Gilchrist, BA, PostGradDip SocSc AWWQ STAFF Ann Orchard, BSocSc, Ashmina Bhattarai, Features Julie Norton, Kaitlin Boland, Karen Cottrell, Rachel Johnson, Jason Orchard AUDITORS Page 8. Staff Profiles UHY Haines Norton Page 11. Remembering Australia’s First War Page 12. Mrs Jessie Mary Vasey Page 30. June Bulletin Survey 41 Merivale St, South Brisbane, QLD 4101 Page 31. Robert Tingiri - 13 Years of Service Telephone: 3846 7706 – Freecall 1800 061 945 Page 33. Our Members - Elizabeth Cowell Fax: 3846 7701 Email: [email protected] Website: www.warwidowsqld.com.au War Widows’ Motto (Extract from 1941 Christmas Message “We all belong to each from His Majesty King George VI) other. DISCLAIMER: The material in this AWWQ We all need each other. Bulletin has been checked and to the best of our knowledge is correct. However, errors may It is in serving each other occur which are beyond our control. If this should and in sacrificing for our happen, we apologise most sincerely. Designed by Mama Design Media common good Printed by Clark and Mackay that we are finding our true life” Front Cover: Mrs Jessie Mary Vasey 2 AUSTRALIAN WAR WIDOWS (QUEENSLAND) REPORTS colleagues over many years, through them having the very generous bequests to our organisation. If you are making a bequest, it is important that the correct entity is named in your Will. Whatever the gift may be, it is important that the correct terminology is used. If you have already made a bequest, I encourage you to review your Will to ensure the gift can be properly administered. As you know, there has been a change of name and an amalgamation of the various companies which comprise the Australian War Widows (Queensland) and it is important that the correct entity is described. The Board recommends the use of the following State President's Report wording: As our marriages aged, the number of our shared memories also increased. And so it is with the “I leave to Australian War Widows (Queensland) ABN membership of our wonderful organisation. 88 009 708 810 of Legacy House, 41 Merivale Street, South Brisbane in the State of Queensland absolutely During the last 10 months since I became the for the general purposes of the said charity and I State President, myself and Board Directors Bron direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly Drinkwater, Helen Strange, Val Rooney have been authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to fortunate to attend many of your meetings. We have my executors”. personally observed what a great job our committees and coordinators do to make those meetings such happy, memory sharing occasions. Some of you will I have had the great honour of also have met Suzi Vincent who connects us with the ladies in North Queensland. Thank you for your representing Australian War Widows hospitality and your continued support. (Queensland) at many commemoration It has become apparent from visiting these meetings ceremonies and also had the opportunity that the vast majority of the committees consist of to meet many members of the ex-service ladies who are over 80 years of age, with many of community. these hard working ladies in their 90s. This means there is a need for us to attract younger war widows who have not yet joined and for younger members Particularly poignant were the three Anzac services who do not attend meetings to consider stepping up commemorating the service of all Australians and and helping to keep our groups vibrant and to ensure New Zealanders who have served in overseas wars our relevance for current and future generations. and conflicts and to honour those who are currently serving. I found the Students’ Anzac Commemoration All this makes me wish fervently that we could meet Ceremony particularly moving because of the sheer those ladies who are members but who do not number of school children who attended and laid attend the meetings. We would love to hear from the wreaths. you and make contact so we are more aware of your particular needs and are able to provide any Due to the excellent work of Ashmina Bhattarai I also support we can. Another reason we need newer had the opportunity to give two radio interviews and younger members is for those younger voices relating to Anzac Day and the work of our organisation. to ensure that our plans for the future reflect the One of the interviewers was particularly interested wishes of all the war widows rather than just of an in the Rita Chisholm story which was featured in the older demographic. last Bulletin. On another important matter, we have been blessed Bron and I were guests at the opening of the World by the generosity of many of our friends and War I photographic exhibition that was advertised 3 in the last Bulletin. It was very interesting and informative and we learned of the large number of 70 YEARS AGO IN 1947 Australian Jewish men who served for this country. It was also interesting to learn that General John 1 January Monash was Jewish. A massive hailstorm strikes Sydney, causing hundreds of injuries and an estimated $1 million Sonja Gilchrist, our new CEO, Bron and myself damage attended the AGM and 50th birthday celebration of Redcliffe sub branch in May. What a great occasion 1 April that was! More than 100 ladies attended and spent The Woomera rocket range is established in South a very pleasant day at Redcliffe. Judy Harvey and her Australia as a testing site for British and Australian committee did a wonderful job of making this a very missiles happy occasion. Congratulations Redcliffe! 3 May On another note, I would like to say that I am proud of A state election is held in Queensland. Ned Hanlon’s the work that our staff team have been undertaking Labour government is returned for its sixth term in under the direction of Sonja. It is intensive and government requires innovative processes to take us into the future. Ensuring that we can engage with and 5 May serve our members in these changing times takes a A train derails in the Camp Mountain rail dedicated team and the right, modern resources. accident in Queensland, killing 16 people. Now I draw your attention to the upcoming election 15–17 June of four (4) War Widow Board Directors. Our present Major flooding in Tasmania Interim Board has done, and is doing, a fantastic job. As a financial member of AWWQ you have the right 30 June to vote 4 War Widows to the position of Directors on The Australian government assumes the Board. Please take the opportunity to complete control of Qantas your vote and send it in by the due date of Monday 17th July 2017. 5 August Australia becomes a member of the International I hope you all take care of yourselves over the winter Monetary Fund months and I look forward to catching up with all of you again over the next 12 months as my presidency 8 November continues for another year. The Labour minority government of John Cain is defeated by a Liberal–Country coalition led As our organisation is going through a period of by Thomas Holloway change and sometimes we do not like change I would like to close with this quote from Winston Churchill: 26 December Heard Island and McDonald Islands in Antarctica “To improve is to change; are transferred from British control to Australian to be perfect is to change often.” territories Jenny Gregory State President Content credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947_in_ Photo (left to right): Cr Vicki Howard (Brisbane City Council), Australia Jean Le Garde, Mrs de Jersey, Pam Dittmar & Jenny Gregory 4 Canberra and the DVA focus group for dental and allied health. I travelled to Bathurst for the first soil sample collection for inclusion in the renovated Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. The Memorial intends to collect 1,699 soil samples from the towns and cities from which servicemen enlisted during World War I. I continue to represent war widows on the Australian Veterans’ Children’s Assistance Trust Board and the Veterans’ Children’s Education Scheme Committee. I attended the National Anzac Day service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra followed by the Embassy of France’s Anzac Day Service. The ACT National President's Report War Widows’ Guild State President accompanied me Dear Members, for both these services. I also attended the Veterans’ MATES Editorial Committee meeting in April and the How this year is flying by. My apologies for not being ACT Guild Annual General Meeting and the ESORT able to submit a National President’s report for your pre-budget meetings in May.