Registered by Australia Post ~ Publication No PP100016240 Edition 5 ~ 2021 CONTENTS Editor’s Word....................................................................3 REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST PUBLICATION No PP100016240 ACA National President & CWT Chairman .....................5 AUSTRALIAN COMMANDO ASSOCIATION INC. ACA QLD Report / Additional Commando News...........7 9 LIFE PATRON: Gen Sir Phillip Bennett AC KBE DSO ACA VIC Report ............................................................... 13 PATRON: MajGen Tim McOwan AO DSC CSM ACA VIC Q Store ........................................................... ACA Veterans Advocacy Update...................................15 NATIONAL OFFICE BEARERS Significant Commando Dates ........................................19 PRESIDENT: MajGen Greg Melick AO RFD SC Commandos for Life ......................................................20 VICE PRESIDENT: Maj Steve Pilmore OAM RFD (Ret’d) In Focus: MAJGEN Paul Kenny......................................21 SECRETARY: Maj John Thurgar SC MBE OAM RFD Eight Men Dropped from the Skies (Part 4 - Final).......23 (Ret’d) Forbidden Cross Border Hot-Extraction .......................26 TREASURER: Maj Bruce O’Conner OAM RFD (Ret’d) The Last Coastwatcher ..................................................29 PUBLIC OFFICER: Maj Brian Liddy (Retd) RAAF Special Forces / Additional Commando News ...31 Story of HMAS Armidale & Teddy Sheean VC / STATE ASSOCIATION OFFICE BEARERS Additional Commando News.........................................33 ACA NSW Special Reconnaissance Regiment.................................38 PRES/SEC.: Mr Wayne Havenaar From the Pen of Harry Bell ............................................41 ACA QLD 42 PRES/SEC.:: Mr Graham Gough Flash to Bang Time - 22 Hours ...................................... 45 ACA VIC PRES.: Mr Doug Knight Simson At War................................................................ 49 ACA VIC SEC.: Mr Glenn MacDonald A Commando’s Contracting Experience ....................... 53 ACA WA PRES.: Mr Paul Shearer Royal Air Force Commandos ......................................... ACA WA SEC.: Mr Steve Butlerr Book Review ~ Mosul ....................................................57 WEBSITE/MEDIA Deadline for next edition (Edition 6, 2021): MANAGER: Mr John Roxburgh SUNDAY, 28 MARCH 2021 All news on members and interesting articles accepted. WEBSITE: www.commando.org.au (Subject to editors’ approval.) FACEBOOK: Australian Commando Association Nick Hill EDITORS: Mr Nick Hill Mrs Marilou Carceller The Australian Commando Association’s membership consists of Servicemen & women who have served with WW2 Independent Companies, Registered by Australia Post ~ Publication No PP100016240 Edition 5 ~ 2021 Commando Squadrons & Regiments, "M" and "Z" Special units, 1st & 2nd Commando Company's, 1st Commando Regiment, 4 RAR Commando & the 2nd Commando Regiment. The Association also consists of Associate Members who have served in units who directly supported Commando units in time of war and peace and Social members who’s direct family member was either Killed In Action, Died In Service or Killed in Training or a member of the ACA who has passed. DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed within this publication are those of the authors, and are not necessarily those of the Editor, Publisher, Committee Members or Members of our Association. We welcome any input as long as it is not offensive or abusive but if any member has a problem with a printed article we would like to be informed in order that the author may be contacted. We do encourage your opinion. Official Publishers: Statewide Publishing P/L ABN 65 116 985 187 PO BOX 682, SURFERS PARADISE QLD 4217 PHONE: 0432 042 060 EMAIL: [email protected] FRONT COVER: Top Image: Then CO 1 Cdo Regt, LTCOL M. CSC gives a salute during the 1 Coy’s 60th Birthday Parade at Vic Barracks Printed by BOOST Design & Print Sydney in 2016. Bottom Image: 2 Coy, 1st Cdo Regt members gather Web: boostgraphicdesign.com around their Bushmaster PMV in January 2011, during SOTG Email: [email protected] Rotation XI in Urazghan Province, Afghanistan. 1 Feb is officially the 1 Cdo Regt’s Birthday and this year the Regiment is celebrating their 40th. Images Courtesy: Department of Defence. COMMANDO ~ The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association ~ Edition 5 I 2021 1 MILITARY HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE Military history fans were thrilled to see “To see the tanks and vehicles in the really pleased to see such a good turnout,” one of only three of the world’s operational museum is one thing, but to see them Rob said. “We had over 500 on Saturday Panther Ausf A World War II German battle outside driving around and feeling the and 800 on Sunday.” tanks on display at the Australian Armour ground shake while listening to them is a It was also the first time the festival was and Artillery Museum’s Aus Armourfest in completely different experience,” Rob livestreamed on Facebook, held in con - Cairns 29th 30th August. said. “It's one thing to see a lion or tiger in junc tion with the global online video game a cage, but it’s another thing to see them The fifth annual event, which also World of Tanks. bounding around in their natural habitat. celebrated the museum’s sixth birthday, We say the same for tanks.” “We had 30,000 views, which was excel - marked the first viewing in Australia of the lent,” Rob said. “We will definitely be doing Panther Ausf A. that again next year even if Covid “Our Panther Ausf A tank is only one of restrictions are lifted by then.” four held in private hands in the world, and The museum holds one of the most it’s only one of three in running condition,” important military collections in Australia said Australian Armour and Artillery where guests are able to see these Museum owner Rob Lowden. The tank, historic machines and tanks, such as a which took five years to restore, arrived in German Jagdpanzer 38(T) and the Cairns days before the event. Australian Cruiser Mark 1 (AC1) Sentinel, The 10,000sq m museum is home to the up close and personal. They are also able largest private collection of tanks, to learn about their applications during the armoured vehicles and artillery in the The annual festival was also the only world wars with plaques providing the southern hemisphere (and possibly the place in the world where visitors were able history of each item. world). It houses hundreds of collection to ride in certain tanks, but organisers The museum also has an underground pieces from the 1800s onwards including weren’t able to offer the rides this year due 50m shooting gallery which offers a large tanks, armoured cars, engines, to Covid-19. They were also expecting the selection of military and related bolt action combat equipment, howitzers and artillery numbers of guests would be less this year rifles to use including a WW2 British 303 from all over the world including Great due to travel restrictions (many previous and German Mauser. It also features a Britain, Russia, United States, Czechos - visitors were from overseas as well as café, kids’ corner, repair/restoration work- lova kia and Japan, to name a few. from throughout Australia), but were pleasantly surprised. shop and a retail shop which offers a All were on display at the AusArmourfest, diverse collection of speciality items. and visitors were also treated to 30 “In the Covid environment with the Learn more about the museum at vehicles rumbling into action on the Queens land border closed, we weren’t museum’s grounds over the two days. expecting as many people, but we were www.ausarmour.com 2 COMMANDO ~ The Magazine of the Australian Commando Association ~ Edition 5 I 2021 A WORD FROM THE EDITOR ’day all and welcome to OAM, the RAAFs Special Forces and Edition #005 January – the RAF Servicing Commandos of GMarch 2021 of WW2, Part 2 of A Commandos COMMANDO – The Magazine of the Contracting Experience and the final Aust ralian Commando Association. instalment from Doug Knight, Part 4 of We all hope you had a wonderful 8 Men Dropped From The Sky. Our and festive Christmas and New Year, DVA Rep Mr Paul Copeland OAM, JP and we hope that 2021 is a much has submitted an ESORT paper from better one for you all, I know I’m the DVA Secretary of the Repatriation hoping it will be. Commission. This was also emailed to I’d like to personally congratulate your state reps, if you did not receive Major General Paul ‘PK’ Kenny, DSC, an E-Copy of this please speak top DSM for his appointment as your State Presidents or Reps. Any Commander Special Operations submissions need to be in by 22 Command. PK was originally at 1st January 2021. Commando Regiment in his early career as a young Unfortunately, January to March has has also seen Captain and was at 4 RAR Commando when the unit the loss of one Commando Killed In Action in stood up in 1997-98. PK returned to Bravo Commando Afghanistan, five Killed in Training and two who had Company as the Officer Commanding in 2000, Died in Service. May they forever Rest In Peace and Commandant SFTC in 2006-07 and he had the Honour have fair winds and blue skies. C4L. to be the last CO of 4 RAR Commando and the first CO Please feel free to submit an article for the nd of the 2 Commando Regiment. magazine regardless of how small or big they are as we Congratulation also goes to Brigadier Brett ‘BC’ will always try to fit them in but this does come down Chaloner, CSC. for his appointment as Commander to the number of pages allocated per Magazine. 13th Brigade in WA. I first met BC at the same time as PK in 1998 when I completed my Reo Cycle and Edition 004 Typos & Corrections posted to 4 RAR Commando. He was then in CHQ Like all of us and certainly that includes for making Bravo Commando Company and we again saw BC in mistakes, apologies for the typo on Page 5 - National East Timor in 2001 when he was Troop Com mander in President’s Last Name and Post Nominal, which should Perth.