SIT-REPSIT-REP Membercairns RSL Submagazine BRANCH
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June 2017 SIT-REPSIT-REP MemberCAIRNS RSL SUBMagazine BRANCH The price of liberty is eternal vigilance 1 SIT-REP KOKODA HALL 115 The Esplanade (Upstairs) Cairns 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday FREE ENTRY 2 The Returned & Services League of Australia Cairns RSL Sub BranchSIT-REP 115 The Esplanade Cairns PO Box 55 Cairns Qld 4870 Ph: 0740515254 Fax: 0740310862 Email: [email protected] Office Bearers President - Buster Todd (Air Force) [email protected] Vice President - Phil Warwick (Army) [email protected] Treasurer - Ben Hemphill (Navy) [email protected] Board Museum Director - Peter Hayton [email protected] Marketing Director - Mex Cernaz [email protected] Administration Director - Peter Blackburn [email protected] PAWS Director - Katherine Young [email protected] Membership Director - Mark Rix [email protected] Staff Executive Director - Lara Wilde [email protected] Marketing & Events Coordinator - Rebecca Milliner [email protected] Administration Officer - Cameron Vonarx [email protected] PENSIONS ADVOCACY AND WELFARE SERVICES (PAWS) Senior Advocacy Officer - Phil Watson [email protected] Advocacy Officer - Gerry Tooth [email protected] Advocacy Officer - Ian Richards [email protected] Cover ANZAC Day 2017- Light Horseman Darren Kynuna 3 SIT-REP PRESIDENTS REPORT I would like to start my report to be believed. Although the Sub Branch is already by congratulating Phil involved with these schools we plan to expand our Watson on receiving the long engagement with more of the schools within the serving (more than 3 years) Cairns area. Volunteer of the Year Award. The board continues to work on our corporate This is well deserved and a governance by developing procedures and policies r e c o g n i t i o n o f P h i l ’ s to ensure our compliance requirements. To this invaluable work that he and end, the board has created portfolios, with all of the PAWS team do. directors selecting a portfolio for which they will be I would also like to congratulate Murray O’Neil on responsible, and will report back to the members. his nomination for short serving (less than three The State Congress will be held in Brisbane on the years) Volunteer of the Year. The amount of work weekend of the 23-25th June, our delegate Peter that Murray has done with Bob and his team in the Hayton will be representing the Sub Branch. museum is just amazing. Recently I met and had dinner in the Club with eight April saw another successful ANZAC day although young sappers from No 3 Combat Engineers, it was a little wet. I thank the staff and members Townsville. One of the discussions I had with them who planned and assisted with the running of this was about their knowledge of what services the day. RSL can offer them. They had some knowledge of The Dawn service and the march were well the services offered, but not all. The RSL needs to attended by the current and ex-service members, become more engaged with these younger service who were well supported by the citizens of Cairns, members and educate them. despite the inclement weather. During the past month I have attended three schools for their ANZAC Day services. The effort, time devoted and respect shown by the students of these schools during these services has to be seen Buster Todd, President 4 SIT-REP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REPORT As the dust settles on my first 6 months in the role I For those who haven’t been into the office for a while, am gaining greater clarity. The directors are proving a brief visit will reveal a multitude of changes. to be very supportive and engaged with their Cameron Vonarx has taken on a traineeship in portfolios. The staff are working together well as a Business Administration to learn new skills and keep team. The volunteers are growing in number and the office running smoothly. There is a new printer producing outstanding results with two being providing colour printing, collating, stapling and nominated and one winning Volunteer of the Year – scanning functions. There is a new meeting table congratulations to Phil Watson and Murray O’Neill. providing a small meeting room for our staff and New Governance framework is being developed to volunteers. The IT systems are currently being provide policy and procedure for all facets of the upgraded and we even have new artwork being hung organisation including an induction handbook for throughout the offices. Above the doors are the volunteers, directors and staff. This will include signage for the ‘Caleb Shang Boardroom’ and the training for directors. The policy and procedures ‘Peter Turner Office Suites’. being put in place will protect the Sub Branch and the The museum is proving popular. We have a new Club. brochure that is being distributed to schools and Final handover has happened and now the Sub tourism providers in the region. The flow on effect Branch is responsible for all financial administration will be more visitors and therefore more customers of the Sub Branch, employing an external in the Club. accountant as needed. This will free up Club There is a new work bench in the office for visiting resources to focus on the growth of the Club. Thank workers to utilise. This will maintain the integrity of you once more to Craig and the team for their confidential spaces such as the PAWS offices while support during this process. The Sub Branch is continuing to support like-minded ESOs such as the currently applying for grants to grow the Australian Veterans Foundation. Staff have also organisation particularly in service delivery to cleaned out the offices and utilised new storage younger Veterans who served after 1991. spaces. A huge thank you to our volunteer Les If you as a member ever have a question about any Bassett, who installed the work bench and shelving. aspect of the Sub Branch operations, please do not Moving forward the team has goals and KPIs in hesitate to contact me and ask. During these times place and we look to achieve great things in the next of revelation in other States, the Sub Branch is more 6 months. If you have any suggestions or would like vigilant than ever. As an organisation we are to know more please drop in and have a chat with me committed to providing greater transparency and at any time. accountability to all members. Rebecca Milliner has now taken on a role of Lara Wilde Marketing and Events coordination. Bec is working to deliver regular events (Anzac Day, Remembrance [email protected] Day etc), attract new events and support the Military community by bringing together members and creating a sense of fellowship and connection. Congratulations to all of the team who pulled together to make Anzac Day a success. It was our first event as a staff of three and a very steep learning curve but I am very proud of how we worked together. There are many new and exciting events in the pipeline for this year and next. Bec has done an outstanding job of stepping up to the role of Marketing and Events Coordinator. 5 SIT-REP 51st FNQR PORTON MESS MEMBERS MILITARY HISTORY TOUR By Rebecca Milliner On Friday 19th December we were invited to join The first troops of any numbers to arrive were the Officers of 51 FNQR on their tour of places the 17th Australian Field Engineer Company, with great military significance in the Cairns and who arrived in late April 1942. They buoyed the Tablelands region. The first stop was at the spirits of a beleaguered Cairns. The 17th were Armour and Artillery Museum where the the ‘demolition boys’, who completed the job audience heard a fantastic presentation by SGT begun by the 51st in case of invasion and mined John Lay. John set the scene with the following the Kuranda Range Road and other main opening story. transport links such as the Gillies Highway, The ‘It’s 1939’. Hitler is marching through Europe. Bump Track, railway and wharf facilities. Our boys are off fighting the Germans and On the Atherton Tableland it took workers only Italians in the Desert. Cairns is just a sleepy eight days during March/April to build a new agricultural backwater. Mareeba airfield capable of taking United States ‘BAM’ flash forward. It’s now 1941 and the Air Forces B-17 Flying Fortresses. Later that Empire of the Rising Sun attacks Pearl Harbour year there were nearly 10 000 Americans in and and brings the War to Australia and more around Mareeba, which had a local population importantly to Cairns’ doorstep. of 2500. And only a year later, all 10 000 American troops were gone.” Cairns’ close proximity to the Pacific makes it essential to the War effort, however the War John then went on to discuss interesting facts effort had a slow start. It wasn’t until February about the following significant military sites 1942 that the CO of the 51st Battalion met with around Cairns and the pivotal role they played in local government authorities and their the War Effort: engineers, as well as representatives from the • Z special Unit location in Mooroobool- known oil companies, in order to plan the destruction as the house on the hill. of essential services and infrastructure should • The Malaria Research Unit based at the Japanese invade. After three weeks of Redlynch. working secretly, the 51st Battalion was sent to • 16th Australian Personnel Staging camp in defend Townsville. Feeling unprotected, the Harley Street local authorities sent representatives to Canberra to lobby for sending help to the far • RAN Fuel Installation which is now the Tanks North leaving only the original militia defenders.