Sept2019 Vol 67
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Vol 67 Sept2019 Sadly, in the few Our lovely Page 3 months since our girl this issue is last issue, we have Susan Mallett and once again lost we have lots of some very good old time pics. mates. See Page 3. See Page 2 • Change the "Reply to" • F/A-18 mid- address in an air collision - email. Aug 1990. • Internet speed • C-27 lands tests. on the road. • What's the • WRAAF difference dining-in between a night. Modem and a • Etc Router. • Etc See Page 5 See Page 4 Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 • Back-up your smart phone • New Pension • Cath Wallis rates. continues • Gold Card - is here it on the way wonderful out? career in the • Private health Air Force. Insurance • Concord, the real story? reforms. • Etc See Page 7 See Page 6 • Butterworth - a • Common threat to our superstitions families? • How NASA got • In 1945, Apollo 11 Dakota A65-83 home. • The was lost. “Stockholm • The London Express” Blitz. See Page 8 See Page 9 • Why does we sneeze. • The dangers of 35 Sqn open day at high blood Amberley. pressure. • Using See Page 10 sunscreen. • See Page 11. • Jeff finishes his story on flying the • Vietnam Vets old Caribou in day on the Vietnam back in Sunshine 1966/67. Coast • Arthur Fry begins his regular spot. See Page 13 See Page 12 B Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 • 3 Sqn Assoc 82 Wing held got together at their annual the Redlands Association Day RSL Club. at Amberley See Page 14 See Page 15 • Mike Bayon was a The Rockwell B- navigator during 1 bomber is one WW2, his story is mean machine. very interesting. See Page 17 See Page 16 • The Sunshine Coast Council is trying to • From now this vandalise the page will be Caloundra devoted solely to RSL’s DVA issues. memorial garden See Page 18 • Electric cars are a con See Page 19 • 37Sqn Hercs are now 20 • RAAF Edinburgh Index. Air Show • The Productivity The Index is now finished - all references have Commission’s been linked so if you're looking for a topic or a report into DVA photo of someone, click on the Index link on the top of each page and just follow the links. Page 20 DVA Brisbane In January this year DVA Queensland’s State Office in Brisbane moved from its precious address at 259 Queen Street, to 480 Queen Street, Brisbane. C Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 Although the new address is 480 Queens St, it’s a bit confusing as you enter the building from Adelaide St, The easiest way to get there is come by train, get out at Central, cross Anzac Square to Adelaide St, turn left, walk towards the Story Bridge end of Adelaide St, then once you cross Wharf St it’s on your right hand side. The new offices of DVA are on the 6th floor. All the existing contact telephone and fax numbers will stay the same. Veterans and their families visiting the new office will find better amenities in a more modern building at 480 Queen Street. There are cafes and restaurants on site. The mailing address remains the same: GPO Box 9998, Brisbane, Queensland 4001. All mail for the department should be sent to this address, irrespective of the state in which the intended recipient is based. DVA’s general inquiries telephone number is 1800 555 254. The fax number for the Queensland State Office is (07) 3223 8304. Opinion Nearly 4 years ago, the Office of the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force began an inquiry into possible war crimes in Afghanistan. Today that longest and most secretive inquiry undertaken by the Defence Force appears no closer to finishing its work. For a country curious to know whether its special forces are shot through with war criminals, this delay is D Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 troubling. For those soldiers caught in the teeth of the investigation, the glacial pace has been devastating. One of those soldiers is Ben Roberts-Smith, a most decorated war veteran and so far the only individual to be named publicly in connection to the tangle of inquiries probing the conduct of Australian forces in Afghanistan. Last Sunday (29th Sept) the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes took the allegations against Roberts- Smith a notch further, naming the Victoria Cross recipient as being party to the battlefield execution of an Afghan villager in Darwan, Afghanistan, on the 11th September, 2012. Ben Roberts-Smith has DENIED these allegations of course, but he's up against the might of the Press which can sway public opinion one way or the other. Why they (the Press) chose to air these allegations before the inquiry has finished its deliberations is beyond us, it can only be for profit, report some fantastic, as yet unproven, piece of information, and hundreds of people will want to read it and they (the Press) will sell more papers. The ABC's Media Watch got involved too, see HERE. Freedom of the Press? What a bloody joke! These people seem to think they are above us mere mortals, they think they have a God given right to report anything in the interests of "the right to know". Like any business, the Press is a profit making business (apart from the ABC which is political wing) and its (the Press) number one aim is to make a profit - no matter what! We think they should be subject to the same rules as any other business. Why shouldn't the Police be able to search their homes or offices, under warrant, if there is a suspicion of wrong doing, you try it and see what happens. The Age have thumped their chests and reported why they are such great people and have reported these allegations, you can see that HERE but where is the public support for Roberts-Smith. Years ago the RSL would have leapt to his defence with a vengeance. If Bruce Ruxton was still alive and head of the RSL, things would be much different. Sadly not any more, the RSL is fast becoming a paper tiger. The Courts will ultimately determine this, Roberts-Smith has commenced legal action against the publishers of the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Canberra Times and 3 journalists. It will be interesting to see how this goes. Buying a new car? If you’re a Radschool member and contemplating buying a new car, we could save you thousands. The Radschool Association has done a deal with Australia’s biggest car brokers whereby you can purchase a car (your choice of make, colour, specs etc) at fleet discount prices. E Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 One of our blokes made use of this facility recently and bought a Toyota Rav4 and saved thousands. You can too! To see further details, go to the Radschool Assoc home page (HERE) then click on “New Car Purchase”. Discounts. Current financial members can now receive a 12% discount on the base rate of the day when hiring a car from Thrifty. If you’re thinking of hiring a car or an SUV or a people mover, this could save you heaps. If you’re a member, send us an email HERE and we’ll send you the promo code. Savings for veterans. Once (If ??) the Proof of Service Card – or Veterans’ Card as it will be called, is implemented, major corporations will be encouraged to offer special services and/or discounts to holders. Businesses will be encouraged to offer discounts on everything from groceries to power bills. The details of the card will be worked through with state and territory governments and businesses. It will be separate to the Department of Veterans' Affairs health cards but will be similar to the approach adopted by Canada and the US. Already Woolworths, Coles, Kmart, Bunnings, Target, NRMA and Clubs Australia have signed up, while Westpac has expressed support for the idea. The reported percentages where between 5 and 10 per cent. At present, many businesses and services find it hard to identify who is a veteran, with the problem most acute in states such as NSW and Queensland, each of which are home to more than 80,000 veterans. A hunter walking through the jungle, found a huge, dead dinosaur, with a pygmy standing beside it. Amazed, he asked "Did you kill that?" "Yes" said the pygmy. The hunter asked "How could a little bloke like you kill a huge beast like that?" The pygmy said "I killed it with my club". "How big is your club?" asked the astonished hunter. "There are about two hundred of us" said the pygmy. Membership. We’ve decided to go with the following membership. • Full membership for $35.00 to 30 June 2021. F Vol 67 The RAM Page 1 There’s no more annual Membership, only full Membership which will expire on the 30 June 2021. As we’ve said, full membership is not compulsory, you can still receive the RAM which will remain open, free and available on the net. So, if you’d like to contribute and help us with the ever increasing costs, please join as a full member. If you are already a member (ie: if your name is on this LIST), please fill in the form below and send it to us, if you haven’t already joined (if you're not on the list), please use the form HERE. First name: Surname: Your email address: Membership type: Your State: Sum transferred: $ Submit Please transfer your joining contribution to: BSB: 124-021 Account number: 1048 7401 Title: RAAF Radschool Association.