Newsletter 111996 April 1996 Museum News = Good News!! A.R
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Newsletter 111996 April 1996 Museum News = Good News!! A.R. Roberts Following the Duntroon Executive Council Meeting in The relocation of the Museum and its collocation March 1992, I was invited to represent the Society on what was with the RMC Archives will enable the Archivist and then the RMC Historical Collection Management Committee to Assistant Archivist to provide a permanent presence give effect to the intention of the Society that its gift to the RMC at the Museum (perhaps with assistance from in 2011 should be a Centenary Museum. In March 1993, the volunteer guides - a future task for the Society?). Executive endorsed an objective for a proposed Museum The Archivist has already attended a Curator's Committee for the Society as follows: Introductory Course and will attend subsequent To raise funds for the design, develop~nentand construction courses to fully qualify him to formally run the of the RMC Centenary M~iseunzand to provide assistance to Museum, thus enabling the Museum to gain fully the RMC Historical Collection Committee, including the accredited Army Museum status. (Under an Army- provision oj historical itenzs. wide Project Army Heritage, the Army intends to establish well-managed, well-presented Army Your Museum Committee has met once, in October 1993. It museums and more efficient management of Army's agreed that an extensive fund-raising campaign would be needed heritage resources. Over the next two years, Army for the Centenary Museum and that an essential prerequisite was intends to give museums which can meet the that potential donors should be able to visualise what was required standards more visibility, more consistent intended by way of a permanent building and where within the funding and common technical standards.) As an RMC it would be located. The major proposals (now being put example, Ross Howarth, the RMC Archivist, hopes it into effect) for redevelopment of the RMC then began to surface will be possible when the Museum is re-established, and the then-Commandant indicated that, since HQ CSC would to hold and display weapons and other items which return to building A68 which had housed the Museum since its cannot be shown because of current space and inception, a new temporary home for it would have to be found. security limitations. It was proposed that this be the old Ration Store behind the A number of related matters which were discussed at the Duntroon shops and that it might be possible to fund the September meeting of the RMC Historical Executive Committee necessary alterations without assistance from the Society and transfer the Museum about the middle of 1996. also impact on the future of the Museum and its importance in the life of the RMC: As you will be aware from recent Newsletters, much has Contact is being made or maintained with the happened in the past year, with the physical development of the associations or other bodies representing the RMC, with the appointment of the Commandant as Training graduates of the Officer Training Unit (OTU) Adviser for all first appointment officers throughout the Army Scheyville, the Officer Cadet School (OCS) Portsea, and with the commencement of a new range of officer courses at and the WRAAC Officer Cadet School to encourage the College. Brigadier Willis reconvened a RMC Historical them to contribute to display areas within the Executive meeting in September and confirmed the following Museum and to solicit display material from their arrangements: members. A permanent home for the Museum could be found There is greater scope for cadet involvement with the in Building A34 (originally the Chemistry Block and Museum, perhaps through the CSC company currently the home of the Bridges Memorial Library museums which will continue to exist. Companies and the RMC Archives) adjacent to the Parade might like to sponsor displays specific to particular Ground, where it would be collocated with the RMC companies. Archives, with the Archivist as Curator. There are (or would be) adequate ablution facilities and counter As part of the RMC development, a self-guided space for a Museum shop. The building would not walking tour for visitors is being developed and the require any major renovation. Museum in its new location will be an important station along the tour. The current renovation and new building at the As will be seen, the Society has been relieved of the rather RMC means that this pennanent home cannot be daunting task of raising capital funds for a future permanent occupied until the completion of a chain of events home for the Museum. Ross Howarth points out that, since there which involves moves of the Bridges Memorial will be much more space and opportunity for display when the Library and CSC Headquarters (the latter eventually Museum reopens in 1997, the Society might now concentrate its returning to their original home in the present efforts on the second part of the objective of the Society's Museum, Building A68). Museum Committee, to provide assistance to the (RMC The Museum has therefore closed in its present M~ise~i171)i~~cliiding the provi.~io~zof historical items. The big location and the exhibits have been placed in gaps in current heritage holdings begin after 1939 and continue. temporary storage under control of the On your behalf I shall pursue this aspect further with the Archivist/Curator. The Museum will reopen in its Archivist during 1996 and try to provide guidance through the new and permanent location in December 1996. Newsletter and directly with the Branches on which specific areas need contribution from individuals or classes. Some Branches have already been most generous in providing display This, That and the Other cases and other equipment for the Museum. I am sure there will always be a need to supplement the limited public funds D.A. McCormack in Newsletter 2/1995, wrote of A Little available and the RMC's self-help programmes. I shall therefore Known Event at the RMC. He noted, correctly, how unlikely it also examine with the Archivist what may be needed and when. was for anyone other than authorised staff and the staff cadets to During 1996, while the Museum is closed, Branches might like set foot on the RMC parade ground and he implied that his unit, to think about putting aside or accumulating funds for future 12 Division Signals, was unique in being allowed to march on it Museum assistance. as a regiment of 'outsiders'. In fact a unit of women soldiers beat Finally, some housekeeping matters. At the September 1995 him to it. On 6 April 1943 an Australian Women's Army Service meeting of the Duntroon Society Executive Council, it was (AWAS) unit marched on to the RMC parade ground to be agreed that the Duntroon Society Museum Committee should be inspected and addressed by Lady Cowrie, the wife of the dissolved, but that I should remain the Society's Representative Governor-General. As many members of this AWAS unit were on the RMC Historical Executive Committee. It was also agreed drawn from the other rank staff of the RMC, it may be argued that I should be the Museum Representative on the Duntroon that it was not strictly a unit of 'outsiders' Society Executive Council. The decision by the Commandant to Among those on parade was Sergeant G.E. Badman, later appoint OTU, OCS and WRAAC representatives to the Warrant Officer Class 1 and subsequently Mrs Grace Watson, Executive Council will enable me, through my membership, to the wife of Warrant Officer Class 1 G.J. (Fango) Watson, the maintain and improve the contribution of these past officer- RSM of the RMC from 1944 to 1953. Mrs Watson is a Life commissioning institutions and their graduates, to the RMC Member of the Duntroon Society. Museum. I thank members of the Museum Committee for their willing advice and assistance since 1993. I invite Branches or Branch Proxies to deal directly with me (06 28 13 158) on Museum or other historical matters. Ross Howarth also invites thein to deal directly with him (06 2759733) on such matters as possible donations of items for the Museum or details of what it - or the [In eight earlier Newsletters, Major H.B. McKenzie (1933) RMC Archives - now hold. contributed photographs and reminiscences. In this edition he does so again, including a photograph of the pupils of Duntroon Brigadier A.R. (Tan) Roberts entered the Officer Cadet School. Ed.] School (OCS) Portsea on 7 January 1952 as a member of the first course of that School. He graduated on 6 June 1952 into the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. As Deputy Chief of Army Reserve at Army Office he retired on 5 April 1983. As Many memories were stirred by Newsletter //I995 in the senior serving member of the OCS, he was the first reading Colonel Williams' remark about the near miss Staff President of the Major General Sir James Harrison Cadet L.W. (Bill) Thornton (1934) had in the laboratory. In this Memorial Lecture Trust from March 1982 until his particular year my father would have been teaching much the retirement. same syllabus for some 20 years. Nitro Glycerine is a dangerous substance, but for practical purposes with the class divided into pairs, we would make a small portion. After completion, the surplus would be put out of harm's way and a drop placed on an anvil. A staff cadet would be selected to strike the sample with a hammer to prove that we had made the real McCoy. In this instance the first blow failed and the second strike blew a fragment into Bill Thornton.