Secretary’s Report 2019
Welcome and hearty greetings to all members for the 2019 2nd / 3rd LAA Regt Association AGM and the Regiments Annual Luncheon.
For me personally it has been a rather full year, with casual work two or three days a week, holidays to Palm Cove in Queensland and Merrijig near Mansfield in January, plus planning our overseas trip in May 2019.
Since January my thoughts have turned to the preparation of this year’s AGM, annual reunion arrangements, the Anzac Day March, and sourcing information / articles for Take Post, plus of course what information I have for the Secretary’s Report.
Regular contact twice a year with the 2nd / 3rd committee meetings created plenty of thoughts, ideas and action plans that are already in place, or to be implemented for the future of the Association.
This year correspondence enquires received from members and relatives are received electronically through our website, emails, or a telephone call have been redirected to the Association Research Officer David McDonald for a more detailed response. Some examples of these email enquires received from members and interested persons are included in this year’s “Take Post” under Sentry’s Log. This redirecting of enquiries via email, webmail or telephone conversation, has certainly made the Secretary’s role a lot easier.
Some of these ‘happenings’ that have come across my desk are as follows:-
In May 2018 we received correspondence from Alastair Dowling, son of Robert (Bob) Graeme Dowling VX32345 (9th Battery). Alastair was going through a collection of photos from his Dad’s time in the Middle East and Milne Bay, and scanning the best photos with names of Regiment members written on the reverse. Two photos have comments written by his mother in later years. The Association thanked Alastair for the photographs, which have been uploaded to our website. Alastair mentioned that he enjoys reading Take Post, and also that his father was a great friend of Cec Rae. More recently, and as a member of Melbourne Legacy, Alastair knew former President, the late Ron Bryant and Committee member, the late Les Harris, as fellow Legatees.
I received a phone call in September, from Geoff Exton requesting information on his wife’s grandfather G.J. Potter, VX20920, 7th Battery, POW Italy. Passed contact details onto David McDonald our Research Officer in Canberra whom provided Geoff with more information on Gnr G.J Potter. Amazingly, Geoff lives in Kinglake, not too far from where I live in Mooroolbark.
Early this year, Mathew Langley Son of (Bert) H.C. Langley VX148044 contacted the Association via email requesting that he would like to try and continue to connect with his father’s service history. I advised that he would be most welcome to the Remembrance Association, and provided information on our yearly AGM/ Reunion and membership / subscription and website details. Bert Langley was also great mates with T.D. Dusting VX147399 of the regiment.
Foster and Katherine Crooke emailed informing me that they are intending to take a week’s trip to New Guinea, in May, seeing Kokoda Trail, Gona and Buna. Milne Bay was included, but proving too difficult to visit. Foster has some army records of his father, but are hard to interpret. I sent an email back to Foster providing David McDonald’s (Our Research Officer) contact details.
Bruce Stewart contacted the Association informing us that he had a near mint copy ” On Target” and asking whether we would be prepared to purchase it. On behalf of the Association I replied we did not need to purchase his copy of “On Target” as the Regimental History is available for viewing and/or down loading on our website.