WRANS – RAN WOMENS ASSOCIATION WA
NEWSLETTER FOR MAY 2017
1
WRANS – RAN WOMENS ASSOCIATION WA
NEWSLETTER FOR MAY 2017
EVENTS COMING
UP AND COMING EVENTS
8th May – General meeting followed by a cake less cake stall – 11.3oam
12th June – General meeting 11.30am
10th July – Committee meeting 10am – General meeting 11.30am
24th July – Annual luncheon
PRESIDENTS REPORT
February was a busy month with a number of special services to which we had been invited to send representatives.
On the 10th I attended the HMAS “Voyager” Memorial Day in Kings Park. Due to inclement weather, there was a small number gathered under a shelter in Saw Avenue. David MacLean was the Master of Ceremonies with HMAS “Stirling” providing the catafalque party. Two cadets from TS Melville displayed the banner and Capt. Delamont from HMAS “Stirling” reminded us of events leading up to the tragic loss of life -the worse naval disaster in peace time history.
Sunday 12th Natalie and I represented the association at a parade and weather laying ceremony in Kings Park to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the formation of the Women’s Royal Australian army Cops. The service was followed by luncheon at the Good Earth Hotel where good food, enjoyable company and the swapping of service stories made for a pleasant couple of hours. While Natalie & I were at the WRAAC Kings Park Service, Avis & Olwyn attended the 75th Anniversary Commemoration Service of the “Vynner Brooke” tragedy held down at Point Walter Reserve.
It was a very balmy evening on the 16th February when Robbie, Sylvia, Olwyn, Natalie, Judith and myself were guests at a cocktail memorial
service for our member Patricia Thomson who had passed away on Sunday 12th February.
HMAS Perth and USS Huston Annual Memorial regatta was on the 19th. Although the day was hot and humid, Avis, Judith, Robbie, Irene, Olwyn and her son and daughter-in-law Jan and I attended.
Norm Fuller who was the last WA survivor of the sinking of HMAS Perth passed away last year. There were four speakers, Barry Court, the US Consul, DVA Rep and Capt. Delamont from HMAS Stirling, each delivered humorous and interesting speeches.
26th February Natalie, Susan, Avis, Olwyn Jan and myself gathered at St. John’s Church in Fremantle for the HMAS “Perth” and USS “Huston” Memorial church services, which was followed by a delicious morning tea supplied the ladies of the church.
Marjorie Field’s – (WRAN 16 – nee Oldfield – nee Caldwell) son Glen rang Natalie informing here that his mother had passed away. The funeral was held at Pinnaroo on 28th. Natalie attended.
Wednesday 16th March, I attended the funeral of John Spreadborough – known as Spready. John was the Manager of the Fremantle Navy Club for many years and was always very obliging ensuring that all our requests were met whenever we held our meetings at the club.
At our March meeting we welcomed Mrs Rita Hygham as our Guest Speaker. Rita took us on a slide show history journey of Perth’s many statues dotted throughout the CBD. It proved an interesting 45 minutes and I for one previously knew very little about most of them.
We also took the opportunity at the close of Rita’s talk to celebrate – although rather belatedly – our loyal and valued member Sylvia’s 90th birthday. Once again members willingly contributed to the preparation and presentation of a table groaning with yummy food. The piece-de -resistance of course was Natalie’s homemade birthday cake. Thank you everyone for your effort.
On April 1st we held our annual “Talk Fest” in the Esplanade Hotel Fremantle. Seventeen of us gathered and the noise emanating from our end of the Marine Lounge would indicate a group of friends enjoying each other’s company – as indeed we did. The food and service were both excellent and the day, like last year, proved a success. May we have many more.
VAL GRAHAM - PRESIDENT
VALES
Marjorie Field
Val and Natalie represented us at the funeral of Marjorie Field (nee Caldwell) on 19 February at Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park. Marjorie’s son Glen had visited our website and contacted Natalie: he and the extended family thanked us warmly for attending her farewell as Marjorie’s service days had remained very special to her over the years.
Thornber, Veronica (Roni) (nee Sweeney). WR1550 WR Writer. Roni served from July 1943 to July 1944 at HMAS Moreton and died on Tuesday 15 November 2016.
Wolner, June Starr (nee Thomas). WR2968 Wran Messenger. Served from May 1945 to July 1946 at HMAS Cerberus and HMAS Magnetic (Townsville) and died 13 November 2016 aged 90.
75TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION SERVICE OF THE ‘SS VYNER BROOKE’
On Sunday 12th February Avis and Olwyn attended this service. It was held at point Walter where they have a memorial stone. The area is well kept and the morning was very well organised by the Applecross RSL Sub Branch. The President Mr. Craig Chapman started the service by welcoming the Governor Kerry Sanderson – Guest Speaker and several other speakers as well as the large gathering of spectators consisting of Service and Ex-Service people all wearing their medals.
The students from Presbyterian Ladies College Pipe and Drum Band marched in playing looking splendid in their Scottish outfits. Next came the relatives and friends of the nurses, dressed in black carrying a small memorial flag. Once the speeches were finished the Born To Sing Choir sang a cappella version of Largo that was sung by the women in the POW camp, then two students from Santa Maria Girls College told the
“SS Vyner Brooke” story. The choir then sang “You will Never Walk
Alone” which I found very moving. A female Lieutenant represented the Navy for the wreath laying. The Ode was said followed by the Last Post.
The choir sang “Amazing Grace” then the P.L.C. Pipe Band made another appearance.
A light lunch was organised by the Country Women’s Association and served by Santa Maria College students.
I was thinking of Vivian Bullwinckel who we came in contact with quite often with the Ex-Wrans and Ex-Service girls. She gave a number of talks on her life as one of the nurses shot and captured and kept in a POW camp for 31/2 years. She was a lovely lady. There is now a ward named after her in Hollywood Hospital.
SUBMITTED BY
AVIS KENNEY
HMAS PERTH & USS HOUSTON MEMORIAL SERVICE
Val, Olwyn, Jan (Banks), Avis, Val and Natalie attended the 75th anniversary memorial service at the Church of St John the Evangelist, Fremantle, on Sunday 26th February. Widows of HMAS Perth crew, Nell Bradshaw, Flo Hill, Betty Gray and Verna Roberts were honoured guests. Father Ron Attley and Coordinating Chaplain Grant Ludlow, HMAS Stirling officiated, and official guests included The Hon. Joe Francis MLA, the US Consul General Ms Rachel L Cooke, the Mayor of Fremantle Dr Brad Pettitt, the CO HMAS Stirling Captain Brian Delamont and others. The Occasional Address by the naval chaplain was followed by the laying of wreaths. The Naval Ode and USA Taps followed, One Minute Silence, Reveille then the final prayer, blessing and hymn:
“Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm has bound the restless wave
O hear us when we cry to thee
For those in peril on the sea”
57th HMAS PERTH MEMORIAL REGATTA
Some of us were fortunate to attend the 57th HMAS Perth Memorial Regatta at the Nedland Yacht Club.
We enjoyed several addresses to name a few: - Commodore Kirk, Captain Brian Delamont, Mr Peter Jarvis, Mr Barry Court and Mrs Fiona Watts, Assistant Director, VAN - she gave us an interesting new insight into HMAS Perth.
The tale revolved around a black kitten that is thought to have stowed away when HMAS Perth left Fremantle and made herself at home on Captain Waller's bunk. She was given the name Red Lead as she left red paw prints around the ship where she walked through the wet paint much to the annoyance of the crew at times. After a couple of skirmishes off the coast of Java, Red Lead attempted to go AWOL three times but was intercepted and returned. Several sailors considered this a bad omen which unfortunately proved true as 350 men including Captain Waller were lost.
Red paw prints are now dotted through HMAS Perth III to this day.
SUBMITTED BY JUDITH LOGAN
THE BANGKA ISLANDMASSACRE
The Bangka Island massacre was an atrocity committed by the Japanese forces in 1942.
On 12th February 1942, with the fall of Singapore to the Japanese imminent, sixty-five Australian Army nurses, including Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, were evacuated from the besieged city on the small coastal steamerSS Vyner Brooke.
In addition to the Australian nurses, the ship was crammed with over two hundred civilian evacuees and English military personnel. As theSS Vyner Brookewas passing between Sumatra and Borneo, Japanese aircraft bombed and strafed the overloaded ship and it sank quickly.
Twelve Australian nurses were either killed in the attack on the ship or drowned in the sea. The remaining fifty-three nurses reached Bangka Island in lifeboats, on rafts, or by drifting with the tide.
Once it was discovered that the island was held by the Japanese, an officer of theVyner Brookewent to surrender the group to the authorities in Muntok.
At mid-morning the ship’s officer returned with about 20 Japanese soldiers. They ordered all the wounded men capable of walking to travel around a headland. The nurses heard a quick succession of shots before the Japanese soldiers came back, sat down in front of the women and cleaned their bayonets and rifles.A Japanese officer ordered the remaining 22 nurses and one civilian woman to walk into the surf. A machine gun was set up on the beach and when the women were waist deep, they were machine-gunned. All but Sister Lt Vivian Bullwinkel were killed.
Shot in the diaphragm, Bullwinkel lay motionless in the water until the sound of troops had disappeared. She crawled into the bush and lay unconscious for several days. When she awoke, she encountered Private Patrick Kingsley, a British soldier that had been one of the wounded from the ship, and had been bayoneted by
the Japanese soldiers but survived. She dressed his wounds and her own, and then 12 days later they surrendered to the Japanese. Kingsley died before reaching a POW camp, but Bullwinkel spent 3 years in one. She survived the war and gave evidence of the massacre at a war crimes trial in Tokyo in 1947.
Vivian retired from the army in 1947 and became Director of Nursing at the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital. Also in 1947, she gave evidence of the massacre at a war crimes trial inTokyo. Shedevoted herself to the nursing profession and to honouring those killed on Banka Island, raising funds for a nurses’ memorial and serving on numerous committees, including a period as a member of the Council of the Australian War Memorial, and later president of the Australian College of Nursing.
Bullwinkel married Colonel Francis West Statham in September 1977, changing her name to Vivian Statham.She returned to Bangka Island in 1992 to unveil a shrine to the nurses who had not survived the war.
She died of a heart attack on 3 July 2000, aged 84, in Perth, Western Australia
In South Australia an annual commemoration, known as the Bangka Day Memorial Service is held at the Women's Memorial
Playing Fields, St Mary'son the Sunday closest to 16th February. Each year this is attended by the President and Vice President of the SA/NT FESR Association. The President is Doug Haskings
(EX-POEWE).
Sister Vivian Bullwinkel at the time she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941
1
WRANS – RAN WOMENS ASSOCIATION WA
NEWSLETTER FOR MAY 2017
ANZAC DAY SERVICE AND LUNCHEON
We had a beautiful sunny day for our march this year and boy we did ourselves proud. With President Val leading the way and with Julia’s friends Greg and Sharon holding our banner high – thank you so much, off we marched. Our little band consisted of 19 women. 1 in a wheelchair, 1 ex-Wran but not a member and another representing her mother along with the rest of us. Several of our members did not march, but were still in attendance in the transport section.
While waiting for the service to start at Langley Park, Capt. Delamont came up to us and complimented on our marching and how smart we looked.
The service was as usual moving and the address by Liam Haven
was so eloquent and poignant as he spoke about being a young 19-year-old soldier serving in Iraq in 2009 and being injured by a roadside bomb and left with only 2% sight in
one eye, various shrapnel injuries to his body and from the trauma he started suffering Grade 2 bipolar. He spoke about how he has managed over the years.
Once the service was over some of us strolled and others went by bus down to the Perth & Tattersalls Bowling and Recreation Club for a buffet lunch.
We were joined there by Avis, her sister Norma and a relative.
The lunch was lovely and loads to eat. The lamb just melted in your mouth and the turkey was just right. This was followed by sweets which were yummy.
We also entered into the spirit by buying paddles for the spinning wheel where a number of our members had a win.
All in all, it was a lovely day and I for one went home not wanting anything to eat for the rest of the afternoon.
ANNUAL LUNCHEON
Monday -24th July 2017 – 12noon
Esplanade Hotel Fremantle
Cost: $40ph - 2 Course meal
Mains + bread rolls –
select from Menu
Desserts – select from Menu
Tea/Coffee
Payments can be made at the meetings to Julia or by EFT/Mail
– no later than 17th July 2017.
Members travelling by train or bus terminating at the Station