Honouring Our Anzacs
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ISSUE 16 THE LAST POST – 2018 ANZAC DAY DAY ANZAC THE LAST POST – 2018 16 ISSUE BI-ANNUAL ISSUE 16 Honouring our Anzacs The Royal Australian Mint is proud to present its special military commemorative coins to mark signi cant periods of con ict and remember those who have fallen. / WINTER EDITION WINTER Visit our online shop today to pick up a special memento. 4 2 1 3 1. 2018 $1 Fine Silver Proof Coin 2. 2018 $5 Coloured Silver Proof Triangular Coin 3. 2018 $25 Gold Proof Coin 4. 2018 $2 ‘C’ Mintmark Coloured Uncirculated Coin Order yours today! 1300 652 020 Intl ph: +61 2 6202 6800 eshop.ramint.gov.au MEET THE FAMILY Will you pass on something amazing for future generations? Gifts in Wills make such an important contribution to our work. Without them, many programs in Australia and around our region simply couldn’t be funded. Making a Will may seem daunting, but we’re here to make this life-affirming task as easy as possible. Lay out your legacy and choose what you’d like to pass on to the next generation. We’re here for people today. Help us be there for those who need us tomorrow. Request your FREE no-obligation Wills guide by calling 1800 811 700 emailing [email protected] visiting redcross.org.au/bequests CPRS0533 ANZAC Day Press Ale family 297x210_FA.indd 1 16/2/18 10:49 am 5622 ARC_Bequests2017_Ad_A4_AW.indd 1 01/08/2017 17:05 from the publisher GREG T ROSS NEW TEXT COMING .. Greg Greg T Ross Editor and Publisher www.thelastpostmagazine.com THE LAST POST – 2018 ANZAC DAY / WINTER EDITION 1 We are proud to be a part of the Defence landscape in Australia during such an integral and important time in our history. dha.gov.au 139 342 foreword THE HON. DR BRENDAN NELSON AO, DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL The First World War was a cataclysm of unheralded proportions, one that Australia joined willingly and with good cheer. The mettle of our nation was tested at Gallipoli in 1915, it was on those steep hills and in those gullies and ravines that the ‘Anzac Spirit’ was born. GEORGIE MACRIS, Our young nation’s innocence was brutally lost in the bloodbath at Fromelles and hard-earned victory of Pozieres in 1916. RSL NATIONAL CEO The bitter conscription referendum rendered us a deeply divided Welcome to the ANZAC edition of The Last people facing the new year of 1917. The year that followed was the Post magazine. It is always so refreshing to worst in our history – 77,000 casualties; 22,000 dead and missing read of all the great initiatives and hard work in the dreadful battles of the Passchendaele campaign alone. undertaken by RSL’s across Australia, and the By early 1918 victory seemed further away than ever, additional activities and projects being worked recruitment at home had stalled and in March 1918 the on by the broader veteran community. Germans smashed through Allied lines. A year’s long stalemate I would particularly like to take this opportunity to becoming a rout almost incomprehensibly quickly. congratulate the recent appointments of Lieutenant The men of the 1st AIF finally stopped the Germans on Anzac General Angus Campbell AO, DSC as Australia’s Day 1918 at the French town of Villers-Bretonneux, now the next Chief of Defence and Major General Liz Cosson site of the main Australian memorial on the Western Front, AM,CSC (retd) as the new Secretary for the Department it proved to be decisive. The Germans were spent and the of Veteran Affairs. RSL National has worked closely Allies, though battered themselves, went on the offensive that with both Angus and Liz over many years and we summer. Led by the Australian troops of Sir John Monash the welcome the opportunity to continue building on Allies broke the back of the German army at Amiens in August the strong relationships already established. and over the coming months pushed them back further. Among many other anniversaries of interest, this year By November the Germans called for an armistice and at 11am marks the Centenary of ANZAC and the Centenary on November 11 1918 silence descended on the battlefields after of Armistice. The Returned & Services League of four years of the most destructive and bloody warfare ever seen. Australia evolved from the Great War to support our wounded and ill Australian servicemen returning Soldiers, sailors and airmen lay down their arms from the horrors of this global conflict. We have and nations began to count the cost. since developed into the largest ESO in the country, We had emerged victorious yes, but inconsolably mourning we have the widest reach, we represent the most 62,000 dead. Our country had become embittered by years of members, have a combined forty million volunteer loss and grief and deeply divided by conscription and social hours donated per annum and over one hundred issues. Yet we remained true to our democracy and ourselves, years of experience in providing real support for we had emerged with a greater belief in ourselves and a veterans and their families. We are known and deeper understanding of what it means to be - Australian. respected regionally, nationally and internationally as an organisation of pride, strength and valour. The 100 year anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War provides an opportunity for Australians to remember On every level, and in every State and Territory, and reflect on the armistice and the service and sacrifice that the RSL has been examining and modernising came before it. It is also a time to remember the suffering that internal practices, governance structures and followed it, the grief of families and the pain of wounds both compliance frameworks to ensure we are preforming physical and psychological suffered by many who returned home. our duties, and meeting our legal and regulatory obligations, as a charity organisation. Personally The Australian War Memorial will lead the nation’s I am privileged enough to meet with Government national commemorations of the end of the cataclysm officials, high ranking delegates and the grass roots which inflicted deep wounds on our young nation. We membership on a daily basis and I can assure you will be joined around the nation and indeed around the we have their ongoing understanding, support and world by many other organisations and people. encouragement as we evolve our organisation. I ask all Australians to pause at 11am on 11th November 2018 These are exciting times of renewal and to pay their respects in silence and reverence, to remember the regeneration and the stories, profiles and service and sacrifice not just of the men and women of the First opinion pieces in this edition of The Last Post World War but to all those who have served as well as those still highlights the magnitude of support that the serving and the families that support them. veteran community generates in Australia. FIRST Fighting for our INTERVIEW Defence Veterans FREE There are currently more than 300,000 injury claims with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. That means thousands of current and former Defence men and women are in limbo - awaiting recognition for injuries sustained while serving their country. But Australia’s military compensation system is complex. Tim White Who can help those who have served our country? Partner, TGB Lawyers Tindall Gask Bentley Lawyers has more than 20 years P: (08) 8212 1077 experience managing military claims. Lead by partner E: [email protected] Tim White - himself a Legal Officer in the RAAF Reserves, tgb.com.au with the rank of Squadron Leader – our firm is passionate about protecting the rights of anyone who has ever pulled on a uniform. WE HELP DEFENCE PEOPLE IN EVERY STATE AND TERRITORY – TGB.COM.AU 4 THE LAST POST – 2018 ANZAC DAY / WINTER EDITION contents FEATURES 4 Chief of Army Lt-Gen Angus Campbell speaks with TLP about his short movie on domestic violence, Silence is the Accomplice. ‘The Last Post’ magazine is owned And published by GTR Publishing, YOUR RSL AT WORK a subsidiary of B4E Pty Ltd, 40 fgdfgdg 6 Way Ave, Myrtle Bank 5064 DVA UPDATES 42 hfhfg MANAGING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHING EDITOR MUSIC, ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Greg T Ross 10 TLP chats with Australian music legend, singer songwriter Mike McClellan HEALTH ART DIRECTOR & 58 Brain trauma in the military GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kirstie Wyatt 0419 035 000 TRAVEL [email protected] 78 Kokoda The Spirit Lives ADVERTISING SPORT www.thelastpostmagazine.com 90 Ian Chappell . TLP talks with former Australian cricket captain and sporting icon Ian Chappell SUBSCRIPTIONS GARDENING www.thelastpostmagazine.com 102 Josh Byrne www.isubscribe.com.au www.magshop.com.au au.zinio.com ENQUIRIES GTR Publishing 6 Way Ave, Myrtle Bank 5064 08 8379 7919 www.thelastpostmagazine.com THE LAST POST: eNEWS The Last Post eNews is growing in popularity. Are you a subscriber? For your free subscription, please contact our subscription team at thelastpostmagazine.com Currently coming out every three months, the eNews is released as an adjunct to the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day editions, and will include the latest news for veterans and their supporters. The Last Post Magazine has been proudly designed by Kirstie Wyatt from Wyatt Creative, since the very first issue 5 years ago. Kirstie is a freelance graphic and web designer. Please contact her anytime to see how she can create the perfect design to enhance your marketing and help you get the results you want in your business. No job is too big or small! 0419 035 000 | [email protected] THE LAST POST – 2017 REMEMBRANCE DAY / SUMMER EDITION 5 –– INTERVIEW –– Gerroa’s Glenn Kolomeitz was sacked as the RSL NSW boss after launching multiple investigations into the league.