TLP MAG 4 - The Special Edition 2012

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The Last P ost

Keeping the Anzac Spirit Alive

REGIONAL MATTERS:

SURFCOAST

SHIRE

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE

GOVERNOR-GENERAL

ENERGISED

BY TONY WRIGHT

SCHOOLS ACROSS

THE NATION

Interviews with

ROB DE COSTELLA

THE JIMMY LITTLE FOUNDATION’S CEO

BUZZ BIDSTRIP

SEX DISCRIMINATION COMMISSIONER

ELIZABETH BRODERICK

BROADCASTER, AUTHOR AND ACADEMIC

WALEED ALY

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO

LUCKY STARR

EDUCATION & THE ANZAC SPIRIT

ADELAIDE HIGH SCHOOL

ADELAIDE SECONDARY

SCHOOL OF ENGLISH

+ STORIES & ARTICLES FROM,

MICHAEL SHORT, BRIDIE SMITH, MURRAY WALDING

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Foreword

Message from Minister for

Veteran’s Affairs Warren Snowdon

“My appeal to

you all is to look

at what you can

do and to extend

a hand and

welcome to these

young men and

women who have

served with such

distinction, to

get to know and

understand them.”

KEEPING THE RSL IN TOUCH WITH YOUNGER VETERANS

The RSL has a history dating back almost one hundred years, and is arguably one of Australia’s

most respected organisations.

The service of your members while wearing the uniform accounts for some of the high esteem

Australians hold for the League.

Australians recognise the enduring nature of the RSL, to look after our veterans and their families,

to lend support when it is required, and to honour those who laid down their lives in the service of

this nation.

I have spoken at many RSL state congresses around the country and I’m heartened to see the

League’s membership continue to be strong, with committed individuals.

On these occasions, I have spoken about the need for the RSL to look ahead and to engage with the

younger veterans returning after service in Afghanistan and the Middle East, as well as East Timor

and the Solomon Islands.

These young veterans, many of them who are still serving and will be, like those who have

preceded them, in no less need of the support and camaraderie which the RSL can provide.

My appeal to you all is to look at what you can do and to extend a hand and welcome to these

young men and women who have served with such distinction, to get to know and understand

them.

This is not a new concept for the RSL and indeed it is familiar to the League’s leadership, as it is to

the broader membership.

The draw-down of troops in Afghanistan will challenge not just Defence and the Department of

Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), but also the RSL.

To put this challenge in perspective, the average ADF member joins at age 21 and a half. On

average, they will serve for eight and a half years. In this time many will have seen multiple

deployments. This will produce an influx of much younger members with very diverse needs,

unlike anything in the past more than 40 years.

Defence and DVA have been working closely together to ensure all ADF members receive the

support they require as they transition from service to civilian life.

As in years before, the veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq, East Timor and the other modern

deployments will seek out brothers and sisters in arms for support and friendship following their

service.

Supporting their needs, being able to guide them through their post-service life, to share a story

or two and to care in a small part for their mental wellbeing that is the role I hope the RSL will

provide these new veterans.

I know that once again the RSL will be there for these young veterans, as it has been there for close

to 100 years.

FEATURES

18 The Governor - General Energised by Tony Wright

- A look at Her Excellency’s work with the community

20 A Simple Phone Call - Telecross - Red Cross feature

24 Bomber Command Veterans Honoured

26 A Trail of Remembrance Along the Western Front

28 Vietnam - The Complete Story of the Australian War

- A Q and A with author Bruce Davies

36 Together We Can Make A Difference - Brotherhood of St Laurence

40 Anglicare - Diamonds on the Inside

46 The Sound of Breaking Glass - Bridie Smith

48 The Shed Online - A Handy Place to Meet

50 Artlab - Conserve Your War Memorabilia

52 Let’s Chat About Dying - Palliative Care Australia

53 Dr Roger Hunt

- The Last Post takes a look at one of this country’s leading palliative care specialists

54 Australian Catholic University - Tolerance, Acceptance, Equality and Respect.

- Dr Noah Riseman

68 Penrith RSL - Appreciated Australia-wide, TLP looks at this legendary RSL

78 Poetry - ‘A Letter Home’ from award-winning Australian poet David Campbell

80 Maureen Frank - TLP takes a look at Emberin P/Ltd’s CEO

90 Culture Rescue - The Zone’s Michael Short talks with Michael Hayward

REGIONAL MATTERS

6 With a foreword from Regional Australia’s Minister Simon Crean,

The Last Post takes a look at Victoria’s Surfcoast Shire including a story from

‘The Story of Australian Surfing’ author Murray Walding

PEOPLE

42 A Conversation with Waleed Aly

- The broadcaster, author, academic and musician talks with TLP

44 Rob de Castella - Deek’s takes time to chat with us about lifestyle, the relationship

between physical fitness and emotional well-being and his work with indigenous youth

56 The Jimmy Little Foundation - The Last Post chats with Foundation CEO Buzz Bidstrup

70 Elizabeth Broderick - The Sex Discrimination Commissioner takes time out for a talk with TLP

EDUCATION & THE ANZAC SPIRIT

59 Foreword from Minister Garrett

60 Adelaide High School

64 Adelaide Secondary School of English

SCHOOLS ACROSS THE NATION

82 West Wangaratta Primary School - VIC

FINANCE

32 Segue Financial Services - Who is looking after your Superannuation?

YOUR RSL AT WORK

15 Torquay RSL Sub- Branch

16 Geelong RSL

MUSIC

84 Out of Abingdon

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...?

81 LUCKY STARR - This ageless legend is still rockin’ and catches up with TLP

contents

‘The Last Post’ magazine is owned

And published by GTR Publishing,

a subsidiary of B4E Pty Ltd, 6 Way

Ave, Myrtle Bank 5064

Managing Director and

Publishing Editor

Greg T Ross

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Kirstie Wyatt

0419 035 000

kirstiewyatt@internode.on.net

Advertising

Greg T Ross

0419 165 856

Subscriptions

gtrpublishing@live.com.au

0419 165 856

Printing

Finsbury Green

1A South Road, Thebarton, South Australia 5031

Enquiries

GTR Publishing

6 Way Ave, Myrtle Bank 5064

08 8379 7919

www.thelastpostmagazine.com

COVER

Front Cover Image:

Courtesy of Adelaide High School,

Adelaide

NEXT EDITION :

In the Summer/Christmas Edition

of The Last Post, we speak with

Rolf Harris, Masters front man

and musical legend Jim Keays

and others. As well, we take an

inside look at the concert planned

in October at Melbourne’s Palais

Theatre for the late Darryl Cotton.

Don’t miss the Summer/Christmas

edition, subscribe NOW!

Our way of saying thanks

Great value health cover

You’ve done a lot for your country, now it’s our turn to do something for you.

Because of your service, you, your partner, your brothers and sisters, children

and grandchildren are all eligible to join Defence Health. Your military service

is your family’s link to competitive health insurance. It’s easy to join or to

switch from another fund.

Call Defence Health on 1800 335 425 or visit www.defencehealth.com.au

to see how your service can serve your family.

From the Publisher

Greg T Ross

This ‘The Special Edition’ of The Last Post

magazine marks our first anniversary.

Each year, ‘The Special Edition’ will be

released with a theme. This year it’s tolerance,

something that we should take as naturally being

part of the Anzac Spirit. To highlight that we

have interviews with Buzz Bidstrup, CEO of The

Jimmy Little Foundation. Rob de Castella also

joins us and talks about his career and how his

Marathon Project and healthy living programs

are improving the lot of young Australians. We

also chat to Sex Discrimination Commissioner

Elizabeth Broderick about positive ways to

improve the lot of all Australians as well as

sitting down with well-known media presenter

Waleed Aly. Waleed has been a lawyer,

academic and even gigged as a rock musician.

And, as usual, we have stories and updates of

interest to all our readers.

Appearing for the first time this issue and

becoming, like ‘Education and the Anzac Spirit,

a regular feature, is ‘Regional Matters’ with a

foreword from the Federal Minister, focusing

on a particular region in Australia and having a

look at it’s people, history and attractions. This

inaugural ‘Regional Matters’ feature takes a

look at Victoria’s Surfcoast Shire.

Rolf Harris now will be joining us at The Last

Post for the Christmas/Summer edition with

his self portrait painting as a likely cover. We

thank Rolf and Pat Lake Smith very much for

making the work of art available to us and we

look forward to the summer issue (as well as

the warmer weather) already. Also, appearing

with Rolf in the summer edition will be the

legendary Australian musician and former

Masters frontman, Jim Keays.

Presenting itself as an intelligent option for

those seeking positive news on things being

done and achieved in this country as well as

bringing to you the people that make these

positive things happen – that’s you and I, The

Last Post and staff look forward to blowing out

the candle on this birthday issue, knowing there

will be many more candles to come. Whether

the magazine – available online as well as in

hard copy – is being used as an educational

tool going into schools, as an historical and

contemporary document or as an access page

for returned service people to find points of

interest or what’s available to them through

Government provided services, we trust

you’ll enjoy this 1st anniversary edition of this

wonderful new Australian magazine.

Happy reading and remember to become

a subscriber if you’d like to see the

magazine continue to succeed. Go to

www.thelastpostmagazine.com for a look at

past issues. If you’re interested in advertising

with The Last Post, you’ll find specs and prices

at the website too. Contact details are there too

so, give us a ring.

Cheers,

Greg

Greg T Ross

Publisher, ‘The Last Post’

gtrpublishing@live.com.au

thanks...

to the following for their help with ‘The Last Post’ Special edition:

Thanks on this edition to – Australian Red Cross, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Dr Roger Hunt, Palliative Care Australia, Rob de Castella, Allen and Unwin, Paul

Sykes and Veterans SA, Elizabeth Broderick, Dr. Noah Riseman and the Australian Catholic University, Waleed Aly, Buzz Bidstrup and The Jimmy Little

Foundation, Kate Still and The Australian War Memorial, Julie Ralph and the Adelaide High School, Defence Health, Corene Strauss and Legacy Australia,

the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs, Regional Australia, the Federal Department of Education in Schools, the Department of Mental Health

and Ageing, Surfcoast Shire, Murray and Sharon Walding, Lyn Amy and The Brotherhood of St Laurence, Michelle Waterford and Anglicare, Adelaide

Secondary School of English, AVCAT, Penrith RSL, Geelong RSL, Torquay RSL Sub Branch, Mitcham RSL Sub Branch, Freya Norman and Outward Bound,

Louise Stack and Artlab, Jeff Winterburn and The Salvation Army, Alana Johns and Slater and Gordon, Hugh Miller, Beyond Blue, Chris Appleton and The

Office of Australian War Graves, Lucy Brown, Joy Smith. Segue Financial Services, Petros Markou and Wild Fox Wines, Ausglobal Travel.

4 THE LAST POST - The Special Edition - Aug/Sep 2012

Jose Ramos-Horta former

President of Timor-Leste

and Mike Kelly MP

Parliamentary Secretary for

Defence visits the United

Nations in New York and US

officials in Washington D.C.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Dr

Mike Kelly travelled to the United States from 4 – 8

June 2012 to represent Australia at the international

launch of the inter agency report ‘Partnering for

Peace: Australia’s Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

Experiences in Bougainville, Solomon Islands, and

Timor Leste’ at the United Nations in New York.

During his time in the United States Dr Kelly

met with a number of officials from the United

Nations to discuss Australia’s long-standing

commitment to UN peacekeeping and reform,

and the Australian Government’s capacity to

support successful transitions in Timor Leste

and Afghanistan.

“Australia has been an active contributor

to United Nations peacekeeping for over 65

years and continues to support the UN through

operational contributions and doctrine and

training assistance,” said Dr Kelly.

Whilst in New York, Dr Kelly also met

with Australian Defence Force personnel

serving with the United Nations Department

of Peacekeeping Operations and commended

them on their important contributions.

He then travelled to Washington D.C. to

meet with United States officials from the

Departments of Defense and State to discuss

planning for transition in Afghanistan. He also

took the opportunity to call on a number of key

think tanks to discuss Australia’s contribution

to global peace and security and our enduring

alliance with the US.

Mission Australia signs Defence child care deal

The Minister for Defence

Science and Personnel Warren

Snowdon has announced that

a new contract to operate

Defence Child Care Centres

has been signed.

Mission Australia Early Learning Services

has been contracted to manage Defence’s 21

Child Care Centres from 1 July 2012, following

an open tender process. Mission Australia is

a national not-for-profit organisation that has

a proven record within the industry for the

provision of quality child care services.

“We are committed to providing quality child

care for defence families,” Mr Snowdon said.

“Mission Australia Early Learning Services

and Defence will facilitate a smooth transition

to the new contract and will work closely with

the outgoing service provider, B4Kids Pty Ltd,

to ensure families and staff experience minimal

disruption.

“The majority of B4Kids Pty Ltd staff will

not be affected by the change and will continue

their great work in providing child care for

defence families.”

Families and staff at Defence Child Care

Centres will be given the opportunity to talk

to Mission Australia Early Learning Services

representatives at a series of information

sessions being conducted during the coming

weeks. In addition, Mission Australia Early

Learning Services has established a helpline for

families and staff seeking further information.

The helpline number to call is 1800 757 343.

Defence families seeking information about

the transition to Mission Australia Early

Learning Services can also contact the

Defence Family Helpline on 1800 624 608 or

email DefenceFamilyHelpline@defence.gov.au.

Up-to-date information will be available

at the Defence Community Organisation

website www.defence.gov.au/dco.

www.smh.com.au BLOOMBERG

THE LAST POST - The Special Edition - Aug/Sep 2012 5

regional matters

The Hon Simon Crean MP

Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and

Local Government, Minister for the Arts

RDAF is more than a regional investment

program. It is a program driving cultural change,

demonstrating what is possible when you prioritise,

build partnerships and leverage infrastructure

funding from a range of sources.

Projects funded through the first two rounds of

RDAF have community buy-in, the backing of the

Regional Development Australia committees and

a partnership investment approach – partnerships

between the three levels of government, and where

appropriate, the private sector.

This issue of The Last Post contains a feature on

Regional Matters, with a particular focus on the

R egi ona l

M a te r s

Over the past few months, I have visited regions across Australia

to announce grants for projects with a focus on partnership

investment. These projects are connecting local priorities with

strong investment partnerships. The Australian Government

is supporting these investment-ready projects through the

$1 billion Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF),

distributing the proceeds of the resource boom to the regions.

Geelong and Surf Coast region. Through Round One

of RDAF, we have invested $10 million in stage three

of the redevelopment of Geelong’s Skilled Stadium

and $10 million in the new Geelong Library and

Heritage Centre. These two projects are delivering

social and economic dividends for the region.

The Minerals Resource Rent Tax has secured

another three rounds of RDAF, so there will be more

opportunities for regions to get a slice of the action.

For those that missed out in the round one or two,

keep persisting. Learn from the feedback, strengthen

the project and put it up again in the next round.

Persistence pays dividends.

We are committed to supporting the regional

Australia, because strong regions make for a

strong nation.

You have to believe in the regions and their

inherent capability. To nurture it, challenge it, support

it and realise a region’s potential.

You have to believe in the power of localism, in

the knowledge and skills of local communities to

decide their priorities and fashion their responses

to economic, social and environmental challenges

– and be prepared to work in partnership across all

levels of government, the community and the private

sector to create and take up the opportunities.

REGIONAL COMMUNITIES GET ARTS FUNDING BOOST

Regional communities across Australia will be

flexing their creative skills thanks to funding for arts

projects as diverse as busking, street art, musical

theatre and photography.

Arts Minister Simon Crean announced in late

June that 86 arts and cultural activities throughout

regional Australia will benefit from more than

$900,000 in funding through the Regional Arts

Fund.

Mr Crean said the funding will help kick-start

arts projects in South Australia, Queensland, the

Northern Territory, Western Australia, Victoria and

Tasmania.

“Australia has a huge wealth of creative talent in

the regions. The funding announced today allows

artists to work with communities to create vibrant

and memorable performances and artworks,” Mr

Crean said.

“The Australian Government is committed to

supporting creative and artistic expression in our

regional communities.

“The Regional Arts Fund encourages networking

and partnership building in these regional

communities to enable the exchange of ideas

which is so essential to growth and creating new

opportunities in the arts and culture space.”

The successful applicants include:

• $14,570 for Arts in the Long Grass (Northern

Territory). One of the most disadvantaged

populations in Darwin will be offered access to

arts and cultural expression through the provision

of arts materials and mentors which will allow

members of this community access to a wide

range of artistic expression.

• $29,670 for Crush Festival 2012 – Youth

Development Project (Queensland). Young people

in Bundaberg will engage in a variety of street

art projects such as making zines, QR interaction

games, pop-up acts and busking at the 2012

Crush Festival in October.

• $2,376 for Exploring OUR world through

photography (South Australia). Local women

from the Bowhill and Karoonda area will be

able to participate in a two day photography

workshop exploring ways to express themselves,

celebrate local life, and to find beauty within the

harsh environment in which they live.

• $15,000 for Inside/Out (Victoria). A site specific

performance project working with people with

a disability exploring movement, sound, light

encountering space through the senses.

• $25,000 for Staircase to the Moon (Western

Australia). Theatre Kimberley will develop

the story Staircase to the Moon (written by

Indigenous author Bronwyn Houston) into a

musical play for children by running puppetry,

dance and voice workshops. The final production

will be performed as part of the opening season

of the newly refurbished Civic Centre Broome.

• $2,280 for the 140th Anniversary Gala Concert

(Tasmania). To commemorate 140 years of

continuous service, the Latrobe Federal Band will

perform a reunion Gala Concert in November

2012 featuring past and present senior and junior

band members and debut a commissioned work.

Funding will assist commissioning composer

Graham Lloyd with travel costs and to engage

Musical Director of the Latrobe Federal Band,

Vivian Martin.

• The funding for each state will be provided

through the local regional arts agency.

• The full list of recipients and further information

on the Regional Arts Fund is available at

www.arts.gov.au/arts/regional_arts_fund


Victoria’s

Touring the Great Ocean Road -

Torquay to Lorne and beyond

With winter over and the mild, longer

days of spring ahead, there’s no better place

to get back in touch with nature – and

rejuvenate body and soul – than the Great

Ocean Road. One of the world’s most

renowned travel routes, the Great Ocean

Road stretches more than 180 kilometres

from the surfing hotspot of Torquay to the

iconic Twelve Apostles, offering a host of

diverse experiences along the way.

Sur f Coast

with its spectacular coastline, scenic rainforests and magnificent beaches,

is at the start of the Great Ocean Road and is located in southwest

Victoria, 20 minutes from Geelong and 75 minutes from Melbourne.

It is an area of 1556km2 with some 55km of coastline and the start of the fabulous Great Ocean Road defining its southern boundary.

The Great Ocean Road celebrates its 80th birthday in November this year, so come and join the locals in honouring the vision and courage of those who built

it. Begun in 1919 and finished in 1932, the road is dedicated to the memory of the returned WWI soldiers and sailors who carved the route from the rugged

cliffs using only picks and shovels. Prior to the road being constructed many parts of the coast were only accessible by sea, making life isolated and difficult for

those who lived there. Today, the Great Ocean Road offers visitors and residents alike an easy means to appreciate the wild, natural wonders of the region.

Torquay

The journey begins in Torquay, a town synonymous with surfing heritage and

culture. Pay homage at world-renowned Bells Beach, site of the annual Rip

Curl Pro, where you can watch in awe as others glide effortlessly through the

pounding surf. Find the latest surf fashion, have a surf lesson with any number

of local operators in the more sheltered waters or visit Surf World Museum to

learn about the fascinating history of surfing in the region and see the amazing

collection of boards and other memorabilia.

Anglesea

The newly rejuvenated Surf Coast Walk is the place to stretch your legs and

take in gorgeous coastal views as you continue on to the pretty coastal

hamlets of Anglesea and Aireys Inlet. The Anglesea Heathland, just north of

the township, superb native flowers and rare orchids bloom during spring,

making it a glorious place to visit. Over a quarter of Victoria’s plant species

grow here, including more than 100 varieties of orchids, some of which are

extremely rare.

Aireys Inlet

At Aireys Inlet, visit Split Point Lighthouse on one of the public tours or follow

the surrounding discovery trail that offers insights into the area’s history as well

as great views of the Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary.

In April 2007, during the 75th Anniversary of the Great Ocean Road, a special

ceremony was held at the famous Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch, Eastern

View to unveil “The Diggers”.

With one of the workers handing the other a drink, this work reflects the great

Australian mateship that was not only a part of the building of the road, but

which was so often on display in the First World War itself.

Lorne

From the Arch, the Great Ocean Road winds its way past stunning coastal

scenery to the major holiday town of Lorne, where the main street buzzes with

activity as locals and holidaymakers hit the many shops, cafes and bars. There

are many beautiful nature and beach walks and waterfalls to explore around

Lorne, all just a short drive away in Great Otway National Park. Waterfalls

include the 30-metre-high Erskine Falls, Henderson Falls and the Cora Lynn

Cascades, or try the popular walk from the Sheoak Picnic Ground.

Winchelsea

The historic town of Winchelsea, inland from Lorne and set on the banks

of the Barwon River, is central to a robust rural community. The spirit of

history is alive here in the convict-built bluestone bridge and a range of period

buildings well-worth exploring.

Twelve Apostles

It’s not far from here to the region’s most recognisable landmark, the Twelve

Apostles, gigantic limestone stacks off the coast of Port Campbell National Park.

View these wondrous formations and the sheer cliffs around them from the coastal

boardwalks, or perhaps take a scenic helicopter flight to get a bird’s eye view.

MORE EXCITING NEW ACTS ANNOUNCED FOR

THE FESTIVAL OF PERFORMING ARTS IN LORNE -

CULTURE BY THE SEA

Excitement is building in Victoria’s favourite swig of the over-sized cocktail Cardwell shakes

seaside town, Lorne, as the program evolves up in ‘Margarita”. Abbie comes to Lorne from

for the 2012 Festival of Performing Arts, being the recent hit show The Voice where her dulcet

held on the weekend of 7-9 September, across a tones proved an asset to the team of country

variety of local venues. The town will be at fever legend, Keith Urban.

pitch as the festival comes to town, invoking a The Massive Hip Hop Choir: Australia’s first

sense of unmatched pride and community spirit. hip hop choir! MASSIVE combines original rap

The full line-up is a veritable wonderland lyrics, fresh beats, lush three part harmonies,

of entertainers including; the inimitable

body percussion, traditional pacific island dance

Mikelangelo and the Black Sea Gentlemen, The and street choreography. MASSIVE is a group

Massive Hip Hop Choir, Captain Frodo, Tom of young urban artists aged 18– 25yrs who

Flanagan, The Town Bikes, Body Beautiful identify as Tongan/Fijian, Cook Islander/Niuean,

Street Performers and much, much more! Samoan, Lebanese/Tongan Caribbean/North

Adding another dimension to the eclectic African, Filipino, Comoros islander/Tanzanian,

program, new festival acts include:

English/Spanish, Indonesian and Madagascan.

Abbie Cardwell & the Chicano Rockers: A Rufino & the Coconuts: A band of castaways and

ten-piece Mexican ‘Rocanrol’ “explosion of misfits hailing from the fertile rhythm-rich jungles of

foot stamping joy!” Singing in fluent Spanglish, Haiti. Part Afro-Latin Tumbele, part Jamaican Rocksteady,

part island-holiday sleaze-pop wrapped up

Cardwell makes an enigmatic front-woman,

with all the animation of Ann Margret in Viva in a wild Voodoo ritual! Rufino’s blend of sounds

Las Vegas! Backed by her mariachi outlaws, no doubt influenced Serge Gainsbourg’s Reggae

you’re in for good times and - if you’re lucky - a recordings, Grace Jones’ work at Compass point

The Otway Harvest Trail

The Otway Harvest Trail is a celebration of

the seasons that bestow their rich bounty on a

luscious part of Victoria. The unique combination

of aspect, soils, climate and farming practices of the

Otway hinterland produce distinctive and exceptional

flavours in our produce that cannot be found anywhere

else. Join in the trail and find 26 producers, wineries,

farm gates, provedores and places to see, eat and stay.

Spring is a time of plenty and promise.

As the winter gives way to warm sunny days,

see the bright patchwork of yellow canola fields

appear, the farmers out mowing their grass and

baling their hay and the spring lambs frolicking

on a frosty morning. The first berries appear.

Green shoots can be seen in the vineyards

as the vines burst their buds and flowers and

spring vegetables appear at farm gate stalls.

New release wines can be found at cellar doors.

Summer is all about being outdoors.

All the berry farms have opened and their sweet

juicy berries are ripe for the picking. The lush

emerald green of the vineyards become more

distinctive as the land around slowly turns a golden

brown. People clamour for outdoor tables and

chairs at cafés and restaurants to soak in the warm

days, mild evenings and glorious pastel sunsets.

Local wines and beers go so well with the seafood,

vegetables and fruits in plentiful supply. Wine lovers

are welcomed at cellar doors and their curiosity is

rewarded with the discovery of new wines.

Autumn is a time of harvest.

The days become still and warm, and the crisp

cool nights are perfect for sleeping. With the

winter rains not far away, the wineries are busy

harvesting their fruit and the vignerons hands

become garnet red as they nurture the new wines

through their ferment. It is also time to harvest

the olives from their groves before the first frosts

of winter arrive. Smell the fruity aroma of the

extra virgin olive oil as it flows from the presses.

The last of the berries are picked.

Winter is a time for taking stock.

The seasons have passed and it’s time to make

ready for the farming year ahead. The farmers

plough their fields and sow their winter crops.

Vineyards, olive groves and orchards are pruned

and readied for a new season. Fences are mended.

The days shorten and become colder. Cattle turn

their backs to the wind. Dams spent over the

summer begin to refill. Root vegetables appear

at the farm gate stands. It’s a time for reflection

and for savouring the joys of recently harvested

produce. Lengthy conversations occur over bottles

of wine in front of toasty log fires. Eventually the

tell-tale signs of another Spring begin to appear.

We invite you to discover all this for yourself.

Go to www.otwayharvesttrail.org.au to plan

your adventure.

studios as well as Lykke Li’s more recent tribal

pop. It’s the type of cultural melting pot beloved

by cannibals as a morning soup! Rufino & the

Coconuts are sure to weave some magic.

Get the kids involved with Monkey Bike and their

show Splash Out! Kids will join the Monkey Bike

team for a celebratory sea-side themed workshop

and performance where kids are given the chance

to create new worlds and performances by using a

colourful, hyperbolic style of dance and theatrical

interaction. Kids will find their inner creativity

and movement when swinging with Monkey

Bike and experiencing their unique workshop and

performance, inspired by the sea!

And the festival fun isn’t limited to indoors.

Promenade along Mountjoy Parade and keep your

eyes peeled for buff exhibitionists Body Beautiful –

Behold their exquisite human form, marvel at their

posing prowess and revel in their pearls of wisdom.

Still the topic of hot talk is the promise

of ‘a show like no other’, born from the

masterful minds of Mikelangelo and his

Black Sea Gentlemen. With the charming

crooner Mikelangelo at their helm, the

Black Sea Gentlemen plunge headlong into

a netherworld of intrigue and imagination.

The Black Sea Gentlemen have entertained

and beguiled audiences and critics

throughout Australia and the UK, playing

major arts festivals and theatres including

the Edinburgh Fringe, Sydney Opera House

and London’s West End.

The show entitled Salty Sea Dogs and

Skeletons of Lorne is reshaping the salty old

sea tales of the age old fishing community of

Lorne, redefining how the town’s history is

remembered for future generations.

Other new additions to the exciting

program include: DJ Ken Eaval (PBS

FM), DJ Blossom (resident DJ at The

Famous Spiegeltent both nationally and

internationally) and DJ Dr. Love. And coming

out of retirement for the ‘Lorne’s Got Talent’

Olympics the infamous Floating Cows Sinkronised

Swimming team. Surf Coast locals

Victoriana Gaye and her Magic Band and

High & Lonesome will also be highlights of

the weekend’s entertainment.

Come to Lorne on September 7-9 to

be swept up in the vibe! Tickets are on

sale through www.mosthtix.com.au or

visit www.lovelorne.com for details or

see the attached program for a complete

rundown of the weekend’s events.

The Festival of Performing Arts is sponsored

by Little Creatures, Yering Station, Festivals

Australia, Lions Club of Lorne, Mantra Lorne,

Tourism Victoria and Surf Coast Tourism.

40 Things to See and Do

on the Surf Coast

1. Go to the beach, Enjoy the sun and remember to Slip Slop Slap.

2. Walk on many of our walking trails in the Great Otway National Park .

3. Explore the 10 waterfalls in 10kms near Lorne – including the famous Erskine Falls.

4. Walk or drive to Teddy’s Look-out or admire the view from many other stopping points on

the Great Ocean Road .

5. Find trash and treasure at the Lorne Op Shop.

6. Hire surf boards and wetsuits from the local surf shops or try a surf lesson from the many

surf schools (it’s what we’re famous for).

7. Walk the main street shops on Lorne’s famous Mountjoy Parade.

8. Build a sand castle or play a game of beach cricket.

9. Play tennis or 9 holes of golf at the Lorne County Club, Torquay Golf Club or share the

Anglesea Golf Course with its famous kangaroos.

10. Join the locals casting a line off the Lorne Pier or other great local fishing spots around

Anglesea and Spring Creek in Torquay.

11. Spot a whale! Whales travel along our coast between April and October.

12. Check out the many local art galleries, public art in our towns and the work of talented

local artists.

13. Explore the Otway Harvest Trail, with berry picking, olives, gourmet produce and local

wineries on the coast and in the hinterland– some of the best wineries specialising in

premium cool-climate wine.

14. Take photos of our lovely vistas.

15. Revisit your childhood and go rock pool rambling.

16. Receive a pampering at our day spas.

17. See the latest movies at the Lorne Cinema.

18. Find fine food with a view at some great local restaurants.

19. Speak with the friendly staff and volunteers at Surf Coast Visitor Information Centres and

take advantage of their local knowledge.

20. Enjoy some excellent shopping and buy your family a present.

21. Observe local bird life and wildlife.

22. Admire the spring wildflowers around Anglesea.

23. Simply sit, relax and watch the waves roll in on around 55km of spectacular coastline.

24. Watch the moon rise over the water on Loutitt Bay.

25. Eat fish and chips on the pier or beach.

26. Try and find glow worms at the Sheoak Picnic Area.

27. Find a koala, parrots or more wildlife in the local trees of Lorne.

28. Have a splash on a sea kayak or try stand-up paddle boarding.

29. Explore the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet, home of Round the Twist.

30. Discover a hidden beach.

31. Visit the historical hinterland towns of Deans Marsh and Winchelsea.

32. Visit Torquay – the largest surfing museum in the world and the home of Australian surfing

culture!

33. Take on the Surf Coast Walk – an amazing adventure.

34. Visit Point Addis and walk through the Ironbark Basin.

35. Check out the Surf Shops at Surf City, Surf Coast Highway.

36. Have a barbecue with friends on the Torquay Foreshore.

37. Visit the surf photo galleries, restaurants and more in Bell Street, Torquay.

38. Watch the sun rise over Point Danger in Torquay and see the sun set from Point Addis – a

few kilometres down the Great Ocean Road.

39. Challenge your friends to a game of tennis on the local courts.

40. Head down the Bowls Club for your own “day on the green”.

surf coast shire events

October 2012

Event Name Details More information

Anglesea Music Festival

Friday 12 – Sunday 14 October.

www.angleseamusicfestival.com.au

Grassroots Music from Friday evening to Sunday evening across 3

venues: Anglesea Hotel, Sea Eyes, Youth Marquee.

Anglesea Art and Craft Market Saturday 13 October. www.angleseamusicfestival.com.au

Lorne Sculpture Exhibition 2 week exhibition on the Lorne Foreshore from Monday 15 October. www.lornesculpture.com

Southern Exposure Surf Coast A Mountain Bike team challenge in the Eumeralla Eco Park located near www.surfcoast6hour.com.au

Mountain Bike Festival

Anglesea. Saturday 20 October, 4pm-10pm.

Anglesea Golf Club Open Week 8 day carnival of golf at the renowned Anglesea Golf Club, starting

Sunday 21 October.

www.angleseagolfclub.com.au

November 2012


Winchelsea Uniting Church Art

and Photography Show

A fundraising event, where local artists display and sell their works.

Globe Theatre Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 November, 10am-4pm.

www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au

Deans Marsh Sheep Dog Trials Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 November, 7am–6pm. www.asdwa.org.au

Toast to the Coast

Torquay Motor Show 2012

Winchelsea Festival (inc.

Australian Wool Sports

Championships)

RACV 80 Years Great Ocean

Road Celebration Tour

Saturday 3 November. More than 30 wineries will be showcasing their

premium cool climate wines in a weekend of sensational wine, food,

music and fun.

Rotary Club of Torquay Community Project - awards for all class

winners, including hot rods, motor cycles, antique bicycles and outright

best preserved/un-restored vehicle. Foreshore Elephant Walk Torquay,

Sunday 4 November.

Family fun & entertainment, country skills, regional food, wine and

produce, arts & crafts, and much more - all in aid of Winchelsea’s

Eastern Reserve Sports and Recreation Community Hub, Sunday 11

November.

Events to be held at Torquay Golf Club on Saturday 24 November, and

Eastern View and Lorne on Sunday 25 November.

www.winegeelong.com.au

www.torquayrotary.org.au

www.winchelseafestival.org.au

info@vintagesportscarclub.org.au

December 2012


Torquay Festival

Anaconda Adventure Race

A celebration of art, culture, street parade, music, dance, workshops,

treats and food. Fun for the whole family. Saturday 1 December.

Adventure event involving 1.9km swim, 13 km Ocean Paddle and 11km

run on Sunday 2 December

Anglesea Carnival Fun for the family at the Anglesea Carnival Reserve, Friday 21

December

Falls Music and Arts Festival

Rock2Ramp Swim

New Year’s Eve Music, Comedy, Markets Celebrations near Lorne,

opening Friday 28 December.

Anglesea is home to the famous Rock2Ramp ocean swim, a major

fundraiser for the ASLSC. The swim is open to the novice and serious

competitor alike. Saturday 28 December.




www.fallsfestival.com.au

www.angleseaslsc.org.au


Markets and other monthly events

Name, dates & times Details More information

Torquay Cowrie Market

Third Sunday of the month,

September to April, 10am-3pm.

Elephant Walk, The Esplanade, Torquay, Handmade home produced

products, environmentally friendly products, promoting local artists

and crafts, bands, busking, and food.

cowriemarket@yahoo.com.au

Lorne Craft and Produce Market

Last Sunday of the month, 9am-1pm.

Aireys Inlet Community Market

11 November and 9 December,

9 am onwards.

Held on the last Sunday of each month in the Ballroom at The Grand

Pacific Hotel, Lorne - 9am-1pm. Sample fresh produce from the local

area, handmade art and specialty crafts.

Held at the local hall. The market specialises in fresh produce, locally

made goodies and art and craft.

events@grandpacific.com.au

info@aireysinletmarket.com.au

Torquay Farmers Market

Every Saturday all year round,

8.30am-1pm.

Located in the car park of the Torquay Central shopping centre, this

is a genuine European style farmers market with great fresh food and

produce from around the region. Bristol Road Torquay.


Anglesea Riverbank Market

Sunday 4 November 2012

Sunday 6 January 2013

Sunday 13 January 2013

Set in one of the most picturesque locations, this market is a sprawling

treasure trove of eclectic stalls and stallholders. Food, fashion, tools,

toys & trinkets, jewellery & books, plants & gardening good and much

much more!


Torquay Nightjar Market

Thursday nights in January, 4pm-10pm.

Celebrating the creativity and diversity of the Surf Coast, this is a great place

to unwind after a day at the beach. Meander through the stalls, sample some

great food, and kick back and enjoy the quality live music on offer.


ASK A LOCAL – SURF COAST VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

For further information on travelling and accommodation referrals or travelling advice along the Great Ocean Road call

Torquay Visitor Information Centre

1300 61 42 19

torquayvic@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

Lorne Visitor Information Centre

1300 89 11 52

lornevic@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

Open 9am-5pm 7 days per week, our friendly volunteers and staff are happy to assist with any enquiries.

Chat to them for a local call cost on or email

Coppertone, Kreem-B-Tweens,

and Cappuccino. by Murray Walding

It’s the late Nineteen-Fifties and The Great Ocean

Road is clogged with bond wood caravans as post-war

Oz holiday makers and day-trippers head back to their

favorite beach resort, and in Victoria, this means Lorne.

And Lorne has changed. There’s something

new in the main drag. It’s a coffee lounge, hi-jacked

from the smoky Pigalle and dumped in Mountjoy

Parade. Full of beatniks, and bohemians, it’s called

The Arab, and it’s the brainchild of three local

brothers; Graham, Alistair and Robyn Smith.

Down on the beach, just above the high tide

mark, and smothered in cypress trees they’ve also

opened a dance; The Wild Colonial Club, housed in

a crumbling beach-front hall

The three brothers have stuffed the old hall

with salt drenched Australiana, gathered the

cream of the countries jazz musos, squeezed

them onto a small stage under the stairs and

then filled the place with kids straight from the

beach, their faces flushed with post atomicblast

sunshine, their nasal passages clogged

with water after days dodging dumpers on new

fangled balsa boards.

Surfboard riding is their latest craze, straight

from the Malibu shore by way of Hawaii. These

surfniks with their blonded hair and faded

shorts, and the Melbourne hip cats in their

desert boots and turtle necks, are all locked in

to Lorne’s beach jive. They go together like the

chocolate dusted over The Arab’s cappuccino.

Even the Melbourne cast of West Side Story,

make Lorne their summer home and the scene

rotates like a kaleidoscope over the next decade

Out at the end of the bay stands The Pacific

Hotel. Its lounge is known as The Jet Bar and

it’s unashamedly named for the jetsetters who

hang out under its wide verandahs. On the

roadside, E-Types and MG’s jostle for car-parks

with clunky station wagons, their rusting roofracks

armed with twang finned surfboards.

Back on the beach, the prime spot to be

seen is in front of the surf club, where you can

lean your board up against the stone wall and

between sessions on the Point, Lorne’s hot-dog

surf spot, check out western district squatocracy,

city groovers, tent dwellers and bleached beach

kids, all lying soft in the sand, sticky blobs of

melted Kreem-B-Tweens making pools in their

collective belly buttons. The more adventurous

make the half mile trek up the beach to the river

mouth where the crowd and waft of Coppertone

thins out. The rest parade the main street, only a

Frisbee throw back from the beach.

The top line waves of The Point breed two

Australian surfing champions, the archetypal

‘hot local kid’ Wayne Lynch, and one of the

Queens of Oz surfing, Gail Couper. Both travel

the four corners of the surfing world and both

return, arms laden with trophies.

And Lorne stays hip. Even when The

Arab changes hands and becomes a Greek

restaurant, even when the jetsetters desert

The Pacific Hotel. Even The Wild Colonial Club

succumbs. It stands derelict for a few years.

Then, one winter night, it burns to the ground.

And come the new millenium, the Great Ocean

Road is clogged with Four Wheel Drives and

Beemers draped with thrusters and new longboards.

They’re heading to Lorne, to The Point, to their

holiday apartments. If they hurry they can catch the

next low tide, perhaps grab a latte in the main street.

And stay hip.


THE LAST POST - The Special Edition - Aug/Sep 2012 1 3

Navy Clearance Divers

Step Up For Their Mates

Royal Australian Navy

divers past and present

have come together to

care for members who

have paid a high price

in the defence of their

country.

The Navy Clearance Diver Trust has been

established to ensure former Divers who have

been injured in the line of duty are properly

cared for financially. The trust is also being

made available to the families of former Navy

Clearance Divers, who have passed away.

The Trust was launched earlier this year

at the West Australian Maritime Museum in

Fremantle. Current Navy Clearance Divers from

Australian Clearance Diving Team 4 (HMAS

Stirling) put on an impressive display of modern

mine detection methods, using a “disruptor” to

seek out and destroy an enemy mine.

Navy Clearance Divers first saw action

in the Vietnam War. They are an elite, highly

skilled force, trained to diffuse explosives

and in covert operations. They are currently

deployed in the Middle East both on land

countering improvised explosive devices in

Afghanistan and at sea as Boarding Party

experts in counter piracy operations.

The Trust has already attracted some high

level supporters, including former Defence

Minister and current Ambassador to the USA,

Hon. Kim Beazley, AC, former Chief of Navy (and

Clearance Diver) Vice Admiral Russ Crane AO,

CSM, RAN and author Peter FitzSimons, AM.

The Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs

AM, CSC, RAN was pleased to support

the event. “The Navy Clearance Diver Trust

is a terrific initiative which I know will be

supported by the entire Clearance Diver

community,” Vice Admiral Griggs said.


A Brief History of the

Torquay RSL Sub-Branch

The Torquay RSL Sub-Branch was formed in 2002,

after Torquay original ex-servicemens’ organisation

was formed in 1947 as the Torquay and District

Ex-Servicemens’Club (known in the area as “The

Heroes”) was transposed, as there appeared to be

more benefits both for a Sub-Branch and importantly,

ex-service people, veterans and families. In the latter

years of it’s existence, TDEC was well served by

Executive members, Jack Bailey and Syd Smith.

by Kevin Egan, President, TORQUAY RSL

Torquay RSL

6 Walker Street

Torquay

VIC 3228

(03) 5261 4225

your rsl at work

So the Torquay RSL Sub –Branch officially

opened in April 2001, by the then President of RSL

(Vic) HQ., State Council Mr Bruce Ruxton at the

Geelong RSL.

New executive members were appointed -

Kevin Egan and Peter Thomas leading the new Sub-

Branch through it’s early years as the Sub-Branch

sold the old TDEC premises in Beales Street and

with finances also from the generosity of the Estate

of John Spittle, the Torquay RSL Sub-Branch built

new premises at 6 Walker Street, Torquay.

The two storey building provided ideal

accommodation for the Sub-Branch and for the

Surfcoast Regional Veterans Centre that was formed

principally by the leadership of Paul Copeland who

dedicated his time to the UN Peacekeepers and

Peacemakers Assn of Australia and providing DVA

and any other services available to veterans in the

Torquay District in an effort to ensure they received

all available entitlements.

Unfortunately due to mismanagement of the

Bistro area and lack of monitoring in this area from

headquarters, the Sub-Branch went into considerable

debt and these purpose built premises had to

be sold. A huge task also for the Sub-Branch’s

Committee who endeavoured to recover as much

finances as possible from all the furniture and

fittings that were not part of the sale of the building.

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of a few

members, the Sub-Branch continued to provide

excellent Welfare Services through Surfcoast

Regional Welfare Centre. Peter Thomas and

Sally O’Toole’s admin experience and skills in the

Surcoast Vet Centre were able to obtain rented

premises from Barwon Health at 39A Puebla Street,

Torquay, run the Veteran Centre with competent

staff and provide an office for the Sub-Branch.

The Sub-Branch meanwhile have been working

towards a new permanent home and thanks to

offers by the Torquay Bowls Club, that possibility is

proceeding well.

The Sub-Branch hope to be able to build new

premises for the Surfcoast Vet Centre and the

Sub-Branch onto and adjoining the western end

of the existing Bowls Club building. Thanks also

to GORCC CEO., Richard Davies and the State

Member for South Barwon, Andrew Katos, a

$1.5million State Grant is available to ensure this

project is a reality. The Sub-Branch looks forward to

working positively with the Bowls Club to have this

project commecing in the next twelve months.

The Torquay Sub-Branch assists and cares for

various ex-service organisations in the area including

the Laurel Ladies Club (War Widows); the Seabreeze

Club, for veterans and families in their retired years.

The Sub-Branch has in recent years, developed

a good working relationship with our big brother,

Geelong RSL Sub-Branch, thanks mainly to Rodney

Meeke, particularly in the Welfare and Social areas.

A major service is also providing commemoration

ceremonies for ANZAC Day and Remembrance

Day Services at Point Danger, Nursing Homes and

Hostels in the area including Anglesea and in the

four schools in the Torquay District.

The ANZAC Day March, Dawn Service and

Gunfire Breakfast is the largest outside the capital

cities in Australia. Some 8,000 to 9,000 people

have attended in recent years which gives the three

Sub-Branch Committee members a great deal of

pleasure to be so serving our local veterans, their

families and the district communities.

Image courtesy of www.petermarshallphotography.com

Image courtesy of www.petermarshallphotography.com

your rsl at work

Everyone is

Tuesday is the popular $17 steak night, with the initial feedback on this

price level and product being very good!

Wednesday’s $13 “Parma and Pot” night is very popular, attracting a very

good range from the local community of all ages.

The club’s Belmont building has just undergone major refurbishments,

expanding the car-park to fit 155 cars and sprucing up and extending the

front of the building.

Members will pay only $8.50 for lunches and $3.50 for pots of beer.

“We’re here for everyone,”

Geelong RSL

50 Barwon Heads Road.

Belmont, Victoria

03 5241 1766

“You don’t have to have served in the

defence forces or be A service persons

relative, you’re very welcome here.”

welcome

at Geelong RSL.

The club also have bands every Saturday night

and holds jazz nights every Sunday where you

can purchase a two-course meal is just $18.

Regular meal and show nights started off on

October 28, with Iconic Australian rock star

Ronnie Charles in his band, Ronnie Charles and

the Retro Bandits. More great acts on their way.

The Geelong RSL also features a large function

room with fully-serviced bar and kitchen which

can be booked for any occasion for $250. Half

price if you support my footy team!

Manager Chris Bennett says despite common

misconceptions, anybody can become a

member.

“We’re here for everyone,” he says. “You don’t

have to have served in the defence forces or be

service persons relative, you’re very welcome

here.”

“Every day at 6pm we honour the people that

guard our freedom with a moments silence.”

Chris says the most anyone pays for

membership is just $35 but non-members are

also welcome to come and enjoy some of the

facilities.

Come down and try us out!

...come down and try us out!

Governor-General

A WOMAN named

Linda stands in

the dripping dark

telling Michael

Bryce the dreadful

circumstances of her

life, sipping soup

served by Quentin

Bryce.

Australia Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce visiting Melbourne

Tuesday 16 May 2012. Photographer - Craig Abraham, Fairfax Syndication.

Linda has three children aged 13, seven

and four. At the age of 45, she is 30 weeks

pregnant. Her husband abandoned the family

months ago, she says. The house was next to

go. Bit by bit, she has sold everything to keep

her children together.

Yesterday, she says, she sold her wedding

ring. Now there’s nothing left.

And here she is, on a cold night on a rainslicked

footpath in North Melbourne, waiting in

a queue of night people to be fed. Linda will take

nothing more than a cup of soup for herself. She

fills a bag with sandwiches so that her children

will have something to eat tomorrow.

‘’I’m from the middle class,’’ Linda says. ‘’I

have a master’s in psychology. I didn’t realise

people lived like this, but now I’m one of them.’’

She is weeping. Michael Bryce reaches out a

hand to comfort her. ‘’He’s like the favourite uncle

you always wish you had,’’ Linda confides later.

A couple of metres away, Mr Bryce’s wife,

the Governor-General, is pouring hot soup,

coffee and hot chocolate from a battery of

thermoses. Cup after cup is held out to her,

and she fills each. ‘’There you are,’’ she says.

‘’There you are.’’

Their excellencies have come to the night

people with the Society of St Vincent de Paul

soup vans.

The vans, two of them, come every night to

this street kerb by a park in North Melbourne.

The hungry, the lost, the hopeful and the

sometimes disoriented simply appear out of the

dark, dozens of them.


energi sed

The presence of the Governor-General of

Australia and her husband on this night offers

a curious departure from routine. Yet many of

those gathered on the footpath hardly notice.

They are there for the food.

Sandwiches, hot pies, soup, coffee and -

tonight - toiletries, are handed out by volunteers

and the vice-regal couple.

And then, when the doors of the vans close, all

those people melt away, swallowed by the night.

It is another stop along a very long road for

this Governor-General.

Since her appointment on September 8,

2008, Ms Bryce has undertaken 2700 public

engagements (‘’community engagements’’,

she corrects). That’s an average of more than

two a day, every single day, more by a long

stretch than any of her predecessors. The word

community means much to this Governor-

General. It implies connections everywhere,

from women in remote outback homesteads

to the night people of North Melbourne, and

everyone between. Ms Bryce has set herself the

task of listening to all their stories.

She is patron of no fewer than 275

organisations, from the Access Dinghy

Foundation to the Young, Pregnant and Parenting

Network. Mr Bryce is patron of another 32.

It doesn’t stop on Australia’s shores.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Australian

Defence Force, the Governor-General flew to

Afghanistan for Anzac Day. She insisted on

staying the night with the troops - her troops

- the first Australian dignitary to do so. Today,

she is off to East Timor for the 10th anniversary

of that nation’s independence.

Early this week, she visited Melbourne for

three days of dawn to after-dark engagements,

all of them to organisations offering succour to

those who need it most. Which is why she and her

husband took to the street with the Vinnies vans.

After North Melbourne, it was off to

a backstreet in Fitzroy where Mr Bryce,

introducing himself to the late-night hungry as

‘’just the trainee’’, doled out Chiko Rolls and

pies, and Ms Bryce, having emptied the hot

chocolate thermos, fell into a long rambling

by endless whirl of

engagement with

community

by Tony Wright

conversation with a fellow wearing a beard,

dark glasses and sandals clinging to bare feet.

‘’Doesn’t it exhaust you?’’ The Saturday

Age asks late the next day, after trailing

the Governor-General to and from six more

engagements, each in a different suburb.

She had talked privately in the morning with

mothers and young women undergoing drug and

alcohol rehabilitation at the Salvation Army’s

Bridgehaven centre in Preston, listened to students

at Collingwood Alternative School describe how

the Hands-On Learning program had reignited

their excitement about attending school, met

elderly people at the Brotherhood of St Laurence’s

Coolibah Centre in Fitzroy, where for 82 years the

lonely from rooming houses have found meals and

social connection, attended a Women’s Network

luncheon, visited indigenous women and children

sheltering from family violence at Elizabeth

Hoffman House in Fairfield, admired the works of

intellectually disabled artists at the Q ArtStudio

in Kew, where she buys her Christmas gifts, and

dandled babies at the Melbourne Citymission Early

Childhood Development Program in Brunswick,

the sun gone.

Ms Bryce, mother of five, grandmother of

nine with a 10th due any day, will be 70 in

December.

‘’Exhausts me? Oh, no, it energises me.’’ she says.

Those years as Governor-General, she says,

have changed her.

‘’I’ve learnt so much from so many people, my

understanding of who we are is deeper, I’ve become

more reflective and a little wiser,’’ she says.

The connection with people devastated by

bushfire, flood and cyclone, the correspondence

with 32 families who had lost boys in Afghanistan

… these, she says, prompted profound reflection.

And those people from the night in North

Melbourne and Fitzroy, and all the others.

‘’I thought I knew a fair bit about Australia, I’d

been involved in so many things during my life.

But what I have learned in the last 3½ years …

in some ways, I’d just scratched the surface.’’

And then she is off to her next community

engagement, with a stream of them yet to come.

www.theage.com.au

I’ve learnt so

much from so

many people, my

understanding

of who we are

is deeper, I’ve

become more

reflective and a

little wiser,’

A simple

phone

call

A few minutes chatting

to a son or daughter, a

friend or relative, can

brighten their day, and

let them know that

people are thinking

about them.

can make

all the

difference

to an older

Australian

For many, one such phone call is the daily

contact by Telecross. A friendly voice calling

to say ‘good morning’ and make sure that

everything is okay.

When PricewaterhouseCoopers evaluated

Telecross in NSW in 2011, an astounding

100 per cent of family members declared

themselves ‘very satisfied’ with its service.

Clients were scarcely less enthusiastic, with

97 per cent endorsing the service offered by

Telecross.

Over four decades Telecross, a service first

launched by the Red Cross in South Australia in

1971 and which now operates across Australia,

has saved hundreds of lives and provided daily

reassurance to older people and those who care

for them.

Telecross is a simple solution to a challenging

question: how can we help older people retain

their independence, while securing their safety

and wellbeing?

It’s a question we want to answer. Last year

the Productivity Commission’s report Caring for

Older Australians said Older Australians generally

want to remain independent and stay connected

and relevant to their families and communities.

The Hon Mark Butler MP

Minister for Mental Health & Ageing,

Minister for Social Inclusion,

Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Mental Health Reform

Similarly, when I travelled the country for

Conversations on Ageing to discuss aged-care

reform with about 3000 of older people, in

every state and territory I was told the same,

staying at home and engaged in the local

community was a top priority.

We understood what our seniors were telling

us, and we took action.

The $3.7 billion Living Longer Living Better

aged care reforms that Prime Minister Gillard

and I launched in April are about exactly that,

creating a flexible, fair and sustainable system

of aged care, a system that will give older

Australians more choice, better control over

their lives, and easier access to the services

they need, where and when they need them.

Importantly, the package includes 40,000

new home care packages that will ensure more

Australians are able to live at home for as long

as possible with the right support.

Looking after others is an essential part

of Labor philosophy, and a great Australian

tradition. As Telecross continues that tradition,

they remind us what we can achieve by working

together.


TELECROSS

VOLUNTEERS

A little bit of history…

Just over forty years ago,

a group of homebound

people in an Adelaide

suburb got together to

trial a “telephone club”.

The idea was they would

stay in regular contact by

phone, with an emergency

back-up to call if someone

didn’t answer.

Little did they realise it at the time, but that

pioneering group was a catalyst for similar

programs in NSW, then Victoria and Western

Australia – that were enthusiastically taken up

by branch members and staff to become the

national service called Telecross.

Every day of the year, trained and friendly

Telecross volunteers call about 5800 people

to check they are ok. This simple call makes

all the difference to people living alone or

recovering from illness, giving reassurance

to elderly clients who want to continue living

independently in their own home – and peace

of mind to family and friends who may live

some distance away.

An evaluation of Telecross by Price

Waterhouse Coopers in 2011 reported that

clients found the service gave them the

confidence to live in their own home, support

to maintain their independence and a better

connection to the community.

In the event of three calls going unanswered

in one day, Red Cross commences an

emergency activation procedure to make sure

the client is okay. In the year from June 2010 to

June 2011, Telecross recorded 749 emergency

activations where the client was found to be

ill or injured and 37 instances where the client

had died.

“Volunteers are the backbone of Telecross,”

says Ian Coverdale, Red Cross National

Manager for Social Inclusion. “It’s their voices

on the end of the line that provide reassurance

to clients, and connect them to the outside

world. For a number of people we call, we may

be the only person they speak to that day”.

... how can we help older people

retain their independence, while

securing their safety and wellbeing?

Four decades of Telecross

Adelaide celebration, 7 June 2012

Celebrity cook Maggie Beer helped Red Cross

celebrate four decades of its daily phone call

service by thanking volunteers at an event in

Adelaide. Maggie attended the celebration in

her role as Commonwealth Bank Ambassador.

The bank, also celebrating a milestone in 2012

with its Centenary, announced its commitment

of $100,000 to Red Cross and 100 volunteers to

support the Telecross service.

Guest speakers included the Federal Minister

for Mental Health and Ageing and Social

Inclusion Mark Butler and South Australian

Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion

Ian Hunter, who both highlighted their support

of Telecross and acknowledged the value it adds

to the lives of vulnerable people.

Despite the high-profile guests, it was

the personal stories of Telecross clients and

volunteers that had the biggest impact on the

audience. John, a volunteer, relayed some of the

humour that he shares with the clients during

the calls and how enjoyable it is for him to speak

with them. Eighty-six-year-old Ethel told the

audience how she had had a fall one morning

and couldn’t get up. She didn’t panic because

she knew her Telecross call was due in 15

minutes and that the volunteer would be able to

arrange for help.

The overwhelming message to come out of

the event was how important it is to Telecross

clients to hear a friendly voice on the end of the

phone every day, and how the simple gesture

helps them maintain their independence and

provides reassurance that someone is looking

out for them.

Adelaide CarLson – the first

WA client

Thanks to detailed archival records and a history

written by Telecross coordinator Sheryl Foster,

we know that Adelaide (Adeline) Carlson was the

very first Telecross client in Western Australia.

The West Australian ran a story about “Addie”

and her volunteer caller Muriel Vinden dated

March 7, 1985. It’s a touching example of the

special bond between them even though they had

never met before the story was published.

Under the headline Daily call service her lifeline,

91-year-old client Adelaide Carlson talks about

her hobbies of darts and crocheting, and how

much she looks forward to her evening chat (as

was common in those days).

Muriel is quoted as saying: “I could tell by

talking to her that (Addie) is a happy, chirpy sort

of person.”

Telecross volunteers save

the day

As Red Cross workers Claudia and Bindhya

found one day, Telecross can also save a life.

Bindhya was working as a volunteer

administrator and answered the phone.

“It was about 3pm and I was sitting on my

desk when I picked up the call,” recalls Bindhya.

The Telecross service usually operates with

volunteers calling their clients, making sure

that the people who use the service are ok. It

is unusual to receive a call from a person who

needs help.

“The caller sounded like he wasn’t well,

he was struggling to breathe. I said, ‘Are you

alright?’ and he said: ‘I think I’m having a heart

attack’. I was stunned. I knew I shouldn’t panic.

I told him to take a deep breath and I called for

Claudia. She got his address and then the phone

went silent. All day I was really worried about

this person,” she remembers.

Volunteers are trained by Red Cross and

receive ongoing support for the valuable

work that they do. Claudia and Bindhya knew

to remain calm, respond quickly and call an

ambulance.

“It’s a wonderful program,” says Bindhya.

“I have never heard of a program like this

that makes calls everyday – people know that

someone is there to look after them. This is a

good program to prevent incidents.”

Bindhya says that volunteers come from all

walks of life but are often older people, who feel

that they’d like to offer some support to people

in isolated situations. For many clients, having

regular, friendly social contact can become an

important part of each day.

Telephone skills a plus for

young volunteer Sarah

One of Telecross’ youngest volunteers is 18-yearold

Sarah Coshan. She has a family connection

with Red Cross through her aunt, Barb Coshan,

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Hon Mark Butler MP, federal Minister for Social Inclusion; Adrienne Smith, Regional General Manager South Australia, Commonwealth

Bank; Sue Vardon, Chair of Advisory Board, Australian Red Cross South Australia; Maggie Beer AM (former Senior Citizen of the Year 2010); SA’s Hon Ian

Hunter MLC, State Minister for Communities and Social Inclusion; Kerry Symons, Head of Community Programs, Australian Red Cross


who is team leader for Social Inclusion programs

in Victoria (Telecross is one of the programs).

Barb says of Sarah’s involvement: “I found out

she was volunteering when we got together last

Christmas - I am so proud of her for wanting to

help older people who need a check-in call.”

Sarah was recruited through Mt Gambier

Telecross coordinator Ruth Cameron, who

needed more volunteers and thought the local

high school students might be interested.

“I went to Ruth’s presentation to the year 11

and 12 students and Telecross appealed to me

because it was a way I could help people and fit

it into my study and work schedule,” Sarah says.

“I would recommend volunteering to people my

age not only as a way to help the elderly, but also

because it’s been a great help with learning telephone

skills and developing a good phone manner.”

Sarah is spending her gap year working at

her former school, Tenison Woods College, as a

trainee administration assistant.

“It can be hard to volunteer when you’re being

pulled in so many different directions by work and

study, but being a volunteer has really benefited

me and made me a more confident person.”

Following his neighbours’

example

When John Francis retired as a Telstra

construction manager he decided to give

something back in memory of two “wonderful,

caring neighbours” who kept an eye on his

mother when she was alive.

The church in Glenelg where some volunteers meet to make their Telecross calls

John volunteers for both Meals on Wheels

and Telecross (his wife Mary is a life member of

her Meals on Wheels branch). Last year he took

over as a base coordinator for his branch of 46

clients in the Adelaide suburbs.

John likes to joke with his clients, many of

whom are well into their 90s, he says.

And his oldest client keeps him on his toes: “Our

oldest client is 99 and still drives,” says John. “She

says she’ll keep going as long as her car does.”

The last word must surely go to Red Cross’

very own archivist Moira Drew, who more than

anyone spent hours meticulously researching the

history of Telecross in every State and Territory.

Asked to describe what she took away from

the experience, Moira says: “What comes

out more than anything in what I’ve read are

the relationships formed between Red Cross

volunteer and client.”

Telecross operates around Australia offering

flexible volunteer arrangements, which can vary

in each State and Territory. To learn more about

becoming a Red Cross volunteer or client or to make a

donation to support Red Cross programs like Telecross

contact 1800 811 700 or visit www.redcross.org.au

Maggie Beer enjoying morning tea with some dedicated Telecross volunteers


(From Left to Right):

Mr Colin Watt OAM DFM;

Mr Bill Denny AM, Director,

Veterans SA; Mr Angas Hughes;

Mr David Mattingley DFC;

Mr Don Looker; Mr Kingsley

Pryor DFC; SQNLDR David

Leicester DFC & Bar OAM and

the Hon Jack Snelling MP, State

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs

Bomber Command

Veterans Honoured

On Wednesday, 1 August,

2012 South Australia’s Bomber

Command veterans were

honoured when the State Minister

for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Jack

Snelling MP hosted a morning

tea in the Combined Ex-Services

Mess, Torrens Training Depot.

The morning tea for 90 people was attended

by 25 of the State’s Bomber Command and

other WWII veterans, their families and

representatives of the service and ex-service

communities.

A number of the Bomber Command veterans

present had recently returned from the United

Kingdom where memorial dedications were

held to commemorate the contribution of

Bomber Command in the Second World War.

The highlight was the 28 June dedication

ceremony for the very impressive Bomber

Command Memorial at Green Park, London,

which was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen

Elizabeth II. The ceremony was attended by

more than 5,000 people, including several

hundred Bomber Command veterans from

around the world, various government

representatives and other members of the

Royal family.

an extract of the speech delivered by Minister Snelling:

I would like to begin by

welcoming our guests of honour,

the men of Bomber Command,

who served this country so

valiantly during World War II.

I would also like to welcome all the

other ex-servicemen and women who

have joined us this morning, especially

those who suffered as Prisoners of

War – we have two veterans of Bomber

Command who ended the war as

prisoners of the Germans and two

veterans of the war closer to home who

became prisoners of the Japanese.

I would suggest that such a

distinguished group of veterans has not

been brought together for many years.

Some of our Bomber Command

representatives have recently returned

from the UK where they witnessed the

unveiling of the Bomber Command

Memorial at Green Park by Her Majesty

the Queen.

That Memorial remembers the 55,573

members of Bomber Command who died

during World War II.

This staggering figure represents a

44.4% death rate, while a further

8,403 airmen were wounded in action

and 9,838 became prisoners of war.

The extraordinary dangers to airmen

are laid bare when you consider that of

a sample of 100.

• 55 were killed on operations or died

as a result of wounds;

• 3 were injured on operations;

• 12 were taken Prisoner of War; &

• 3 were shot down and evaded capture.

That leaves a mere 27 who survived

their tour of duty unscathed.

These statistics remind us of how lucky

we are to have you among us today.

When I think of your service, and

that of your brothers who were taken

prisoner of war and who are with us

today, four words come to mind.

These simple words say much to me

about the totality of military service

– and especially about your particular

war time experience.

The words are ‘choice’, ‘opportunity’,

‘fate’ and ‘courage’ – they are simple

words – not all that emotive, but they

are the very hallmarks of your service.

Register of Aboriginal Veterans of South Australia

A call for information on Aboriginal men and women

who have served in the Navy, Army and Air Force of Australia.

Aboriginal Australians have served in every conflict in which Australia has been involved from the Boer War to Afghanistan.

The large majority of this service was rendered despite bans on enlistment and many Aboriginals had to deny their Aboriginality in order to enlist.

As a result, the record of Aboriginal men and women who served is woefully inadequate.

Thus many Aboriginal Australians have been inadvertently excluded from our greatest story - the ANZAC story - and all that it has come to stand for.

A project is underway to rectify this inequity before the Centenary of ANZAC in 2015.

A Register of Aboriginal Veterans of South Australia (RAVSA) is being established.

A team of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal veterans, supported by the Council of Aboriginal Elders of South Australia, the Returned & Services

League, Reconciliation SA and Veterans SA, are creating a document that will, for the first time, allow full identification of the significant

contribution of Aboriginal South Australians in the defence of Australia.

If you know of an Aboriginal South Australian who served in peace or war you are invited to contact Veterans SA.

Any piece of information, no matter how insignificant, will be of value.

Please contact Veterans SA via:

Email: veteranssa@sa.gov.au

Post: GPO Box 2264, ADELAIDE S.A. 5001

Tel: (08) 8226 8552

In the very beginning your decision as

young men to serve our nation was

simply a question of altruistic ‘choice’.

You were not obliged to enlist or serve.

The very core of your contribution sprang

from a conscious, informed ‘choice’

to offer your life in the service of your

country and your countrymen. The second

word is ‘opportunity’ or, for some of our

former Prisoner of war guests here today,

I might use the word ‘fate’.

What I want to alert you to is the

fact that having chosen to serve, then

either by ‘choice’ or ‘fate’, you all

found yourself in a most extraordinary

situation, in which you clearly knew,

you could very likely lose your life.

As a member of Bomber Command

you chose a career path in the services

that was going to bring you into the

teeth of battle.

As a prisoner of war ‘fate’ dealt you a

different hand, but one that was no less

dangerous or praiseworthy.

My final word is ‘courage’.

To me that is the overarching

characteristic that applies to you all.

Whether as a member of Bomber

Command, where you faced death on a

daily basis, or whether you were a prisoner

of the Germans or Japanese, where your

existence was subject to the whim of your

captors, the one thing you have all shown

is your exceptional courage.

Your courage and contribution to our

nation did not cease in 1945 but still

lives on in every way some 67 years later.

I recall the quote:

“If I have seen further, it is by standing

on the shoulders of giants.”

You are the giants of our lifetime

and your courage and sacrifice has

allowed subsequent generations to see

further and to make the most of the

opportunities you have helped deliver.

We are privileged to have you here

today.

Thank you for your service and your

contribution to our nation.

We are forever grateful and

we will never forget.

South Australian Bomber Command Veteran SQNLDR David Leicester DFC & Bar OAM meeting

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Image sourced from Department of Defence.


A Trail of Remembrance

Gallipoli looms large in our nation’s story,

so large that it overshadows in our public

understanding, the triumph and tragedy of

Australia’s extraordinary wartime service on

the Western Front in France and Belgium.

Almost 300,000 Australians served on

the Western Front between April 1916

and November 1918. More than 46,000

Australians lost their lives, more than 100,000

were wounded and countless others incurred

less visible scars. Yet Fromelles, Pozières,

Bullecourt, Passchendaele, Villers-Bretonneux,

Mt St Quentin and the other great battles where

Australians fought in France and Belgium, are

known to relatively few.

More Australians were died on the Western

Front than in all other Australian campaigns

and conflicts of the 20th century combined.

For a nation of less than five million, the losses

touched almost every community and most of

its families.

The Australian Remembrance Trail

along the Western Front is an Australian

Government initiative aimed at improving

our understanding and appreciation of the

achievements and sacrifices of Australians in

the main theatre of the First World War. The

Trail Project has seen the Office of Australian

War Graves working in partnership with

local communities and regional authorities

in France and Belgium to establish improved

visitor facilities at former Australian First

World War battlefields.

This approach to commemorating Australian

efforts on the Western Front recognises and

builds on the significant local efforts of French

and Belgian villages, over almost a century, to

honour the memory of the Diggers.

The Project is assisting to improve existing

museum facilities and interpretive displays

and, at a number of sites, establishing

new visitor facilities. Once completed the

Australian Remembrance Trail will link a

series of sites stretching along the former

Western Front, from Villers-Bretonneux, south

of the Somme River, right up to the Belgian

battlefields around Ypres.

The first element of the Trail, the Jean and

Denise Letaille Museum – Bullecourt 1917,

was officially reopened on Anzac Day 2012.

The Museum recently underwent a major

redevelopment in order to accommodate

contemporary displays and modern exhibition

features. Yet the structural features of the

original Letaille family barn and stable remain,

along with the unique collection of weapons,

machinery and other relics left behind in fields

around Bullecourt by Australian, British and

Jean and Denise Letaille Museum before renovations


along the Western Front

German soldiers. A new Fromelles museum,

adjacent to the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood)

Military Cemetery will commence construction

in August 2012.

All elements of the Australian Remembrance

Trail will be completed in time for the

Centenary of the First World War. The Project

will also provide for a range of digital resources

which in time will become a virtual visitor’s

centre. More information about the Project is

available at www.dva.gov.au/art.htm

Jean and Denise Letaille Museum after renovations

BELGIUM

Calais

River

Yser

Tyne Cot Cemetery Passchendaele

Zonnebeke

Ieper/Ypres

Polygon Wood

Hill 60

Messines

Ploegsteert

N


Armentiéres

Lys

River

VC Corner Cemetery

LILLE

Fromelles

F R A N C E

Vimy

The Western Front

General situation early April 1917

ARRAS

Bullecourt

Beaumont-Hamel

Bapaume

LONDON

ENGLAND

Strait of Dover

Ieper/

Ypres BRUSSELS

BELGIUM

Lille

Somme

AMIENS

River

Thiepval Mouquet Farm

Longueval

Pozières

Albert

Sailly-le-Sec

Mont-St-Quentin

Péronne

Bellenglise

Le Hamel

Villers-Bretonneux

Somme

River

Amiens

FRANCE

Péronne

0

50 kilometres


0

80 kilometres

0

20 miles

PARIS

0

40 miles



Q&A

with VIETNAM author Bruce Davies

1. How old were you when you went to Vietnam? What

was your perspective of the war back then? Has this

changed over time?

I was 21 when I first served in South Vietnam with 1RAR. The battalion

was the first Australian battalion to serve in Vietnam (1965) and it was

assigned under the operational control of the 173rd Airborne Brigade

(Separate). We were based at Bien Hoa, a large airbase to the north of

Saigon. I distinctly recall the Gulf of Tonkin incidents that happened in

1964 (an attack against the USS Maddox - a later attack against the C

Turner Joy proved to be false) with some trepidation because I felt a war

against China might also break out. I sailed to Vietnam aboard HMAS

Sydney (a converted aircraft carrier) on its first sailing (May 1965), and

looking back now those few days at sea with associated lectures and

talks about the war established a belief in my mind that the intervention

by the US and Australia was a correct decision. My perspective has not

changed. Although, my thinking about how the war was fought has

changed - it became an almost unmanageable bureaucracy.

2. Did you have a keen sense of history back then, or has

this interest developed?

No, I probably had a schoolboy vision of worldly affairs. I left school at an

early age and the world remained a dark and far away place. I suppose,

there was always a sense of adventurous travel in my mind to go to these

distant and unknown places. (I know, the old joke - Join the Army, Travel

to exotic locations and meet interesting people and kill them!)

3. Do you think your time as a soldier has influenced your

method of writing history?

Yes. I tend to view reports and tales very carefully and make an effort

to analyse the information in detail to decide if an incident is firstly

believable and then to understand how it may have influenced a battle or

other decisions. I believe that my three years of service in Vietnam give

me a solid background to dissect and write about the war. I know what

I’m writing about.

4. Why were you compelled to write Vietnam? Is it time

that the Australian consciousness about the war was

challenged?

The concept for Vietnam was discussed prior to me joining the writing

team. When I was appointed to write the story, it was my intention to

open our senses to the wider war in South Vietnam and its impact upon

world affairs. To make an attempt to go beyond a blood and guts manual

about Australian soldiers in the jungle fighting the dreaded Viet Cong.

To seek out information on what the enemy was doing at the time, what

were their objectives, what did the South Vietnamese think, where did

the Australian efforts fit in the overall conduct of the war, were the

Australian efforts more sound than the plans of the Americans, to show

that within the war there were many types of warfare being fought - it

was not all Malayan style counter-insurgency. I want to entice readers to

go beyond a one-dimensional Australian point of view.

within the war there were many types of warfare

being fought - it was not all Malayan style

counter-insurgency. I want to entice readers to go

beyond a one-dimensional Australian point of view.


Supporting Australia’s peacekeepers, peacemakers,

veterans and their families

VVCS provides counselling and group programs to veterans, peacekeepers, partners, widows, sons and daughters and

eligible ADF personnel and F-111 Fuel Tank Maintenance workers and their immediate family members. VVCS is a

specialised, free and confi dential Australia-wide service.

VVCS can provide you with:

• Individual, couple and family counselling

• Case management services

• After-hours crisis telephone counselling service via Veterans Line

• Group programs for common mental health issues (e.g. anxiety, depression, sleep and anger)

• Psycho-educational programs for couples, including a residential lifestyle management program

• Health promotion programs including Heart Health – a 52 week supervised exercise and health education program

offered in group and correspondence formats

• The Stepping Out Program, a 2-day ‘transition’ program for ADF members and their partners preparing to leave the military

• Changing the Mix, a self-paced alcohol reduction correspondence program

• Operation Life Workshops

• Information, education and self-help resources

• Referral to other services.

VVCS counsellors can assist you to work through stress, lifestyle, relationship or family problems, and emotional or

psychological concerns associated with your military service.

If you need support, would like more information about us or if you know someone who does, please give us a call or

visit our website.

1800 011 046*

www.dva.gov.au/health/vvcs

* Free local call. Calls from mobile and

pay phones may incur changes.

Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service

A service founded by Vietnam veterans

AG59730

Bringing together military historians

from Britain, the United States and

Australia, this conference will reassess

the principal battles fought in Papua in

1942 and discuss the campaign from

both Allied and Japanese perspectives.

Proudly supported by:

Bookings: +61 2 6243 4211

events@awm.gov.au

www.awm.gov.au


finance

Who is Looking After

Your Superannuation?

By Simon Guiliano

Senior Adviser,

Segue Financial Services

www.segue.com.au

We are living in difficult times.

The first ripples of the global financial crisis

were felt in August 2007 and here we are,

almost 5 years on and the world is still in a

state of flux. While it has affected many areas

of the global economy, the common ground we

all share is the prolonged impact it has had on

our superannuation balances.

These difficult times drive home the need to take

an active interest in where your superannuation is

invested, how it is performing and how much you

are paying in fees. Because for most of us, along

with our home, superannuation will be our single

biggest investment when we retire it deserves

much more attention than most of us give it.

It is important to remember that in large

industry or retail superannuation funds, the

trustee of the fund is someone you have never

met, and is controlling not only your retirement

savings, but also those of potentially hundreds

of thousands of other people. Decisions they

make are for the greater good, even if that

potentially means you personally don’t benefit.

There is so much more to superannuation

than simply investments. It is a vehicle to

build wealth for the future in a tax effective

manner, taking advantage of all of the features

a superannuation fund has to offer can provide

untold benefits in the long run.

So, how can you take advantage of all of these

benefits?

Well, one of the key ways is to take over control

of your superannuation. After all, it is your money

(remember though, access, typically is not until age

55). And the best way to take control is via a Self

Managed Super Fund (SMSF).

Latest statistics show that there are over 442,000

Self Managed Super Funds across Australia, and

in the five years to 30 June 2011, SMSFs were

the fastest growing sector of the Australian

superannuation industry. So what is it about

SMSFs that has driven this popularity?

Control

It makes sense to take a much more active

interest in the decision making processes

around your retirement nest egg. In a SMSF,

you control your own strategy- how you invest

your money and where, who you seek for

advice, who you choose to administer the fund

(and the fees you pay) amongst other things.

You can also time tax events (such as asset

sales) to your Fund’s (and your) advantage.

Choice

While many retail superannuation funds do

offer a wide choice of investments, there are

still restrictions. Within a SMSF you can invest

in shares, managed funds, term deposits, real

property, derivatives, collectibles, agricultural

investments…the list goes on. Many people

have their preconceived ideas about which

investments are better than others and a SMSF

enables you to invest accordingly.

Purchase Assets From Members

We know that superannuation provides

generous taxation concessions. For those

who have accrued significant assets outside of

superannuation, it can be a very tax inefficient

way to accumulate wealth. A SMSF has

the ability to acquire particular assets from

members, including listed shares, managed

funds, commercial property and in-house assetshousing

them in a low tax environment.

Real Property

A SMSF can own physical property assets and

lease them to third parties (i.e. rental properties,

both commercial and residential). In addition, an

SMSF can own a commercial property and lease it

back to your own business, providing advantages

such as using superannuation money to purchase

the property and being able to make tax deductible

rental payments in your business which contribute

towards your own retirement. In addition, if you sell

the property when your fund is paying a pension,

Capital Gains Tax can be completely eliminated.

Gearing

A SMSF can also borrow to purchase assets

such as property or shares. This can be an

effective way to boost your retirement savings

in a tax effective environment.

A Family Fund

An SMSF is allowed up to four members; many

families pool their superannuation balances

in the one SMSF that can enable the purchase

of larger assets (such as property), which

would not be possible individually, as well as

consolidation of fees.

SMSFs provide a level of flexibility in passing

on assets to beneficiaries on death. This can be

particularly valuable with blended families where

complications often exist with wealth transfer.

In addition, strategies available through an

SMSF can enable better transfer of wealth from

parents to their children in an extremely tax

effective manner.

Flexibility in Retirement

A SMSF allows the member the flexibility to

structure pension income streams and lump

sums in the best way. This can prove valuable

when selling superannuation assets (and

therefore minimizing tax) as well as improving

eligibility for government benefits such as the

Service and Age Pension.

Insurance

You have a wide choice of insurers via a Self

Managed Super Fund, as well as policy types that

can suit you and your family. You also have more

flexibility as to how insurance proceeds can be

paid out to beneficiaries on death or disability.

As you can see, there are many features

of SMSFs that are not shared with retail or

industry super funds. But they certainly are

not for everyone. It is important to get sound

advice to ensure that you work within the

relevant rules and optimise the opportunities

and strategies a SMSF allows. While they

do require more time and effort, the results

are very rewarding for you and your future

beneficiaries. In a time of dwindling returns

and great uncertainty, a SMSF is certainly

worth considering for your superannuation

needs.

ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON THE VALUABLE

BENEFITS YOU CAN HAVE WITH YOUR OWN

SELF MANAGED SUPERANNUATION FUND?

familyhistory

travyyel

Australian War Memorial

WHAT’S IN STO

Nestled within the industrial suburb of

Mitchell is a huge purpose-built shed.

Within its walls are to be found some

of Australia’s national treasures.

The Treloar Technology Centre is the Australian War

Memorial’s conservation facility and storage hub.

Once a year its doors are opened to the public to

reveal a vast array of aircraft, rockets, vehicles,

tanks, artillery, and equipment used by – or against –

Australians in war for over a century.

Come and see the Large Technology Object

intriguing items, and talk to them about

their latest projects, such as the conservation

of a Hudson Bomber and a rare Japanese

Ha-Go tank.

Curators will also be on hand to reveal the stories

behind this amazing collection, including latest

acquisitions, such as an Iroquois helicopter and

a Sabre fighter jet.

With a sausage sizzle, precision drill team,

and activities for the kids, Big Things in Store


workshops, where conservators preserve these

is a great day out for the whole family.

familyhistory

RE AT TRELOAR?

Sunday 16 September (10 am – 3 pm)

Australian War Memorial Technology Centre

8 Callan Street, Mitchell ACT

Entry by gold-coin donation

www.awm.gov.au | (02) 6243 4211 |


Closed, flat footwear is recommended. No large bags allowed. Please bring your camera (tripods and monopods permitted after 2.30 pm).

The good news

about p o v e r ty ?

To geth e

Is there any good news about

poverty?

Yes. We can do something about it. If you

want to make a difference you can. Poverty is

preventable and we can alleviate its effect by

supporting people- children, families, job seekers

and the aged, to build better lives. Social change

that makes life easier for everyone does happen

when caring people get involved.

To make a difference, join up with a reputable

charitable welfare organisation, such as the

Brotherhood of St Laurence, today. Founded by

an Anglican Minister Father Gerald Tucker, the

Brotherhood helps anyone in need regardless

of their age, race, personal history, mental

and physical health or sexuality. Likewise

our supporters come from many different

socioeconomic backgrounds, religious and

political affiliations, and every area of human

endeavour.

The best first step to help disadvantaged people

is to get informed. Right now, you can read

these ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. There are

more on our website (www.bsl.org.au)

Tyler is a keen volunteer at the Brotherhood’s

community store in Grovedale, Geelong.

Why do people get in so much trouble

they need help?

Many people and families are faced with

difficult circumstances. They may have chronic

health problems, language barriers, learning

difficulties, a disrupted education or less

competitive job skills. Often they have lived in

short-term housing for years. Many people who

are ‘down on their luck’ have survived abuse.

For others life has dealt an unexpected blow

that has derailed them.

How does the Brotherhood help people?

We aim to prevent poverty, as well as to alleviate

it and both outcomes can happen at once. For

instance programs such as ‘Saver Plus’ teach

people on low-incomes how to budget and save,

with a focus on helping them to support their

children’s education. Our early years programs

give parents the skills to build their child’s

literacy and numeracy skills and support them

as they make the move to school. Both these

programs address current problems as well as

providing benefits down the generations.

I’m Tyler and I help.

I’m Tyler and I’ve been

volunteering at the Brotherhood’s

Grovedale (Geelong) store for

over a year. I love it! I wanted to

help other people. Last year while

op-shopping, I visited the store to

buy a video and I met the store’s

manager who offered me the

chance to help out in the used

videos and DVD section.

I love watching movies and one of

the best parts of this job is taking

home second hand DVDs and

videos to check them out before

they go on display. I’ve learnt a

lot: dealing with money, serving

customers, and using EFTPOS.

My confidence has grown and the

staff are supportive; I help them

and they help me.

Does work like the Brotherhood’s

create welfare dependency?

No, just the opposite! When a person

participates in a Brotherhood program things

are required from them: commitment, the

readiness to make an effort, signs that they

are taking control. Our aims are to help people

gain the skills to help themselves and to ensure

society provides opportunities.

Does the Brotherhood make it too

easy for people to ask for help?

Too easy? Many people have to wait. All of our

resources are limited so we have to prioritise one

person’s needs over another. One man slept in his

car for a year, reluctant to ask for help, because

he thought other people needed our help more.

The Brotherhood genuinely needs more help from

caring individuals and families so we can respond

quickly to those who are desperately in need.

Where does the Brotherhood work?

The Brotherhood’s head office is in Victoria and

with partner agencies we deliver services in over

100 communities across Australia. There are

increasing levels of disadvantage to be found in

the outer suburbs and remote and rural areas.

Rosemary and Tony of Frankston appreciate the

Brotherhood’s support of carers.


rwe can make a difference

What can I do next?

That is easy. Give. You can give monetary

donations or your time as a volunteer. You can

shop at our op-shops or on our online bookstore

(www.brotherhoodbooks.com.au) – the proceeds

help the disadvantaged. You can donate second

hand goods or make ‘gifts-in-kind’ (giving new

items from a business you are associated with).

And while you are giving, do. You could initiate

a fundraising and awareness activity at your

workplace or social club.

To work out how you yourself can best get

involved, talk to us on the phone. Visit our

website and Facebook page. Arrange to meet

us and tour a service. So you see there is good

news about poverty.

We can make a difference together.

Phuong and her daughter Sarah enjoy reading

together often now, having participated in

HIPPY (Home Interaction Program for Parents

and Youngsters).

Volunteer Matt has made a friend in Deng

though the Homework Centre in Fitzroy.

Contact us

Brotherhood of St Laurence

67 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065

PHONE: 03 9483 1301 or 1300 DONATE (1300 366 283)

EMAIL: donate@bsl.org.au

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/BrotherhoodofStLaurence

TWITTER: @brotherhoodinfo

WEBSITE: www.bsl.org.au

Chris, a volunteer from Grocon helps a jobseeker at

the Brotherhood’s Centre for Work and Learning.

Wendy’s participation in the Saver Plus Program

gave her the skills she needed to save for a

computer for her daughter Jessie.

Verity graduated from the Community VCAL

program (Victorian Certificate of Applied Education)

and then enrolled in a Diploma of Nursing.

David Scott AO, 23.01.1925 to 22.04.2012

David Scott had a global concern for disadvantaged

people. He became the founding director of Community

Aid Abroad (now Oxfam) in 1962 and would play a

significant role in lives of the East Timorese.

Champion of the poor and

disadvantaged. Returned

serviceman. Conservationist.

Editor.

You have experienced the difference his life

made. Now meet the man, an Australian hero and

giant of social justice.

David belonged to a compassionate family,

but his childhood saw hardship. Born on his

father’s solider settlement near Holbrook New

South Wales, the family was forced to move in

the depression and would continue to move for

financial reasons over many years. David left

school early and at 18 began service on the HMAS

Arunta. There he saw the horrors of war including

the largest battle of naval history in Leyte Gulf.

David returned to champion Australia’s

most disadvantaged people and social policies

that prevented poverty. As the director of the

Brotherhood of St Laurence he showed robust

leadership. He chaired the Australian Council

of Social Services, and founded the magazine

Australian Society. David was the first Victorian

Commissioner for the Environment.

His long-term leadership of Community Aid

Abroad (now Oxfam) was critical to many and

it related to his pivotal work in East Timor. Said

colleague Richard Tranter, ‘Social and political

movements are never a matter of one individual,

but there are times when the role of one person

is critical. Without his central role in organising

practical and political support for the Fretilin

external representatives immediately following the

invasion, it is far less likely that the people of Timor

Leste would have eventually gained their freedom’.

Of his own life David Scott said, ‘I was 13

when I decided what I wanted to do. It was to

travel and have adventures, be of some use to

other people, and have a family. These ideas

came out of the values and attitudes of parents,

people I liked and admired, and …the world of

books. Life worked out pretty much as I hoped.’

David Scott, while Executive Director of the

Brotherhood of St Laurence from 1969 to 1980,

made the organisation even more vigorous in its

fight for an Australia free of poverty.

David Scott remembering some the Brotherhood of

St Laurence’s original work in the inner-city slums

during the Depression.

Defence signs $1.3 billion health services contract

Minister for Defence

Science and Personnel,

Warren Snowdon, has

announced a new $1.3

billion contract between

Defence and Medibank

Health Solutions (MHS),

to provide health care

services to ADF personnel

across Australia. The MHS

agreement is for an initial

four year term.

MHS won the contract after a competitive

tender process and will deliver a broad range

of services, including on-base health support,

pathology, imaging and radiology and a 24-

hour ADF national health hotline.

“Defence’s highest priority is the health and

well being of its personnel. Under this contract,

our servicemen and women will continue to

receive the highest quality health care services.

The agreement will support Defence’s goal of

seamless health care from point of injury to

recovery,” Mr Snowdon said.

There will be no change to health care

entitlements for ADF personnel.

“This contract with MHS will also assist

Defence to streamline the delivery of health

services, and optimise current services

through the adoption of new innovations and

technology.”

Medibank Health Solutions has a proven

record for providing high quality, innovative

and cost-effective health care services to the

community, to business and to government at a

national level for over 35 years.

“The Australian Government is

committed to ensuring support for our ADF

members is seamless, particularly during

the transition from active service into the

veterans community,” Mr Snowdon said.

The current health services contracts

have been extended to November 2012.

MHS and Defence will facilitate a smooth

transition to the new contract and will work

closely with the outgoing service providers,

to ensure no disruption to services for ADF

personnel.

Transition of contracted health services

began in early July and will be completed

by 5 November 2012.

There will be no change to health care on

deployment with ADF health professionals

to continue providing these services.


SCHOLARSHIPS

FOR THE CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

OF EX-SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN

Photo courtesy of the University of Adelaide

The Australian Veteran’s Children Assistance Trust is a

not-for-profit organisation. AVCAT administers

scholarships to help children and grandchildren of the

Australian ex-service community with the costs of

full-time tertiary education. The most deserving

candidates are selected on merit and who, without our

help, would be unable to start or complete studies

without financial difficulty.

For more information or to apply, contact

AVCAT

T 02 9213 7999 or 1800 620 361 (voicemail)

E avcat@dva.gov.au

“THE LONG TAN

BURSARY WAS

INVALUABLE HELP,

IT ALLOWED ME TO

CONCENTRATE

FULLY ON

BECOMING THE

BEST DOCTOR I

COULD BE”

HELPING CHILDREN TO A BETTER FUTURE

Diamonds

o n th e

inside

In a world that seems to be increasingly

moving toward an ‘i’ state with less

and less regard for each other and the

communities in which we live, Anglicare

Australia and its network members are

working hard to build communities of

resilience; of hope; and of justice.

Our core belief is that every individual

has inherent value and can offer something

valuable of themselves to the communities

where they live and take something equally

valuable in return. It’s what we say to politicians

when we talk to them about the policies that

they’re making; it underpins research like that

undertaken by Anglicare member Benetas in

Melbourne who looked at respect between

generations; it drives the work of Anglicare

Tasmania as it seeks to engage the voice of

its clients in all aspects of the work it does;

and at places like The Buttery, tucked away

on the north coast of New South Wales,

where it motivates workers to engage with

those struggling with alcohol and other drug

dependencies and help them rediscover their

own worth, helping guide them in how they can

share that worth with others. We also share this

belief, when we can, with the wider community

at events like the St Luke’s co-sponsored Bendigo

Executive and Director Sleepout (BEDS).

Benetas’ research shows that respect is a

major component of quality of life for older

people. It found that there are particular

ways older people believe respect should be

shown. Most notably, a person taking the time

to listen - genuinely - and to show respect

through valuing the contribution of the older

person. One particular finding was that there

are different ways to show respect; and these

differ again across generations. Young people,

it says, see respect as being equal to and not

subordinate to older people and the greatest

way they feel they can show respect is by

interacting as an equal. The research shows that

there is a divide between how the generations

display respectful behaviours but also that there

is an opportunity to meet in the middle.

As demonstrated by the research from

Benetas, respect can be shown in many ways.

One way that Anglicare Tasmania shows

respect and values the people who use its

services is by engaging with them in a way

that tells them their voice will be heard and


that what they have to say is important.

Embarking on an organisation-wide Consumer

Engagement Strategy, Anglicare Tasmania has

sought to include client voices in the planning

and delivery of services and client driven

research to better understand how clients want

to receive support. If changes are going to be

made in their lives, who better to be the driver

of that change than the clients themselves?

At The Buttery all residents complete their own

journey of recovery supported by a network of

people who believe in the self worth of each of

them. David’s story is compelling as it shows just

how rewarding believing in people and what they

can achieve really is. Facing court proceedings

after a lifetime of drug and alcohol misuse, David

had hit the bottom. Working through the program

at The Buttery, David began to see his own self

worth particularly when one day he looked in the

mirror and saw himself as he never had before.

From that day, David never looked back and ten

years on he has completed his Masters in Social

Work and volunteers at many of the local youth

organisations. David knows – because he has

seen the worst of himself – the value of the best

of himself and so takes great joy in giving back to

the community that believed so fully in his worth

even when he didn’t.

Belief in the value of those people making

up our communities is at the core of what

Anglicare Australia network members do. The

commitment to this belief often goes unheralded

as staff and clients work together quietly to

change circumstances and change lives. But

every now and then the wider community gets

to share in the belief we hold in the form of

public awareness raising events. One recently

held by a partnership between St Luke’s

Anglicare, Strategem Community Foundation

and many local businesses in Bendigo saw

executive directors and managers sleeping out

in the cold for one night, and talking with young

people and service providers, to help increase

understanding and raise money for young people

who face sleeping rough every night. It takes

commitment to a cause to sleep out in the cold in

the middle of winter to help others see the merit

in supporting it.

It’s activities like these that show people

who are experiencing the very toughest of

circumstances that they are not the total sum

of their disadvantage but rather so much more.

In fact, they are worthy and worthwhile of our

respect, of our effort and of our understanding.

If you would like further information on any

of these services or the Anglicare Australia

network in general please contact us on

02 6230 1775 or at anglicare@anglicare.asn.au.

All pictures and content have been published with

the permission of Benetas, Anglicare Tasmania,

The Buttery and St Luke’s; Anglicare Australia

would like to acknowledge their contribution.

Show your support by donating to Anglicare Australia

or any of its network members by visiting


A conversation with

Waleed Aly

Waleed Aly is a broadcaster, author,

academic, rock musician and former AFL

mascot. His social and political commentary

has produced an award-winning book and

multiple literary short-listings, and appears

in newspapers such as The Guardian, The

Australian, The Sunday Times of India, The

Australian Financial Review, The Sydney

Morning Herald and The Age. He is the author,

most recently, of What’s Right? The Future of

Conservatism in Australia (Quarterly Essay 37).

His debut book, People Like Us: How arrogance

is dividing Islam and the West (Picador, 2007),

was shortlisted for several awards including the

Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards and for

Best Newcomer at the 2008 Australian Book

Industry Awards.

Waleed Aly is the host of Big Ideas on ABC1

and News 24, and has frequently hosted ABC

News Breakfast and 774 ABC Melbourne

Mornings. Waleed is currently a lecturer in

politics at Monash University, working in their

Global Terrorism Research Centre.

In 2005, Waleed was made a White Ribbon

Day Ambassador for the United Nations’

International Day for the Elimination of

Violence Against Women, and was named one

of The Bulletin magazine’s ‘Smart 100’ in 2007.

He was also an invited participant to the Prime

Minister’s 2020 Summit in 2008 and in 2011

he was named Victoria’s Local Hero in the

Australian of the Year Awards.

“....we need to relax.

For a country

that’s doing really,

really well and

that prides itself

on being informal,

we’re actually very

uptight”.

The Last Post: Thanks very much for joining

us at The Last Post magazine Waleed.

Waleed Aly: My pleasure.

TLP: Australia 2012, what are the good

points and some things that could be improved

apon?

WA: A massive question. Overwhelmingly

Australia’s a successful society. That’s true

economically and that’s true socially and

Australia’s managed the changes that come

from globalization reasonably smoothly. We’ve

managed a level of immigration that’s pretty

high in relation to our population. Except maybe

the United States and maybe Canada, partly

because it’s a young country an adaptable

country and a reasonably open country, it’s

well suited to the times and because of that

we’ve managed not to be blown too far off

course by any of the currents of globalization.

That’s really going to challenge most countries

around the world, I’d say. As far as things

that could be improved, I’d say, is our ability

to recognise that success. Australians are,

by world standards, fairly well off and even

relative to Australians in the past, Australians

today are relatively well off but we don’t feel

as though we’re well off. We do have lots of

moments of angst really about how we are

going to manage our diverse society without

realizing that by and large, we’re doing pretty

well. We have this capacity to work ourselves

into a lather about things that are not problems

and make them problems and that I think, is

a real issue, particularly if you consider, in

areas of multiculturalism in media reporting

and commentary and people generally within

society start talking and hyper-ventilating

about Australian society being under threat

because of waves of migration and that sort of

rhetoric is damaging in and of itself. It creates

a perception within certain sectors of society

that is damaging and it doesn’t need to be true

to be damaging but it divides people socially

and starts tearing at the social fabric and that

can be dangerous. The problem is, I think,

that a whole lot of that rhetoric is imported

from Europe which is a very different place

with very different problems. We don’t seem

to be prepared to acknowledge that these are

problems that we don’t have.

TLP: Why do you think that is when the records

show that migrants, by and large have settled in,

and contributed well, to Australian society?

WA: I’m not sure that we universally do

cherish the contributions of people from other

societies. It’s true at a certain level of society

but it’s not necessarily true of everybody.

Particularly where you have some sectors

of society that are experiencing some kind

of dislocation and that can get back to the

difficulties caused by globalization because as

an economy grows and changes it’s structure,

certain sectors survive better than others.

Certain people win and certain people lose

and we should acknowledge that there will

be losers, even in a society that’s handling it

as well as ours and that happens with social

change. Those sorts of people are often looking

for scapegoats, not necessarily a conscious

decision but if you talk to them about the range

of food available in Australia, for example,

that doesn’t necessarily change that sense of

feeling that something is amiss or that they

are in a worse position than they were and

that for them, Australia was a lot better place

before the last wave of migrants. We do need to

realise that there are pockets that are genuinely

concerned about it and that those attitudes

come with genuine prejudice. We can’t wish

them away. They are there, although I think they

are in less measure than they are in other parts

of the world. That doesn’t make it any less

concerning or any less real.

TLP: Is the way to be found through

something as simple as migrants or those from

migrant backgrounds playing sport?

WA: It certainly helps but I think in some

sports it’s going to be more effective than

in others and in some sport there’s more

opportunity than in others. I know it’s

something that’s concerning Cricket Australia

at the moment, it’s level of multicultural

engagement. The Sheffield Shield competition

is very narrow, culturally. The Australian Test

team is almost as narrow culturally. If it wasn’t

for the presence of Usman Khawaja on the

fringes of the Test team, there is a big lack of

cultural diversity there. And it’s reflected in

the Stands. If you look at a cricket crowd at a

one-day match or at a Test, it’s a very narrow

section of society. In a country that has one

of the biggest Sri Lankan population’s in the

world as well as Indian and Pakistani, to find

that not reflected in cricket, for example, says

that something strange is going on. I think

Rugby League has exhibited quite a large


“ ...we’ve (Australia) managed not to be blown too far off

course by any of the currents of globalization. That’s

really going to challenge most countries around the

world, I’d say. As far as things that could be improved, I’d

say, is our ability to recognise that success.”

people

degree of cultural diversity, particularly with

the contribution of islander communities as

well as indigenous players. There is a lot of that

cultural diversity in League but it’s still locked

in by class, in that it’s a blue-collar game.

TLP: When I was younger, playing cricket in

Melbourne, we used to organise social matches

with the Pakistani’s. A lot of them played

cricket. Where do these people go, then? We

don’t see them at a state of national level, so

what do they do with their talent?

WA: That’s a really interesting question. I

used to play cricket quite seriously and one

day we came up against this Sri Lankan guy

who absolutely tore us apart and we were just

wondering where he came from. I mean, he

was playing at a standard that was clearly very

serious and it turned out that basically, he was

playing in his spare time in a league that the Sri

Lankan community was running at the time.

So they weren’t going through the mainstream

system, they were setting up their own

competition and they were playing there. Now,

that’s starting to change, I’ve been told, there

are more juniors coming through from these

communities that are playing mainstream cricket.

When I was playing representative cricket at a

junior level, it was a fair while ago, I think what’s

happened, or what had happened is that these

communities were still playing the game they

just weren’t really interested in plugging into the

mainstream game, for whatever reason. It may

have been that it wasn’t a comfortable place for

them to be, they didn’t like the cultural settings

of cricket clubs. They may have felt that it was a

much easier, fun thing to do, to play within their

own community. So, they’re there and playing

cricket and enjoying it but just doing it in a

different forum and Cricket Australia, I think, is

recognising that that has to change. As far as the

financial angle goes, if this group of people do

not become represented in mainstream cricket

then you’re losing a whole base of fans there and

I’m not sure it can survive without that.

TLP: I suppose another way of ‘slotting in’,

so to speak would be through music and, of

course, commercial radio still has a very anglosaxon

feel and sound to it. I know you’re a

musician. Where did that come from?

AW: Well, it really came from my brother. At

a young age I became quite excited about guitar

driven music. So in Grade 1, I was listening to

my brother playing ‘Queen’s Greatest Hits’ and

I was blown away by it. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

was my favourite song. I got into it from there

and all the music I grew up liking was guitar

driven and I learnt guitar and stuck with it.

Along the way I played saxophone as well and

started studying music theory so that’s what it

was. Me picking it up from my brother. Where

he picked it up from, I don’t know, from school

probably. He was 10 years older than me.

TLP: Is it a great release for you?

AW: I didn’t really think of it as release, it

was just something I could get immersed in.

The more you do it, the more serious you take

it. It became something I had to do.

TLP: You had a group, Robot Child. Are they

still going?

AW: Oh yeah. We’ve just finished recording

an album. We’re in the process of mixing it and

we’ve played some shows in Sydney not too

long ago. So, yeah, we’re still going. It’s a very

talented group and it’s a lot of fun and it’s an

original band, we write our own stuff which is

also something that’s really rewarding.

TLP: You don’t do Pink Floyd covers?

WA: Oh (laughing), yeah, we still do some of

them. But I think there comes a time for every

musician where they want to write and paly

and sing their own things. I don’t know any

musician who doesn’t like to do that.

WA: You were a prefect at Wesley?

TLP: Yes, it’s amazing. I was only there for

two years but I crammed a lot in. Year 11 and 12.

Along the way opportunity after opportunity got

thrown my way and I took them all and figured

out how I was going to make them work. I ended

up being a prefect in Year 12 but through music,

got involved in drama. Drama school was putting

on musicals and I did musicals in years 11 and

12 and ended up going on a performing arts tour

that went pretty much around the world at the

end of Year 12. At the same time I was playing

cricket in the first 11 and ended up going on a

cricket tour to England, studying too, crammed a

lot in. A very profound experience, probably the

two most formative years in my life really. I look

back at what I did in those two years and what

I’ve done since and it can all be traced back to

that time, I reckon.

TLP: Australia at the moment, the left and right

seem to have merged and it’s become a bit of a

quagmire. What’s happened?

WA: I think the big change was back in the

eighties. The Hawke-Keating Governments

were and are acknowledged as great reformist

governments but reformed through liberalising

the economy, really. You saw the Labor Party

embarking on quite liberal reforms and, whatever

the arguments are about how necessary that was

or how good they were, I think one thing that falls

out from that is that it meant Labor politics was

changed forever. The old arguments about Labor

v Capital became redundant and that had been

the traditional, or part of it, divide. At the same

time, the way social politics has progressed over

the last few has been in a more liberal direction

and that has traditionally been associated with

the left. There’s not so much consensus on every

policy now but a consensus on broad policy of

becoming liberal socially and liberal economically.

There are always attempts to restrain that from

various parts of the political spectrum but really,

there’s very little challenge to that over the broad

spectrum so that the meaning of left and right, I

actually think they lost their meaning a long, long

time ago. So the gap between the two parties

actually shrunk and it’s probably true everywhere.

As there’s less and less philosophical grounds

for dispute, politics becomes more petty and

personal because there’s nothing really left worth

fighting about.

TLP: Has the media become confused?

WA: Well, they tend to follow news day to

day and not through great sweeps of history.

It’s not built into the DNA of news media

to analyse daily events through the prism

of decades. It does happen at times with an

opinion or essay but, generally speaking, that’s

not the grammar, if you like of the news media,

so that they don’t become engaged with the

philosophical questions and more in the realm

of academia and commentary. News media

does follow politics a bit like a game. It’s a lot

better than it is in America but that’s the nature

of a half hour news bulletin and that probably

goes back to the advent of television. Now,

with the advent of the internet, you don’t really

have a situation that’s built around reflection of

political matters.

TLP: All the best with Richmond football

club mate and this summer, with the cricket

and also with your music. Finally, have you got

a message for Australia in 2012?

WA: I don’t have anything particularly profound

except that we need to relax. For a country that’s

doing really, really well and that prides itself on

being informal, we’re actually very uptight.


travyyel people

An interview with

Rob de Castella

Rob de Castella, ‘Deek’ as he

is affectionately known, put

marathon running on the map

during his athletics career. His

amazing runs in the 1980’s

encouraged many people

to watch or participate in

marathon races. He was rightly

internationally acclaimed as the

number one marathon runner in

the World in the 1980’s.

Rob began running at age

eleven and was an outstanding

schoolboy athlete at Melbourne’s

Xavier College where he was

fortunate to have as a teacher,

1962 Commonwealth Games

representative Pat Clohessy. Pat

and Rob became a close knit

and successful unit as coach and

athlete, a partnership that endured

throughout his career.

Rob became Director of the

Australian Institute of Sport in

1990, a position he held until

1995. As of 2008, he continues

to live and work in Canberra and

remains a passionate advocate for

athletics and marathon running

in particular.

“There’s a very close

relationship between

self-confidence,

emotional well-being

and physical health

and fitness....”

TLP: Thanks for joining us at The Last Post.

Rob de Castella: Thanks very much Greg, it’s a

pleasure.

TLP: What have you been up to lately?

RdC: Flat out. I think I’m busier now than I’ve

ever been. Even busier than when I was running

240, 250 kays a week. I’ve still got a children’s

health and fitness program that we run through

Primary schools. We screen Primary school

children, identify children who are at physical

risk of lifestyle related illness and then we run an

after school program with those kids. These are

kids who are overweight or underweight, kids

that have very poor cardio-respiratory fitness

or very poor motor skills and coordination. It

originated through the epidemic of childhood

obesity but now it’s extended out to try and

ensure that young children are developing the

basic fitness and fundamental motor skills that

they need to be inclined and to enjoy a healthy,

active life. Each year we screen about two

and half to three thousand kids through the

ACT Primary schools in conjunction with the

Government. We also run HELP which is Healthy

Eating and Exercise and Living Program. That’s

delivered to about 250 of the highest risk kids

through the screening process. That’s an afterschool

program that runs for about eight weeks

and we’ve seen great results working with those

kids. Obviously our Indigenous running program

is getting bigger and bigger. We took eleven

indigenous runners who’d never been running

before we met them and in nine months we took

Rob and 2011 IMP member Nadine Hunt during the 2011 National Selection Tour.

Nadine is now works full-time for IMP as a Project Officer.

them to New York and they all ran and finished

the New York marathon. We’ve just collected

our squad for 2012 and the New York marathon

is on in November each year so we work with

these young men and women aged between 18

and 30 and they come from all around Australia,

some very, very remote communities. We teach

them about health and fitness and use running

as a way to instill personal pride and dignity

and work with them to have that flow into other

areas of their life. I’ve also got a small business

that produces health foods, Deeks Health

Foods which really focuses on people who have

auto-immune diseases. We produce all grain

and gluten-free foods. So that’s a commercial

business that I have with the other things I do,

the indigenous Marathon Project and the Smart

Start for Kids, non for profit programs.

TLP: All coming from a good place there Rob

and personal pride, that starts from an early

age and if you can help the kids get healthy and

fit from an early age, then they’re on the way to

becoming productive, positive adults, I guess.

RdC: That’s exactly right. There’s a very close

relationship between self-confidence, emotional

well-being and physical health and fitness and

what we find is that a lot of these high risk kids

that we screen through Smart Start are also

the kids that have problems paying attention in

class and that flows onto other social problems

whether it’s insecurity and they become very shy

and withdrawn or whether they go the other way

and tend to become bullies and try to become

either emotionally or physically dominant over

their peers. We really do believe that physical

activity and exercise is absolutely paramount

to developing a healthy mind and body and

there are many ways to get these high risk

kids onto that and make it a lot of fun and also

educational. It can short circuit the downward

spiral that a lot of them would continue to be in

so we’re trying to get these children at a young

age from say, 6 to 11 and try and change them

before they go onto high school because once

they leave Primary school, High school is much

more intimidating environment where there is a

“We took eleven

indigenous runners

who’d never been

running before we met

them and in nine months

we took them to New

York and they all ran

and finished the New

York marathon”.

Rob with the 2010 IMP team after they all finished the 2010 New York Marathon: Caleb

Hart, Joseph Davies, Juan Darwin, Charlie Maher and Rob De Castella, November 2010

lot more pressures and obviously the girls and

boys are going through physical maturity as

well so that adds another level of complexity

to their lives. We want to give them a sense of

physical confidence and then work with them

and their families to have that go into other areas

of their lives. Healthy and happy individuals

in society. It’s the same with the indigenous

program as well. We have this massive

disconnect and disparity between the health of

non-indigenous and indigenous Australians. We

work in communities like Alice Springs where

Alice Springs is the largest dialysis centre in the

world per head of population so there’s more

people on dialysis machines in Alice Springs

than anywhere else in the world. Obviously

most of them are indigenous Australians so

we’re spending a lot of time up in the Alice and

more remote areas working with young men

and women and getting an appreciation of the

challenges they go through on a daily basis.

Two of the runners we worked with last year

both have friends who suicided and another

one had a friend who was killed in a motor

vehicle accident. That’s only out of a group

of eleven so it’s a pretty challenging situation

but we believe that something as simple, yet

powerful as running can help. Even if you go

out for a 3, a 5 kilometre run, you come back

and you feel good about yourself, this sense of

personal contribution and accomplishment and

you can only begin to imagine, anyone that’s

run a marathon, when you cross the finish line,

what it’s like. A lot of these kids don’t know

that distance running is a sport or even what a

marathon is, let alone that it’s 42 kilometres.

When you take them to New York, from not

knowing anything about the event to a city like

New York, from their red-dust communities

and towns to the streets of New York, Times

Square. Wow. And to put them in this race, the

NY marathon is the biggest in the world, there’s

48,000 runners, 2 and a half million spectators

on the course. For them to go from such a small,

isolated community to such a city and event

helps to give them a realization that the world’s

an amazing place and if you’re prepared to do

even simple things like put one foot in front of

the other on a daily basis, to do some training,

there’s an amazing wealth of opportunities out

there and things that you can experience.

TLP: Sometimes simple things are the best

and it does give you a feeling that anything is

possible, I guess.

RdC: It does and there’s been a lot of books

released that chronicle man’s development and

running is one of the things that set’s us apart.

Our ability to run long distances has set our

species apart. They say that man is the best

long distance runner of any animal and that

it’s our ability to run over long distances that

has allowed us to become such great hunters

and gatherers and for hundreds of thousands

of years that’s what mankind did and that

allowed us to get the very important protein

and nutrition that we needed to evolve. It’s

something we’re very good at and it resonates

with us so it’s a great opportunity to help and

support and encourage these young indigenous

men and women. The other side is the hope that

one day we may be able to find an indigenous

running champion. The distance events are

dominated by the Africans and we know that

indigenous athletes have had enormous success

on the football field in all the codes and in men

and women’s basketball but we’ve never had an

endurance athlete. One of the girls we’ve had

had been struggling to run 3 kilometres and by

the time she went to New York she completed

the 42 kilometres at a good pace. Wonderful.

TLP: With the life expectancy of nonindigenous

Australians along with our general

health, we owe it to take the indigenous

Australians with us and not leave them behind.

RdC: Absolutely. I think it really goes both ways

too, Greg. We can learn a tremendous amount

from indigenous Australia. There’s a realization

that the technological world that we have created

for ourselves may not always be good for our

health. Up until white man came here, the native

Australians were still operating as basic hunters

and gatherers and there are aspects of that culture

that are good for mind and body. Our mental and

physical health can be put at risk by some of the

things that we’ve built up around us in the 21st

century. I’m learning a lot Greg and it’s been a

privilege to work with indigenous Australians over

the last three, four years because it’s teaching

Rob with 2010 athlete Joseph Davies at the finish

of the New York Marathon, November 2010

2011 IMP squad member Jamie Wunungmurra

with Rob at the Boston Marathon, April 2012

me so much about the fundamental values and

principles that I think are imperative to our own

health and well-being. Some of these sometimes

get lost in our quest for the latest plasma

television along with the other technology that

we’ve created and convinced ourselves that we

need. We need not distance ourselves from these

tools and culture of comfort. We must challenge

ourselves and only through that can we grow.

TLP: Was running something that you felt good

about, from an early age?

RdC: Well, back when I went to school it

wasn’t a matter of whether you did sport, it

was compulsory. I tried cricket and football

and gravitated towards running. It was a case

of finding a connection with running and it

became a personal thing, getting together with

my mates and going for a run after school. The

personal satisfaction of bettering my times was

something good also. I became more committed

and grew through that. For over 1000 days I

went without a day off. I was constantly pushing

the boundaries to get myself into a position to

run marathons. You don’t need to go to that

extent but it was a great period for me and I look

back very satisfied. I feel very privileged to have

done what I’ve done. Coming from a health and

science background, I now want to pass that on.

TLP: Thanks Rob, it’s been a pleasure and all

he best for this years Nw York Marathon.

RdC: Thank you so much Greg


The sound of

INGRID Scheffer is getting

used to the limelight. Just

back from Paris, where

she received the L’Oreal-

UNESCO Women in

Science award as the Asia-

Pacific laureate, Professor

Scheffer feels that, finally, her

20-year career is emerging

from the shadows.

A paediatric neurologist, she is just one of

many women working in the sciences who is

frustrated her work doesn’t always get the

credit it deserves. This has an impact on her

profile, which isn’t as prominent as it would be

were she a man.

As recently as two years ago during an

interview for a fellowship, one female professor

on the panel implied Scheffer’s work was

primarily that of her colleague - her former

PhD supervisor, now her ‘’partner in scientific

discovery’’ Samuel Berkovic - rather than her

own.

The interview took place in Australia - where

Scheffer feels the ‘’shadow effect’’ on her

career has been much more pronounced than it

has in the rest of the world.

‘’It’s partly because Sam is so exceptional

but partly because people have assumed my

thinking has been his thinking, not my own,’’

she says.

The assumption was made despite the fact

that her work has significantly changed the

way epilepsy is researched and treated. Now

working at Melbourne University and the

Florey Neuroscience Institutes’ Melbourne

Brain Centre at Austin Health, Scheffer was a

key member of a team that discovered the first

gene linked to epilepsy, a mutation that causes

violent seizures during sleep.

The 1995 discovery changed conventional

thinking on a disease that affects 2 per cent

of the Australian population. For the first time

there was proof that the condition could also

Female scientists in Australia do not get the recognition,

funding or careers they deserve. But serious steps are being

taken to change that. Bridie Smith reports.

have a genetic base, rather than solely being

attributed to trauma or a tumour.

Since then, Scheffer and Berkovic have

worked with their molecular genetics

collaborators and discovered 14 of the 24 genes

linked to epilepsy. It’s a partnership which has

been incredibly productive and satisfying.

‘’We both feel that by working together, the

sum of our output is far greater than either of

us alone,’’ she says.

But the job interview illustrated that the

collaboration she enjoys so much is not always

seen in the right light. It served as a reminder

that sometimes shadows fall where they

shouldn’t.

‘’There is still a glass ceiling for women in

science in Australia. More than 50 per cent of

PhD students are women and more than 50 per

cent of medical students are women. And yet

when you get to professorial level, it’s fewer

than 10 per cent,’’ she says.

A 2010 survey of more than 1000 female

scientists and engineers by the Association of

Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers

Australia found almost a quarter expected to

have left their profession within five years. The

most common reasons included pay inequity

and lack of flexible working conditions.

But change is afoot. In the past 12 months

the scientific community has made a concerted

effort to address the issues faced by women, in

an attempt to ensure they get their fair share of

the spotlight.

Following a summit organised by Science

and Technology Australia in Canberra last

April, some of the nation’s top research

institutes, academies and funding bodies

pledged to make motherhood and scientific

research more compatible.

And next month, a federal parliamentary

group for friends of women in science, maths

and engineering will be launched by Nobel

laureate Elizabeth Blackburn to promote

policies that encourage women to enter and

stay in scientific careers.

Australia’s largest employer of scientific

researchers, the CSIRO, has increased the

number of Payne-Scott awards and also opened

the award to early-career researchers. Named

in honour of gifted CSIRO scientist Ruby Payne-

Scott - a pioneer radio physicist and advocate

for women’s rights in the 1940s - the award of

up to $35,000 supports women returning to

work following the birth of a child.

Until November 1966, the Australian public

service required married women to resign, so

Payne-Scott had kept her 1944 marriage secret.

But her pregnancy bump was harder to disguise,

and by 1951 her research career was over.

As head of the CSIRO’s Virtual Nanoscience

Laboratory in Parkville since 2009, Dr Amanda

Barnard is one of today’s torch-bearers. She is

one of only a few women to head a lab.

CSIRO figures show that outside of scientific

roles, women dominate: they make up 85 per

cent of administration staff and 55 per cent of

general services staff. However, just 12 per cent

of senior specialists are women and just over a

quarter of general management and executive

roles are held by women.

Barnard says that while representation of

women at the CSIRO is steadily increasing - and

in some cases has more than doubled in the

past 15 years - there is still a long way to go to

reach equality. ‘’Momentum is going in the right

direction but it’s not happening fast enough.’’

For example, she often finds she is the only

female keynote speaker at overseas conferences

- partly because women find it hard to travel

when they have families.

Indeed, having children is widely acknowledged

as the biggest interruption to a female scientist’s

career. Motherhood often coincides with the

completion of PhD study and the start of serious

science - a vital time when reputations need to

be established in order to attract funding for

independent postdoctoral research.

After a decade of tertiary study, New

Zealand eco-physiologist Dr Zoe Hilton gained

her doctorate in 2010.

‘’I’m 34, but I feel like I am just beginning,’’

she says. ‘’You put a huge chunk of your life

into studying and then you’re considered a baby

scientist because you’re just starting.’’

But by their 30s, these baby scientists are

often thinking about having babies of their

own. ‘’You’ve spent years of your life working

really hard and you don’t want to stop there but

then you’re at that age when you want to have

kids,’’Hilton says. ‘’It’s really tough.’’


breaking glass

The pull of home doesn’t vanish once

children are at school either. Walter and Eliza

Hall breast cancer researcher and mother of

two Professor Jane Visvader says leaving for

overseas conferences doesn’t get any easier.

Visvader was this week inducted as a fellow

of the Australian Academy of Science. Of the 21

new fellows, four are women. They will take their

place alongside 34 other women, representing just

over 8 per cent of fellows at the academy.

While this is still a small fraction of the

overall number of fellows, the academy’s

first elected female president, Professor

Suzanne Cory, says it represents a dramatic

improvement.

During the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, there

was just one woman elected each decade.

By the 2000s, there were 20. The academy’s

diversification committee is also charged with

boosting under-represented groups, including

women and young researchers.

‘’There is a big drop in numbers when

women reach their early 30s, when they are

making difficult decisions about having a family

and keeping careers going. That’s the period

that we have to focus on,’’ Cory says.

However, she believes developing a career

is easier than it used to be, thanks in part to

a growing number of fellowships designed to

support and encourage women to combine

work and motherhood.

One of the fellowships - introduced by

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute director Doug

Hilton - carries her name. The $1.25 million,

five-year Cory Fellowship is awarded to new

women laboratory heads. It is one of a range

of measures to retain female scientists that

Professor Hilton introduced after taking over

from Professor Cory in 2009.

Others include a $15,000 childcare subsidy

for postdoctoral researchers and funding for

women to employ research technicians to

continue their work while on maternity leave.

Faculty meetings are no longer scheduled after

5pm, there is a lactation room available at the

Parkville institute and a plan for a childcare

centre has also been developed.

HILTON says the multi-pronged approach

reflects the complexity of the problem. But he

says there are no quick-fix solutions. Two of the

21 professors at the institute are women - and

it’s not a ratio that is going to show dramatic

improvement any time soon because the

medical research community has seen little

progress in the area in the past 40 years.

‘’It’s not possible to wave a magic wand at

the highest level, when the problem is occurring

10 or 15 years earlier,’’ he says.

However, in addition to the measures introduced

to make motherhood and research more

compatible, Hilton argues wider cultural change is

required in a sector where it is so often a case of

publish or perish. He says instead of the emphasis

being on the quantity of journal publications or

citations, it should be about quality.

While this sounds simple enough, the idea

represents a significant cultural shift. In the legal

sector, it would be akin to getting rid of billable

hours as a measure of productivity and potential.

‘’Surely it’s about the quality of ideas and the

influence of the papers,’’ he says. ‘’If we can

be more sophisticated about the way we judge

academics, this will also benefit women.’’

Also at play, Scheffer and Hilton agree, are

the different ways women present themselves

professionally. It’s a point which does rely on

generalisations, but Hilton says there is truth in it.

‘’Women are much less willing to objectively

appraise their own capacity,’’ he says. ‘’I’ve

seen women unwilling to put their hand up for

senior roles because they are only 90 per cent

prepared for it. But you get men who will give

it a go even though they are only 10 per cent

prepared for it.’’

This reluctance to back their work means

women are not putting themselves forward for

senior roles, and they are also under-represented

in applications for awards and grants.

In one year, of the nominees for the most

prestigious science prizes in Australia, the Prime

Minister’s Prizes for Science, only 10 per cent

were women. According to a spokesperson,

the proportion of women science researchers

awarded one of the prizes is highest in the prizes

catering for early to mid-career researchers.

At the Australian Research Council, acting

chief executive Leanne Harvey says women

compete well with men for funding - when

they apply. ‘’There are exceptional female

researchers out there, just as there are male.

The problem is fewer women researchers

apply,’’ she says.

It is a similar story at the National Health

and Medical Research Council, where of the

96 grant applications received last year - 75 of

them were led by men. Of the 55 successful

grants awarded last year, nine had a female

chief investigator.

Chief executive Professor Warwick Anderson

says it is a trend the council is keen to address.

‘’Otherwise you are really throwing away so

much talent in research,’’ he says. ‘’And to

crack the health problems in the country, you

really need the brightest people.’’

However, he says keeping women in science

requires teamwork, particularly between the

funding bodies and the researcher’s employer -

be it a hospital, institute or university.

If workplaces can provide or subsidise

childcare and offer family-friendly

environments, women are more likely to

continue working during their child-rearing

years - which in turn will mean a deeper pool

of senior researchers applying for grants.

Last year, the NHMRC committed to

considering work done in any five-year period

rather than just the previous five-year period when

assessing grant applications from researchers with

interrupted careers. Similarly the ARC now takes

into account the impact career interruptions such

as the birth of a child have on research output.

The Australian Academy of Technological

Sciences and Engineering is also on board. From

this year, a third of new fellows elected each

year must be women. Currently, women make up

6.5 per cent of the academy’s 800 fellows.

Vice-president Susan Pond says that while

it will take years to achieve gender balance

in such a male-dominated sector, it is an

important start. ‘’Failing to foster the careers

of the women who qualify in applied science,

engineering and technology leads to a waste

of valuable talent and adds to the welldocumented

skills shortages in these fields in

Australia,’’ she says.

Science and Technology Australia, the peak

body representing more than 68,000 scientists

Australia-wide, has welcomed the measures.

But chief executive Anna-Maria Arabia agrees

change will take time to rid the sector of the

shadow effect.

‘’It is a bit of a catch-22 situation,’’ she says.

‘’If women aren’t progressing through their

careers, then they are not getting to senior

positions to be able to become fellows or chief

investigators and therefore it’s harder to find

them. Over time though, I think it will change.’’

Bridie Smith is science and technology

reporter.

www.smh.com.au


The Shed Online

www.theshedonline.org.au

A

handy

place

to

For men enjoying their

retirement, maintaining

good mental health is

as important as staying

physically healthy.

Research shows men often find it difficult to

talk with others about mental health problems

like depression or anxiety. In recognition of this,

beyondblue, The Movember Foundation and

the Australian Men’s Shed Association have

developed a website that is an online virtual

shed community.

The Shed Online, developed in November

2010, is a website for men where they are

encouraged to talk about depression, anxiety

and other health issues in a safe space.

beyondblue CEO Kate Carnell AO said that

just like the physical men’s sheds, The Shed

Online is a place for men to socialise, pick up a

project and share advice.

“The Shed Online aims to foster a sense of

meet

community and build men’s social networks,

particularly for those in retirement who

could be missing the companionship of work

colleagues, feeling unsupported or isolated

after leaving the structure and networks of

employment,” she said.

“One of the real successes of The Shed

Online has been giving people the opportunity

to connect. Men find out they often share the

same joys and struggles, and they help each

other just by talking about things. ”

Ms Carnell said in addition to being a place

for men to interact with other men, The Shed

Online also provides men with information on

DIY, gardening, cooking, hobbies and health.

“You are never too old to learn how to use

new technology, in fact, more than 35 per cent

of members of The Shed Online are more than

65 years old,” she said.

Since its launch in December 2010, The Shed

Online has made considerable progress.

Statistics show that The Shed Online is

already the largest shed community in Australia

with over 220,000 hits by over 5,000 members

who have made 9,500 posts since its launch.

Ms Carnell said it is in the discussion forums

that you can see the real success of this initiative.

“Men can discuss topics as varied as

‘roasting chicken for one’ to ‘jokes, jests and

funnies’ to ‘prostate cancer’ and ‘depression’.

“From reading the posts in the forums, you

will see that The Shed Online community is

vibrant and supportive. New members are

welcomed by others in the community and give

each other advice on any matter or issue, be it

shed-related or life-related.”

To find out more about The Shed Online

or join in the discussion, visit

www.theshedonline.org.au

With the ANZAC Centenary 2014-2018

approaching, Australians will look back

and reflect on our role in past wars and

conflicts. There are many significant items

belonging to families and organisations

that are poignant reminders of the

invaluable contributions that so many

Australians made.

engine plates from captured Japanese aircraft.

His analysis of these plates provided critical

information on the production and location of

aircraft factories in Japan and this knowledge

was used to inform the strategic bombing

policy of the allied troops and the destruction

of these factories remained a key objective

during the war.

After the war he left the RAAF and continued

his Anthropological studies and eventually

moved to the United States in the 1960’s.

He was very close to the Aboriginal Elder

Milerum (Clarence Long), who’s picture

appears in the front of the Raukkan church

on the Australian $50 note, this image from a

photograph taken of Milerum by Tindale.

The uniform was treated by being carefully

surface cleaned, solvent cleansed with repairs being

done on areas damaged by insect holes. The medals

were restored with polishing and packed in a box for

long term storage. The uniform and medals will go

on display later in the year.

THE BIBLE

Purchased by Alex Nichols for his best chum

Len Harrison in Colombo when on his way to

the trenches in 1918. Owner – Private client

This bible belonged to my Grandfather, Len

Harrison.

He didn’t go to war until very late because,

according to my Mother, his mother didn’t want

him to go and his eyesight wasn’t so good.

But by 1918, late in the war, when they were

less fussy and his mother relented, he joined up.

After training in Australia he travelled with

his best chum, Alex Nichols by boat to England,

stopping in Colombo on the way where Alex

bought Len the bible. Len carried the bible with

him throughout his short time at the war and he

kept it as a treasured possession until his death

in the 1960’s

He was initially in England and then fought

with the Australian Division of the Field of

Engineers as a Sapper at the front in northern

France, for 3 months, from September 1918

until surrender in November 1918.

As he was so late to go, he was one of the

last to come home – working for a year in

England before he was demobbed in late 1919.

His is not an exceptional story of particular

bravery or courage but an ordinary story of an

ordinary Australian.

A newspaper clipping with the

announcement of my mothers wedding was

found inside the bible.

The bible was treated with Artlab cleaning

and carrying out repairs where the pages were

torn. The newspaper clipping was encapsulated

with repairs carried out on the leather cover

and a box made for storage

Tindale Uniform and

Tindales Medals

Owned by Tindales relatives on loan to SAM

Norman Tindale, famous South Australian

Anthropologist

Born 1900 Died 1993.

His parents were in the Salvation Army.

His family moved to Japan in 1907 for 8 years

where his father was responsible for accounting

for the Salvation Army in Japan.

Whilst a child Norman was chosen as an

English speaking companion for Prince Konoe

who came from a household close to the

Imperial Household. Konoe eventually became

Prime Minister of Japan during World War

2 and committed suicide shortly after being

indicted as a war criminal in December 1945.

Tinny, as he was fondly known, starting working

at SAM in 1919 as an Entomological Assistant.

One of his first assignments was an

Entomological Assistant and on a field trip

to Groote Eyindt in the Gulf of Carpentaria,

his daughter wrote that “he went there

as an entomologist and returned as an

anthropologist.

While working at SAM he gained a Science degree.

He became deeply interested in the study of

Australian Aborigines and was well known for

the thoroughness and accuracy of his research.

Later in his career he was involved with

many Universities in the United States but

continued his study of Australian Aborigines.

He joined the RAAF in 1942. He worked

with the Allied intelligence during the war and

his knowledge of Japan from his childhood

and his research skills were of great value.

He was a senior figure involved in translating

and interpreting information found on the

Harefield Flag

Owner: The Harefield flag is owned by the

Adelaide High School.

The Harefield Flag, as it is known, is a large

and very battered Union Jack, belonging to

the Adelaide High School. The story behind

the flag is fascinating. During World War 1

many Australian soldiers were stationed near

Harefield, north of London. They worshipped

at the local church and wounded soldiers were

treated at the Harefield hospital.

The flag, which belonged to the local school,

was draped over Australian soldiers’ coffins when

they were taken from the hospital to the Australian

cemetery, within the Harefield churchyard.

During this time the Adelaide High School

community also sent relief parcels to Harefield.

After the war the Harefield School presented

the Union Jack to the Schools Patriotic Fund

who in turn presented it to Adelaide High

School as a token of thanks. The much loved

flag has belonged to the school ever since.

Adelaide High School later sent Harefield an

Australian flag, which they still have. To this

day, the children of Harefield continue to tend

the graves of the Australian soldiers buried in

the Australian section of the cemetery. The

village celebrates Anzac Day each year by

raising the Australian flag at the churchyard and

placing flowers on the soldiers graves.


Links between the school and the

Harefield community continue and students

from Adelaide High School are hoping to

visit Harefield as part of a proposed trip to

the Western Front in 2015 to celebrate the

centenary of Anzac Day.

The flag was wet-cleaned, lined, dyed, sewn

and rolled out in an acid-free box for storage.

After treatment the flag will be strong enough

to be displayed, though not for long periods.

Conserve your War Memorabilia

These items, whether humble or heroic are often in need of care and

conservation. Artlab Australia can assist you with conservation advice

and treatments to preserve your war memorabilia.

• Bibles, books, documents and prints

• Flags and pennants

• Honour boards

• Medals

• Memorabilia

• Monuments and statues

• Memorials and grave sites

• Paintings

• Plaques

• Photographs

• Souvenirs

• Uniforms

Please contact ARTLAB to discuss your conservation enquiry and our

expert conservators will be available to talk with you

ARTLAB AUSTRALIA

PHONE: 08 8207 7520

EMAIL: artlab@dpc.sa.gov.au

WEBSITE: www.artlabaustralia.com.au

If organisations, museums, historical societies are considering a conservation

and collection management plan for their war memorabilia and require

assistance with funding, the ANZAC DAY COMMEMORATION FUND

makes available grants of up to $8,000 to organisations or individuals for

projects aimed at educating the community about the significance of ANZAC

Day and commemorating our nation’s military heritage.Application forms

and guidelines papers may be downloaded from our website at

www.premcab.sa.gov.au/dpc/community_anzac.html

Kangaroo with Joey

mascot

Owner: Private client

An Artlab client bought in this very

interesting object for conservation treatment.

The Kangaroo with Joey mascot belonged to the

clients grandfather. Her Grandfather, Captain E

F Pflaum, trained initially in England as a pilot

and flew in France during World War 1. He later

returned to England to train other pilots with the

Australian Flying Corps. Captain Pflaum flew

biplanes such as the Avro 504K and Sopwith

Camel, and adorned the top of the fuselage

of these aircraft with the Kangaroo and Joey

mascot, which also doubled as a fuel cap.

When the mascot came to Artlab it was in three

pieces with the tail and an ear detached. There had

also been an attempted repair to the proper left leg.

The attempt had failed and there was a lot of old

adhesive smeared around the break.

A stainless steel dowel was used to reattach

the tail. The ear was adhered back on to the

head and the excess adhesive over the proper

left leg was removed. A small amount of inpainting

was undertaken on areas of paint loss

to integrate surfaces.

Joseph Thorsby Ross

– Gravesite

(Grandfather of The Last Post’s Publishing

Editor, Greg T Ross)

Artlab’s Projects conservation section

can develop and facilitate a treatment plan

for gravesites, monuments, sculptures and

memorials. Artlab have completed treatment

on gravesites in the past. With the gravesite

of Joseph Ross as an example, Artlab can

consult with the client on how to preserve this

gravesite from further deterioration.

Joe was born in 1895 and joined the 10th

Infantry Battalion when it was formed at

Morphetteville within weeks of the start of the war.

The South Australian 10th was part of the 3rd

Brigade which was the covering force during the

ANZAC landings and were first ashore at 0430

hours. The Battalion remained

at Gallipoli until the evacuation

in December 1915.

The 10th spent the rest

of the War in bitter trench

warfare in France and

Belgium before returning to

Australia in 1919.

Joe was wounded (“Compression of the

spine – Severe”) in France and spent some time

in a hospital in the UK before returning to the

front. He was also hospitalised with Mumps.

The 10th Battalion lost 1015 killed and 2136

wounded during it’s time abroad.

Upon his return Joe worked for the South

Australian Railways and in the early 1920’s

married the sister (May Carrig) of his best mate

from the battalion (Andrew Carrig) who also

survived the war.

Joe and May had four children – Raymond,

my Dad, was the eldest. Joe Jnr and John

followed. Between Ray and Joe a daughter,

Edna was born. She died of SIDS before her

first birthday.

Joe died in Adelaide in 1941 from a brain

tumor at the age of 45.

Shortly after Joe’s death, my father Raymond

Thorsby Ross joined the South Australian 2/10th

Infantry Battalion in Milne Bay, New Guinea. He

served with them at Buna-Gona, Shaggy Ridge

and Balikpapan. He contracted TB toward the

end of WW2 and lost a lung. He died (and was

buried) in Perth, WA aged 60 in 1983.

Let’s

chat about

Where do you want to die? Have you given

the idea any thought? Have you chatted with

your family or doctor about it? Would you

trust them to carry out your wishes? These are

some of the questions Palliative Care Australia

recently put to the Australian public.

dying

By Dr Yvonne Luxford

CEO, Palliative

Care Australia

I wonder if your immediate answer was

that you would prefer to die at home? Three

quarters of people completely agree with you.

In fact, 88% would choose to stay at home if

they could be certain that their loved ones were

well served with health and other care options.

Of course, staying at home will not suit every

person or family, and some may like to be at

home until close to the end and then transfer to

a hospice or another appropriate facility.

I wonder if you would also answer that

you would be comfortable talking about this

and your end of life care with your partner

or spouse, children and health professional?

No surprises there either, and nor would you

surprise me if you said that you were confident

that your family will follow your wishes.

What would surprise me is if you have

actually told anyone those wishes and prepared

an advance care plan.

Let’s face it, for most Australians the idea

of talking about our own mortality is very

confronting and not something we particularly

want to do. Most of the time we are happy to leave

any discussions about the end of life until we get

there - we seem to take for granted that everything

will ‘be OK.’ But is care at the end of life something

that should be left to chance?

Quality end of life care is realised when it

meets the person’s needs and respects their

care preferences - including any religious or

cultural requirements. Everybody should be

able to take control of decisions which affect

their care, such as where they would like to be

cared for and who they would like to have with

them. We know that when asked, Australians

have some pretty firm ideas and preferences

when it comes to end of life. But we’re not

telling anyone.

There is a simple solution. Advance care

planning is a process which allows people to

think ahead and talk about the kind of care

they want at the end of their lives, and appoint

a substitute decision maker for situations where

they might not have the capacity to make

decisions for themselves. Advance care planning

makes it much easier to care for a person

according to what they want and it also removes

the pressure of decision making from family and

loved ones, at what is often a very difficult time.

If it’s so simple, why do so few Australians have

an advance care plan? To start with, most people

(78% in our survey) don’t know what one is.

We need to raise awareness of the value

of advance care planning and ensure that

GPs, nurses and aged care facility staff all

encourage people to have these conversations.

We also need to develop consistent national

legislation and terminology to make it easier

for everyone to understand and use advance

care plans, and to include them in new eHealth

records so information is shared with the health

professionals who will be making decisions

about your care.

But on a personal level, you can make a

difference right now. Just thinking about your

end of life wishes isn’t enough; you need to

record the decisions you make about how you

would like to be cared for, preferably in an

advance care plan, and share this with your

loved ones and health professionals. Appoint a

substitute decision maker and make sure they

are fully aware of your wishes.

Starting the conversation now will mean

that you really will be able to have confidence

that your wishes will be followed, it will relieve

stress on your loved ones, and will ultimately

lead to better quality care at the end of life.

For more information about palliative

care and advance care planning, visit

www.palliativecare.org.au

Starting the conversation now will mean that

you really will be able to have confidence that

your wishes will be followed, it will relieve

stress on your loved ones, and will ultimately

lead to better quality care at the end of life.


“The most important

talk we had”

Some things are too important to be left unsaid...

Let’s chat about dying

Funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing

www.palliativecare.org.au

Dr Roger Hunt ON Palliative Care

DR ROGER HUNT

(BM BS GDPH FAChPM MD)

• Current Clinical Leader- Respecting Patient

Choices Program, The Queen Elizabeth

Hospital (TQEH)

• Current Clinical Leader—Respecting Patient

Choices Program, The Queen Elizabeth

Hospital (TQEH)

• Current Director of Western Palliative Care

Service—TQEH & Health Services

• Extensive experience assisting patients

complete Medical Power of Attorney/

Anticipatory Direction forms and ensuring

that hospitals abide by them

• Former Senior Consultant, Southern

Adelaide Palliative Services

• Longest serving palliative care specialist

physician in South Australia

Palliative care specialist and Head of Western

Adelaide Palliative Care, Dr Roger Hunt, who

has been working in this field since 1984, says

Australia is in a good position when it comes

to looking after patients and their loved one’s

during this sensitive period.

“Palliative care has changed a lot since I

started”, he says, “the range of medications has

expanded and better therapeutic options and

procedures have come along and procedures

have come along that allow us to be more

interventionist than we were in the early days.

Emotions and the range of family reactions

remain similar”. Having recently visited the

United States, Dr Hunt believes we are very

fortunate to have a health system that can treat

everyone without fearing medical bankruptcy.

“There are great advantages here”, he says.

Dr Hunt, who started working in a hospital

hospice, found his work was appreciated and

this encouraged him to continue in that area.

“It’s quite rewarding to be able to help people

through a very dramatic and often difficult

time”, says Roger, “and this guiding them

through the terrain makes it a bit easier” he

said.

Like all in the field of palliative care,

confronting others mortality makes one

confront their own and to appreciate the

preciousness of life and encourages all of us to

make the most of our time.

Dr Hunt, who appreciates he might not

always have been headed towards medicine,

acknowledges that it’s “a pretty good fit”. How

to help others and to have access to “brilliant

knowledge” of the human body, is very

pleasing says the longest serving palliative care

specialist in South Australia.

In addition to the scientific aspects there

is also the humanities and, according to Dr

Hunt, the “ability to work with people” is so

important in medicine”.

Dr Hunt regularly travels around Australia

and overseas to attend conferences to keep

updated and to network.


Tolerance.

Acceptance.

These are all values

denied to Aboriginal

and Torres Strait

Islander people for

much of Australia’s

history. Nonetheless,

Indigenous Australians

have served in the

armed forces in every

conflict from the

Boer War through

Afghanistan. They have

also served during

peacetime, in reserve

units and as members

of special guerrilla and

scouting units.

Serving in the armed forces has proved

a mostly positive experience for Indigenous

Australians. Those veterans who served in

combat especially have consistently testified to

sentiments of mateship breaking down barriers,

challenging racial prejudice and creating lifelong

friendships based on mutual respect. Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander veterans have regularly

asserted that bullets do not discriminate, and

as such non-Indigenous and Indigenous soldiers,

sailors and pilots have always worked together to

protect each other in battle.

E q u a l . i ty

R e sp e ct.

A native of Warrnambool, Vic. Photo courtesy

Despite generally being treated better in

the Australian military than in civilian life, the

service experience has not always been carefree

for Indigenous personnel. Many ex-servicemen

and women have testified to experiencing racial

taunts at various stages of their military careers.

Most Indigenous ex-service personnel report

these as isolated incidents, but they were still

episodes that could have lingering mental and

emotional impacts. Until recent years there

were few channels through which Indigenous

personnel could challenge discrimination; it was

not until the 1990s that the Australian Defence

Force adopted specific policies against racial

vilification.

Another challenge that has confronted

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander exservicemen

and women has been the return

to civilian Australia. Veterans of the First and

Second World Wars especially had hoped that

their loyal service would be rewarded with

citizenship rights and respect. Yet Indigenous

veterans were denied access to soldier

settlement schemes and RSLs. Veterans of the

First World War did not have the right to vote in

most states. Restrictions on movement, wages,

marriage and almost every other aspect of life

applied to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Portrait of an Aboriginal serviceman, Private

Walter Christopher (Chris) George Saunders.

of the Australian War Memorial, P00889.012

Informal portrait of Aboriginal serviceman, Private

Samuel Alexandra Peacock (Sam) Lovett and his

niece, Aircraftwoman Alice Lovett, an Aboriginal

servicewoman, standing on a Melbourne street. Photo

courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, P01651.003

veterans. Being a veteran could not even protect

Aboriginal people from having their children

forcibly removed by state authorities.

Australian society has come a long way in

its acceptance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander people and cultures. Throughout the

process the ADF and its predecessors have

played a key role facilitating the education and

employment of Indigenous Australians and

challenging racial discrimination. Indigenous

servicemen and women continue their

longstanding service tradition – challenging

stereotypes, empowering Indigenous

communities and nobly defending Australia.


ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER

SERVICEMEN AND SERVICEWOMEN

Are you a current service person or an ex‐serviceman or ex‐servicewoman of Aboriginal or

Torres Strait Islander descent? If so, we would like to speak to you as part of a new project

documenting the experiences of Indigenous service personnel and veterans both in the

armed forces and civilian life.

If you would be interested in participating in this project or would like more information,

please contact:

Dr. Noah Riseman OR Naomi Wolfe

School of Arts and Sciences

Academic Coordinator, Jim‐baa-yer Centre

ACU

for Indigenous Education and Research

03 9953 3226 03 9953 3839

Noah.Riseman@acu.edu.au

jimbaayer@acu.edu.au

NGURRUNDE AKATYE

LISTEN LEARN UNDERSTAND TEACH

DIMIRWARET NINTILA

people

The

Jimmy Little

Foundation

A chat with

Early 60’s – Jimmy Little archives

TLP: Hi Buzz and welcome to The Last Post.

Buzz Bidstrup: A pleasure Greg.

TLP: Buzz, you’re well known over the years,

musically having been in The Angels and Gang

Gajang and a successful session musician. Not

as many people might know about your work

with the Jimmy Little Foundation. What is it

that you actually do there?

BB: I’m the CEO of the Foundation and in that

role I’m in charge of keeping the thing going. I

have a team of people around me who do our

work out in he field, which I also do a fair bit

of work there too. Really, it has been, up until

Jimmy’s passing, it was working with him,

making sure his wishes for the Foundation

were being realised. That’s now been passed

on to his daughter and she and I are in constant

contact working on new and wonderful ways

that we can continue the good work.

TLP: Had you felt, when you first met Jimmy........

how did that come about?

BB: I was originally employed by Festival Records,

or introduced to Jimmy by Festival through Mark

Callagham, who was the singer for Gang Gajang,

which is a band I was in with him. He rang me up

and said, “We’re putting out this record by Jimmy

Little” and I went, “Wow”, you know and it was

being produced by Brendan Gallagher and that

was like, “Wow” again because Brendan wasn’t

known as a country producer and then, when I

heard the record, when I heard ‘Messenger’, it

really grabbed me. I thought that it was really a

very special record. So, I was initially engaged to

look after his bookings and a bit of PR for that

record and of course that record took off like

wildfire and it really restarted Jimmy’s musical

career. I moved on from being a booker and agent

to being a manager and musical director. Then

when Jimmy’s kidney failure happened I helped

through all of that and then set up the Foundation

on his wishes.

TLP: What’s the message of the Jimmy Little

Foundation?

BB: Well, it’s very simple. It’s about having a

healthier future for indigenous Australians. That’s

what we’re out to achieve. We use our influence to

lobby Government’s and other organisations and

partner up with other people who do great things

in regard to indigenous health. We put a focus

on that and to advocate where we can, to do our

programs where we support people, we’re doing

a ‘Return to Country’ program which takes renal

patients from Alice Springs back to their homes just

for a few days respite and for finding the finance

for a mobile renal bus. That is now operating in the

Northern Territory, based in Alice Springs. Also, to

setting up the ‘Thumbs Up’ program.

TLP: The ‘Thumbs Up’ program is interesting.

A bit more about that?

BB: the ‘Thumbs Up’ program came about from

watching young kids come out of stores, laden

down with bottles of fizzy drink, chips and

pies. Pretty bad food, you know. And a lot of

this stuff was branded with cartoon characters

and I kept thinking, wouldn’t it be good if there

was a brand that we could use for indigenous

kids that the kids and adults would recognise

and I was pondering this and while this was

going on, a little kid, about 7, walks up to Uncle

Jimmy and went, “You’re on the Wiggles”. And

Jimmy said “Yeah”, and starts singing to the

kid, “Mornington Ride” that he’d done on The

Wiggles. This was in a community with people

in their 50’s an 60’s that recognised and knew

Jimmy from the old days. And I thought, there’s

the guy, look no further. There was someone, I

thought who can get to kids and to people who

are 70 years old. That was really the genesis

of ‘Thumbs Up’ and that’s the brand. “Uncle

Jimmy says thumbs up to good tucker”. And

our motto is – “Good tucker, long life”. It’s a

preventative measure that is aimed fairly and

squarely at kids but it also brings in the rest of

the community. So, we put the signage on the

stores, on the fruit and vegetables and water and

good tucker. We then go to the schools and do

a little workshop with the kids and write songs

with them about eating good food and drinking

water and a healthy lifestyle. We connect up

other people in the community who are doing

good things, Red Cross and Fred Hollows

Foundation and the other organisations like

Anglicare and we connect them up in a way that

supports what they’re doing and gives a sense

of a whole-of-community approach. Sometimes

it can be quite fragmented so anything to help

there is a good thing. Too often, and we’ll say,

“in the past”, people have been off doing their

own thing and they don’t talk to the other guy.

So we encourage that too, people talking with

each other about these good things. That’s the

‘Thumbs Up’ program and we also have a very

important part of that which is the website,

www.thumbsup.org.au and that is a place where

teachers can go to get resources and it’s being

used by over 150 teachers in the Northern

Territory at the moment. I’ve been talking to

Federal and State Education to get it adopted

but it’s already part of the curriculum in the

Northern Territory just on the fact that it’s being

used. Go to the site and have a look, teachers.

TLP: Health and education are tied in so

tightly Buzz, how optimistic are you about the


Jimmy Little in Milingimbi ,

Photo by Sophie Howarth

familyhistory

Buzz Bidstrup

education of indigenous kids, leading to that

better health?

BB: It’s a very simple thing. You can’t be

healthy unless you educate and you can’t

educate unless you’re healthy. That’s the

cycle and or efforts are based around that to

get a unified approach to preventative health

education. At the moment you could say it’s

a bit ad hoc and we can do better. So, yeah,

there’s work to be done there.

TLP: The Indigenous Doctors Association.

Helping out?

BB: Yes, the Indigenous Doctors Association

are very important to us and Jimmy was a

Patron for them. We’re in touch with them all

the time because they are out in the field.

TLP: To take advantage of the cultural history,

we want indigenous people to live longer and

that’s tied in with what you’re doing, to make

the input greater?

BB: Absolutely. I guess the thing can also be

that, some people in the capital cities, perhaps

the one’s that haven’t yet travelled to remote

places in the outback of our country, they may

not fully understand. Sometimes I can go out to

a community and I can be the oldest guy there.

I’m 60. That’s surely not right. That the people

of the world’s oldest living civilization are

living in such conditions. Of course, it has been

described as worse than third world.

TLP: And what would you say to Australians about

the Jimmy Little Foundation and ways to help?

BB: Firstly Greg, I would encourage all Australians

to have a look at www.jlf.org.au the main website

and the “Thumbs Up’ website that we spoke of

earlier. Get a feel for what we’re doing, there’s

some beautiful videos there of songs we’ve written

with the kids about healthy food. If you want to

help, there’s ways that you can donate through

the website. Lots of good people have contacted

me and offered their help in lots of different ways.

There are people with different skills that they’re

keen to offer. I urge everybody to have a look at

that and have a think about the kids, because

they’re the future.

TLP: A magnificent website with a list of

supporters, all good people. Thanks so much

for your time Buzz. Your work in the music

industry has been a great thing for cultural

Australia and now your work with the Jimmy

Little Foundation. On behalf of all Australians.

BB: I’m honoured to been chosen and to have

had the opportunity to know Jimmy and to

spend such time with the man and I’ve learnt

from him, so much. He taught me so much, just

talking out on the road. I was a white, middle

class kid from Adelaide. I had a gold pass.

Everywhere I went with Jimmy Little, I met the

right people and learnt a lot of wisdom. And for

us to remember that with the premature death of

these oldest Australians, we lose so much. There

is so much history there and that too, is about

education. There’s a whole raft of things here

that go to the heart of the matter. There is so

much for people, both black and white, to learn

if they just open their ears and eyes. Publications

like yours are able to shine a light on this.

Early 60’s – Jimmy Little archives

EDUCATION & the

Anzac Spirit

Nothing is more

Australian than the

concept of the ‘fair go’.

That’s why the Gillard Government is

determined to raise education standards and

reduce the gaps between student achievement.

We want all children to have the same

opportunities, regardless of where they live, what

school they go to, or what their parents earn.

Whilst our education results are still

generally pretty good, worryingly over the last

decade the performance of Australian students

in international assessments has declined.

This is especially the case in comparison

with some of our Asian neighbours, including

Korea, Japan, Singapore and the Chinese cities

of Hong Kong and Shanghai. And critically,

children who are learning in schools in low

socioeconomic communities are falling behind

kids from schools in high socioeconomic

communities.

We need to improve the way we invest in our

schools to help Australian students achieve better,

which is why we commissioned David Gonski AC

and a panel of experts to conduct the first review

of school funding in nearly 40 years.

The review recommends a new way of

allocating funding based on a benchmark of

what it costs to educate a student across public,

Catholic and independent schools.

Extra resources would be available for

students and schools that need it most,

including schools with kids from poorer

backgrounds, Indigenous students, students

with disability, lower English proficiency,

remote schools and small schools.

This is about making sure no school misses

out on getting a world-class education.

That’s why we’re working to have legislation

for a new school funding system introduced

into Parliament this year and to have it in place

by 2014.

It’s also why we have more than doubled

investment in education to more than $65

billion, which is already providing more money

for teacher quality training in literacy and

numeracy and bringing schools into the 21st

century by putting computers in classrooms for

kids from Year 9–12. This will make schools

better places to learn, teach and work, with

new facilities and state-of-the-art technologies.

Because we know the key to a great

education is great teachers, we’re improving

teacher quality by developing National

Professional Standards for Teachers that set

benchmarks for the accreditation of initial

teacher education programs, nationally

consistent registration and national certification

for highly accomplished and lead teachers.

In the previous edition of The Last Post I

wrote about the Australian Curriculum, which

will remove inconsistencies in the way school

subjects are taught across different states and

territories.

I recently announced that every Australian

student will now study the arts from their first

year of school under the new national arts

curriculum, which was released on 9 July for

public consultation.

This is great news for the future of our

creative industries, which have been valued at

$30 billion and provide significant employment

opportunities.

The arts is one of the three new learning

area to be developed for the National

Curriculum, to add to the four core subjects of

English, maths, science and history.

One dimension of the ANZAC legacy is that

our national identity has been shaped by those

who bravely made the ultimate sacrifice for the

country. In understanding and reflecting on

this legacy, all Australians have a responsibility

to ensure that young Australians have the high

level of skills to reach their full potential and

make a valuable contribution to our national

way of life.

This Government is focused on making every

school a great school, so that every child can

reach their full potential and make valuable

contributions to our society while looking

confidently towards the future.

The Hon Peter Garrett AM MP

Minister for School Education

Minister Garrett receives a painting made by the

children of SDN Milperra Children’s Education

and Care Centre from 4-year-old Asha during a

visit to open the centre on 1 August.

Minister Garrett unveils a plaque to open SDN Milperra

Children’s Education and Care Centre on 1 August with

(R-L) Centre Director Melissa Cama; SDN President and

Board Member Susan Salter; and SDN CEO Ginie Udy.

Minister Garrett meets Bernadette Compton, mother

of 19-month-old Ti-Alee at the SDN Milperra Children’s

Education and Care Centre, which he opened on 1 August.

Minister Garrett cuts

the SDN cake to share

with staff, children and

parents at the opening of

SDN Milperra Children’s

Education and Care

Centre on 1 August.

Adelaide High School’s

focus on citizenship AND

human rights initiatives

Tree of Human Rights by Professor

Smolicz AM which hangs in the Hallway

of Human Rights at Adelaide High School

Adelaide High School has a rich and culturally diverse

community, with its 1260 students coming from over 60 different

cultural backgrounds. To add to the richness of the school,

we also have a Centre for the Hearing Impaired which caters

for up to 20 students with a hearing impairment. The cultural

diversity, both within Australia and the school community, is

reflected in the range of curriculum programs and resources

which are employed to actively promote international

understanding, intercultural and global awareness. The United

Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights underpins the

curriculum and directs the work of many student-led initiatives,

both within the school and in the wider community. Students

are taught to understand, value and celebrate cultural diversity

and citizenship responsibilities.

The Vision and Priorities Statement and the

school motto - Non scholae sed vitae: Not only

for school but for life - are the guiding principles

of an education at Adelaide High School.

Part of the school’s Vision is to build on our

linguistic and cultural diversity by offering a wide

range of active learning opportunities connecting

our school with local, national and international

communities, and the school also has a

priority of maintaining a safe and welcoming

environment based on respect. As such,

Adelaide High School has a strong commitment

to global education, respect for all, and civics

and citizenship responsibilities.

Civics and Citizenship education takes many

forms at Adelaide High School, with students

developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs

and values which enable them to effectively


develop a number of skills including community

mindedness, respect, responsibility and

inclusion. Our aim is to encourage students to

move beyond tolerance to embrace diversity in

all its facets.

In 2003, following the development of the

Student Representative Council Manifesto

2000 which celebrates diversity, the Student

Leadership Forum developed a school

Reconciliation Statement which was ratified

of universal human rights through painting,

special ceremonies and visual displays. The

Tree of Human Rights by Professor Jerzy

“George” Smolicz AM, who was the leader of

the Multicultural Education Committee (MEC)

and had a strong relationship with Adelaide

High School in the area of the human rights, is

a treasured artefact in the Hallway of Human

Rights and hangs there proudly as a reminder

that we are all connected by our humanity and

education

Student Representative Council members in

the Hallway of Human Rights on Open Night

participate in community and leadership

activities locally, nationally and globally.

Through numerous programs, the school

provides leadership training and opportunities

for students in all year levels, and students

are actively encouraged to participate in

decision making forums and to gain experience

as leaders. Through the work of student

leadership groups such as the Prefects, Student

Representative Council, Interact, Peer Leaders

and House Captains, the activities undertaken

by students in the Active8 Youth Leadership

course, and the work of students in community

projects such as Adopt-a-Grave, Ecovision and

Adopt-a-Train-Station, students are able to

engage with society, gain an understanding of

the importance of their role within both their

immediate and the global community, and

“Non scholae sed vitae”:

Not only for school but for life

by the school community. Concurrently, the

Indigenous students of the school designed and

painted a mural which symbolises Adelaide

High School as a pathway to various walks of

life. This work and other student leadership

initiatives were celebrated by the official

opening of the Hallway of Human Rights

in late 2003. The Hallway of Human Rights

stands today as a constant reminder of the

student commitment to the United Nations

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and is

a specially designated space where students

symbolically make commitment to the idea

hence our universal human rights.

The school takes great pride in the work

it undertakes in the area of human rights,

with a number of curriculum programs and

student-led initiatives reaching out locally and

beyond Australia to the global community. The

day-to-day respect which is shown throughout

to those of differing nationalities and creeds,

the many acts of compassion and charity which

occur each year, and the spirit of understanding

which pervades the whole school are all

testimony to the living of the ideal.


Student Leaders celebrate Harmony Day in 2012

The student leadership groups, coordinated

by the Student Leadership Forum, have

been active in promoting international and

intercultural awareness through a number of

activities, including Harmony Day, National

Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week, World

Refugee Day and Peace One Day, and in raising

funds for organisations such as World Vision,

Uniting Care, the Cancer Council, the “Build a

School” project in India, Amnesty International

and “Médecins Sans Frontières”.

Students also present workshops to student

and adult audiences on human rights issues.

Every year student leaders represent the

school at the MEC Conference and present the

school’s human rights work and set a model

for other schools to follow. Student Leaders

have conducted professional development

for teachers across the state on human rights

issues, highlighting a range of materials in

human rights education, some of which have

been developed by students, thus influencing

both the content and the delivery of the

curriculum at Adelaide High and elsewhere.

In 2011, the school was finally able to action

its longstanding dream of holding a Multicultural

Convention to share the school’s passion for

human rights and showcase the work of our

school’s community to other schools. The

Convention, supported by funding provided

by MEC, saw presentations from a number of

different organisations and the Year 12 Society

and Culture class. The Convention ran over

two days and involved more than four hundred

students in the school. The theme of the

Convention was based on the United Nations 8

Millennium Development Goals, and each of the

workshops addressed one of these goals.

This year, the Student Leadership group

successfully applied for a MEC grant to

facilitate their work in human rights education.

Their major focus was promoting literacy as a

fundamental human right. In September, student

leaders will head to Raukkan Aboriginal School

on the lands of the Ngarrindjeri people near the

Coorong as part of their “Lend a Hand” project.

Student inspired stories of cultural journeys

will be shared and children’s books, both

created and donated, will be read so that each

community comes to respect the importance of

literacy in our lives. Student leaders will revisit

Raukkan later in the year and it is hoped that

these visits will be the beginning of a close

relationship between the two schools.

The ongoing work of Adelaide High

School in the area of human rights has been

acknowledged by the National Committee

on Human Rights Education who presented

Adelaide High School a Citizen of Humanity

Award in 2005. This Award was in recognition

of the commitment made by the Adelaide High

School community to Human Rights Education.

As well as their work in the area of human

rights, students have also been involved in

a number of programs which give them the

opportunity to connect with individuals and

groups within the local and global community

and to make a real difference to their world.

Students maintaining graves in the

West Terrace Cemetery

In 2011, the Adopt-a-Grave program began

with the historic West Terrace Cemetery near

the school, and the aim of this program is to

involve students in helping to maintain the

graves at the Cemetery. After an induction

process, students go to the Cemetery after

school to help restore and maintain the

graves. Improvements to the graves due to the

students’ work are clearly evident.

The improvements at the Mile End Train

Station, adjacent to Adelaide High School, are

also clearly evident after 3 years of work by

students from the Active8 Youth Leadership

classes, with the assistance of local artist John

Whitney. Through the Adopt-a-Train-Station

program, students have painted murals on

various areas of the station including in the

underpass, on the water tanks and on the

shelters on the platforms.

In a partnership which began in 2010 with

Trees For Life and the Adelaide City Council,

the Ecovision Club has planted hundreds of

trees and shrubs along the northern boundary

of the school. Students have been involved in

sowing native seeds in tubes, thinning then

planting out the seedlings, and maintenance of

the planted area. The group will undertake the

planting of another 500 seedlings on July 27 as

part of National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day.

Peer Leader Program

The work of the Year 11 Peer Leaders in

outlining the cultural diversity of the school

population, explaining the United Nations

Universal Declaration of Human Rights and

presenting the school’s anti-harassment

program to the incoming Year 8 students,

Anti-harassment poster developed following the

Peer Leader-run Anti-Harassment Program

underpins our Priority to have a safe and

welcoming environment based on respect. In

response to their learning from the Peer Leader

program, and in conjunction with the National

Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence

held early in the year, the Year 8 students

created anti-harassment posters signifying

their commitment to a safe and harmonious

environment locally and globally. In presenting

their poster, one group said, “No matter where

we are from, what colour we are or what

religion we are, everybody is the same; we are

all equally important. We can all work together

to make the world a place where bullying and

harassment stops now.”

Centre for Hearing Impaired

To highlight the school’s Centre for Hearing

Impaired, and in line with our commitment

to inclusion, Year 8 students participate in

introductory Auslan sessions as part of their

transition from primary school to secondary

school. Auslan classes are also held each

week for interested staff and students. The

Deaf students have taken on a leadership

role during these sessions, mentoring the

participants while developing their leadership

skills. These classes assist staff and students to

communicate with Deaf or Hearing Impaired

people within the school and wider community.

As part of the Extended Curriculum Group, an

initiative of a number of local schools, Adelaide

High School has been running an Auslan course

for staff and students in other schools since

2008. A Signing Choir has also recently begun

rehearsals with a view to performing at formal

school assemblies later in the year.

International Understanding

Assembly

The annual International Understandings

Assembly, traditionally held just before Easter, is a

formal and very moving occasion where members

of the school community reflect upon their own

identity and experiences and their learning about

others in the global community. This assembly is a

celebration of the way we work together and make

connections with many languages and cultures.


At this assembly, students, guest speakers

and performers share something about

their life, their culture and their language,

highlighting their part in the rich tapestry

that makes up Adelaide High School. In

recent years we have had speakers from many

cultures and walks of life; we’ve learnt about

the Stolen Generation, about life as a Hearing

Impaired person, we have been entertained by

traditional singing and dancing performances

from a number of cultures, and moved by the

experiences of Afghani refugees as they tell of

their dangerous journey from Afghanistan to

Australia and the difficulties they face settling

in another country.

Adelaide High School students have assisted

Zonta International by compiling more than

7000 Birthing Kits

Birthing Kits

Students, initially in the Interact Club and now

from across the school, have been involved in

the Zonta International Birthing Kit Project

since 2005, assembling birthing kits for

pregnant women in developing countries to help

eliminate infant and maternal mortality rates.

Zonta International, a business women’s group,

came up with the effective, yet inexpensive,

birthing kits in the hope of providing a clean

birth for women all over the world. With

the help of Zonta’s birthing kits, infant and

maternal mortality has decreased by 25%.

Adelaide High School students have made

over 7000 of the kits which have been sent

to Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Sudan and

Afghanistan. As the program has developed

over the years, students in the Year 12 Society

and Culture classes, as well as working

alongside Year 9 students, Zonta and Interact

members to compile the kits, are taking on the

role of promoting the program to students in

the Middle School and the wider community

and are actively involved in raising funds to

continue this important project.

Borneo World Challenge participants digging the foundations for a greenhouse

World Challenge to Borneo

In 2011, a group of students and two staff

members participated in a World Challenge

expedition to Borneo. Prior to their expedition,

much time and effort was given to raising funds

to support the students with their volunteer

project in Borneo which was working in a home

for the disabled and contributing in whatever

way they were needed. They were asked to dig

and set the foundation for a future greenhouse

so the inhabitants could grow their own

vegetables and, despite the back breaking, hard

work which followed, no one complained, as

everyone shared the joy of giving something

back. Not only did the challengers complete the

foundation, but they also assisted with other

smaller tasks in the home. The home also had

a list of items that were needed, as it depended

strongly on donations, and the students decided

that they would buy a much-needed washing

machine and lots of smaller items with the

funds they had raised. By embarking on this

amazing journey of self discovery, Adelaide

High School students developed life skills

such as communication, teamwork, empathy,

risk-management, negotiation, delegation

and money management. Plans are already

underway for a second group to undertake a

World Challenge in late 2013.

East Bali Poverty Project

In what the school hopes will become an ongoing

project, last year’s Prefect group raised funds to

purchase desk chairs for the school children in

Pengalusan, a remote village in North Eastern

Bali. The purchase of the desk chairs was

organised by the Bali Dynasty Resort in Kuta

who support the East Bali Poverty Project, which

has been assisting families in North Eastern Bali

who were living in abject poverty without water,

sanitation, roads, schools, health facilities and

electricity. Given the Adelaide High School motto

is “not only for school but for life”, the principles

behind the East Bali Poverty Project – “helping

people to help themselves” – are similar to that

of the school. Through their fundraising this year,

the Prefects will be supporting the purchase of

school uniforms for the children of Pengalusan,

and a staff member will be visiting the village in

Student from Pengalusan, north east Bali, with

a desk chair purchased with the 2011 Prefect

fundraising money

September to see how Adelaide High School can

further support the people of Pengalusan and the

East Bali Poverty Project.

In his book Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the

Human Future in Space, astronomer Carl Sagan

outlined his thoughts on a deeper meaning of the

photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the

Voyager 1 spacecraft, 6 billion kilometres from

Earth. In the photograph, Earth is shown as a

pale blue dot against the vastness of space. Sagan

said, “Our planet is a lonely speck in the great

enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity – in all

this vastness – there is no hint that help will come

from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up

to us … To my mind, there is perhaps no better

demonstration of the folly of human conceits

than this distant image of our tiny world. To me,

it underscores our responsibility to deal more

kindly and compassionately with one another

and to preserve and cherish that pale blue dot,

the only home we’ve ever known.” At Adelaide

High School, our Vision is to deal more kindly

and compassionately with one another, and the

curricular and co-curricular initiatives employed

by the school are assisting students to develop

international and intercultural understandings,

learn the importance of community service and

to become truly global citizens.

education


Adelaide Secondary

School of English

Adelaide Secondary School of English is a South Australian

government school that offers specialist intensive English language

programs to prepare secondary aged migrant, refugee and

international students newly arrived in Australia, for entry into

mainstreams high schools or alternative work and study pathways.

education

As reflected in the school vision, the school

community places a strong emphasis on the

promotion of intercultural understandings. This

also helps to prepare the culturally diverse

student population for effective lifelong learning

and participation in Australia and global society.

This work is also supported by the school values:

Cultural Diversity, Equity, Integrity, Respect and

Responsibility. These values are incorporated in

everything the school does.

The school presently has an average enrolment

of between 450- 550 students between

the ages of 12 and 18, from as many as 60

different countries and 70 language and

cultural groups. Student numbers fluctuate

significantly throughout the year because of

continuous enrolment and students leaving at

the end of each term on completion of their

course of study. Students normally spend up

to a year in the school, although those who

have had disrupted or minimal schooling

can spend up to 2 years. Most students will

transition to mainstream government, Catholic

and Independent high schools across the

Adelaide metropolitan area, although a few

will travel interstate, overseas or seek out work

opportunities.

In 2002 the school was one of the first

in South Australia to achieve Council of

International Schools (CIS) accreditation and

became a recognized Mind Matters school in

2010. This recognition acknowledges a whole

school approach to student mental health and

wellbeing.

The school has a unique, student body that

is constantly changing in its cultural diversity,

education and wellbeing needs. Staff provide a

safe, caring and supportive learning environment

whereby students receive a relevant and

challenging curriculum, and an opportunity to

learn about their new city and country.


The school has a unique, student body

that is constantly changing in its cultural

diversity, education and wellbeing needs.

The Adelaide Secondary School of English is an

outstanding example of how students from a

wide range of cultural, religious, educational and

socio-economic backgrounds can work in a positive,

exciting and productive environment to achieve

quite remarkable personal and educational leaps

forward in a short space of time.

Positive student behaviour is constantly

encouraged and rewarded by teachers both in

the classroom and at whole school assemblies

and presentations. Students are supported to

take responsibility for their own learning and

behaviours and to be sensitive to the rights

and needs of others. Students are provided

with an opportunity to be involved in the

governance of the school by their participation

on the Student Representative Council (SRC).

Elected class representatives meet on a weekly

basis and are provided with leadership training

and opportunities to plan student activities.

They also respond to the needs, values and

choices of the student body by consulting and

reporting back to their class. SRC members are

encouraged to act as positive role models and

mentors for other students, especially when

they are new to the school.

The school welcomes and supports the

involvement of community groups and agencies

that receive funding for projects which target

new arrivals, refugees and multi-cultural youth.

These special projects occur on a regular basis

and include: Dance, Hip-Hop, Cirkids and

Drumming. Other sporting programs include

district sports competitions in soccer and

basketball and an Aussie Rules Program. There

is also a Homework Centre as well as a range

of lunchtime activities including Choir, Maths

club, Chess and a Gardening club.

The school prepares students for

participation in mainstream high schools,

further education and training. English is taught

through the full range of curriculum subjects

including Mathematics, Science, ESL, Studies

of Society and Environment (S&E), Health and

Physical Education, ICT, Technical Studies,

Home Economics, Horticulture and the Arts.

The Personal Learning and Wellbeing (PLW)

program introduces the concepts and language

for the Personal Learning Plan (PLP). These

classes are taught across all levels, integrating

ESL, S&E and Health units. It also ensures that

wellbeing, in particular child protection strategies

are formally taught within the curriculum.

Students are assessed in English language

skills on enrolment and placed into one of 4

levels accordingly (Foundation, Intermediate,

Advanced or Transition.) Where possible, classes

are divided into Junior or Senior according to the

ages of the students. Students also follow one

of three Learning Pathways depending on their

previous educational experiences.

Students in Senior classes are given the

opportunity to complete the Personal Learning

Plan (PLP) which enables them to gain units

towards their SACE. They are also eligible to

receive additional SACE units for their studies

of English across the curriculum. Vocational

Education and Training (VET) opportunities

are also offered within school. Some students

complete Certificate 1 in Retail Operations

or attend a variety of other VET programs

including the Learner Driver course.

Class sizes are smaller than in mainstream

schools to enable a more focussed approach

to teaching. School Services Officers (SSOs)

and Bilingual School Services Officers (BSSOs)

and registered community volunteers provide

1:1 or small group support to teachers and

students when requested. The school is wellresourced

with teaching and learning materials

that support the range of student needs.

This includes information technologies with

interactive whiteboards in many classrooms,

2 dedicated computer rooms and a multimedia

room. Banks of lap-tops and i-Pads are

also available for classroom use. A Transition

process occurs at the end of the student’s final

term whereby they are given the opportunity to

visit their chosen High School.

With Multi-cultural Youth SA (MYSA) on site, a

joint-user agreement is in place whereby the school

uses their facility for classroom use during the

school day and MYSA uses the school facilities

(specifically the gymnasium and oval) for afterschool

activities. When opportunities arise,

jointly planned and managed activities occur

during the school day. These include a Homework

Centre, Cultural Programs, End of Year activities

and Refugee Week celebrations.

Sports matches and whole school sports

activity days are part of the school calendar

and are generally organised by the PE

Learning Area Leader, SRC and nominated

teachers. There is also an after school sports

program on Wednesdays when students have

the opportunity to be involved in interschool

sports competitions

Currently the Swimming Program, ESL and

subject specific excursions provide students

with opportunities to experience different

social and recreational activities, which are an

integral part of the whole curriculum.

Families with children attending the school

live in suburbs across the broader Adelaide

metropolitan area with only a small percentage

living in the school’s local community. As

most families are recently arrived from many

different countries with different schooling

systems, the school plays an important role

in providing them with information about

schooling in South Australia. It is important

for them to understand that the school works

in partnership with the families and that good

communication between the parties is essential

to the educational success of their children.

As students attend the school during the

first years of their family’s settlement in

Australia, it is not unusual for families to

move accommodation several times during

their short stay at the school. The majority of

parent/caregivers do not have English as their

first language so, like their children, they also

attend English language programs during the

day and do not work. Many of them also rely

on public transport. It is therefore often difficult

for the parent/caregivers to be proactive in the

education of their children.

The Adelaide Secondary School of English is an

outstanding example of how students from a wide

range of cultural, religious, educational and socioeconomic

backgrounds can work in a positive,

exciting and productive environment to achieve

quite remarkable personal and educational leaps

forward in a short space of time.



familyhistory

Penrith RSL Club

Penrith RSL Club has been an integral part of the

Penrith community, ever since its establishment in

1953. Located in the centre of Penrith, we are at

the Heart of our City. Since 1953, we have grown

both in size and in members, yet continue to

operate under the same principles and values that

were established many years ago. Penrith RSL is

a Club that puts members first. We exist for our

members and our community.

Penrith RSL Club prides itself on its

commitment to upholding the vision and the

spirit of the RSL movement. Where many clubs

have moved away from the image of the RSL,

Penrith RSL has strengthened its relationship,

having one of the largest Sub Branch

associations attached to the Club.

Anzac Day Dawn Service and Club

remembrance activities are the largest in

Western Sydney and continue to grow each

year. To compliment our commitment to the

brave men and women of the armed forces

we wanted to produce an extraordinary

display area for the memorabilia that has been

collected and donated by our members over the

years.

With so many upgrades and renovations

made to the club in recent times, Neel Chand,

CEO of the Club was determined to create an

area where our members and guests could not

only reflect and appreciate the sacrifices made

by the men and women of our armed forces,

but also appreciate a beautiful feature that

would compliment the new and modern styling

of the club.

Knowing the importance this Memorial

Display would have to the Penrith community,

Neel enlisted the assistance of the talented

students of our local TAFE’s Design

Department.

After extensive research, including

interviews with local ex servicemen, the

students produced an amazing design,


EST. 1953

which includes a time line of wars, pictures,

memorabilia, listings of conflicts Australia has

been involved in and a listing of fallen soldiers

form the Penrith area.

The commanding feature of the display

is an amazing piece of artwork depicting a

Gallipoli diorama, which was created by local

artist, Terence Plowright and had unfortunately

been forgotten in the old part of the club. Now

refurbished and brought to life in this beautiful

display.

The Penrith RSL Memorial Display

was officially opened by the Hon, Warren

Snowden, Minister for Veteran Affairs with

the attendance of many VIP Guests including

Local, State and Federal Ministers. The TAFE

students who designed the display attended

the official opening and were honoured with a

plaque attached to the display. Not to mention,

the attendance of many of our members and

their guests, to view this personal and emotive

memorabilia display.

Penrith RSL Club prides itself on bringing the

community together. We are one of Penrith’s

leading Dining and Entertainment venues. With

eighteen different intra clubs, from cricket to

chess, no matter what your personal tastes are,

Penrith RSL Club has something for everyone.

We feature live music all weekend, with

styles ranging from Rock and Party music, to

Jazz and Country. We book only the highest

quality of entertainers and the results can be

seen in the hundreds of happy patrons that

grace our Castle Lounge each week.

Our Castle Lounge is also home to our Bingo

and Raffles. Our Thursday night Spinna Winna

Raffle is more than just a raffle, It’s a night to

meet old friends and make new ones.

Our Legends Sports Bar features our TAB,

snooker tables, pool tables, darts board and our

big screen TV. There is no better place to meet

up with your mates and watch the footy, or

play a game of pool.

We are currently undergoing renovations in

the Club, to provide our members and guests

with a 700 seat Star Buffet. Star Buffet, famous

for their wide array of delicious dishes and

affordable prices, provides a family friendly

atmosphere that compliments the Penrith RSL

Club’s principals of community.

Since 1953, Penrith RSL Club has thrived on

putting our members and community first. The

Penrith RSL Club’s Memorabilia Display is an

astonishing and moving testament to the service

of the men and women of our armed forces and

to the efforts of a community to ensure that

through the building of this display, the memory

of their service will live on for generations.

Whether you are a local or from out of town,

Penrith RSL Club is a place that you will not

forget. Come and visit us soon, Penrith RSL

Club, at the Heart of our City.


A conversation with

individuals so ensuring we have a culture that is

inclusive of women is very important.

TLP: Through these meetings with troops both

here and overseas, have you been able to detect

a willingness to change things?

EB: I feel very positive about the change that

is possible in the military. It is a very male

dominated culture, particularly when you move

right out to the front line, it is about the warrior

culture and important to be sure we have an

effective armed forces. Having said that, the

enemy needs to be outside, not on the inside

and those issues we’re looking at are issues that

will impact on women and men’s effectiveness

in theatre. So there are work and family issues,

what they do on deployment and to ensure

that the family issues are covered back at

home. We’re looking at the issues of career

opportunity’s so can men move outside the

wire as easily as women and how that happens.

We’re looking at sexual harassment and sexual

assault, so a whole range of issues that are

Elizabeth Broderick

Elizabeth Broderick was appointed for a five

year term as Sex Discrimination Commissioner in

September 2007. She was also the Commissioner

responsible for Age Discrimination from

September 2007 until July 2011.

During her term, she has been committed

to improving gender equality through her

advocacy in preventing violence against women

and sexual harassment, improving lifetime

economic security for women, balancing

paid work and unpaid caring responsibilities,

promoting women’s representation in

leadership and strengthening gender equality

laws, monitoring and agencies.Elizabeth has

been a key advocate for Australia’s national

paid parental leave scheme, and domestic

violence reform. She has championed the

changes to the ASX Corporate Governance

Principles to increase the number of women at

decision making level. She has worked with the

Australian Government to strengthen gender

equality laws and agencies.

Elizabeth represents Australia in the United

Nations every year and has facilitated the

attendance of marginalized Australian women

as key advocates to address issues such as

alcohol abuse and domestic violence.

TLP: Thanks for joining us here at The Last

Post, Elizabeth Broderick, what have you been

up to lately?

Elizabeth Broderick: Well, it’s been a busy

time lately. There’s two main things that we’ve

been up to. One is the treatment of Australian

women throughout the military and that’s

across the army, air force and navy, that’s been

taking a lot of my time over the last twelve

months. I suppose the other area is looking

at what initiatives and policy responses can

be put in place to support working women.

That’s from women who work in lower paid

environments right up to those who are looking

at leadership levels.

TLP: How big a role is it for you in regard to

women’s role in the military?

EB: It’s been a very significant review and

inquiry. Just to give you some sense of it,

we’ve been to 40 military bases in the last six

months and I returned earlier this year from

Afghanistan, spending a period over there

talking to our women and men about their

experiences on the front line and actually going

out to some of the forward operating bases so it

has taken up a lot of my time but it is important

work. We have a military of around 60,000

important to men and women in the ADF.

TLP: How have you found the issue of sexual

discrimination here in Australia?

EB: I try to connect as effectively as possible

with women but also with men because if you

look at women in work, the fact is men make

the rules around work, they have access to the

resources so I think if we want those rules to

change, we need to work together with men

to change them. And we’ve had some success.

One is concerning the national paid parental

leave, the second thing is making sure men

and women are paid equally. The other thing is

looking at how we can strengthen the gender

equality agency to make sure it has the power

and resources to do what it’s designed to do.

TLP: Have you found a difference in travelling

between regional attitudes and city attitudes?

EB: I think there are particular issues across

regional and rural areas. I was at the United

Nations earlier this year and we were talking

about particular issues for rural women, where

there are examples of domestic violence. For

example, in metropolitan areas you may be

in close proximity to a refuge. In rural areas

I spoke to women who have to leave with

their kids and walk 80 kilometres to the

nearest refuge. Examples such as there being

only on policeman in the town and he plays

football with the alleged perpetrator. They’re

the types of issues that are quite different in


“I feel very positive about the change that

is possible in the military. It is a very male

dominated culture, particularly when you

move right out to the front line....the enemy

needs to be outside, not on the inside ........these

are issues that will impact on women and

men’s effectiveness in theatre.”

rural communities and urban communities.

So we need to be aware that no one-sizefits-all

approach is going to work. We need

to make sure the approach is tailored to the

environment.

TLP: Is it particularly relevant in indigenous

communities?

EB: That’s exactly right. I’m doing a lot of work

with indigenous communities. In both urban

areas and really remote parts of the country

we’re really working to support indigenous

leaders. There are a lot of wonderful female

indigenous leaders and we’re supporting them

to rebuild some of the social fabric in their

communities. Some good examples of that

is the work that’s being done in the Fitzroy

Valley. In fact those women accompanied me

into the United Nations a couple of years ago

to tell their story about the rebuilding of their

community up there in Fitzroy.

TLP: Have you seen changes since you took the

job on in ’07?

EB: Yes, there’s been a lot of positive changes.

We’ve moved forward in a whole range of

areas. As mentioned before, we now have a

national paid parental leave and five years

ago we were one of two countries that had no

access to such a scheme so that’s been a major

development. We have seen an increase in the

number of women in senior leadership levels

across business and corporate Australia and

again, that’s a positive development. We’re

getting a better insight into what’s going on

with domestic violence and sexual harassment

and we’ll continue to measure that. That’s a

positive development that we’ve got the hard

data there so there’s many areas where there

has been strengthening of legislation and some

positive policy initiatives but having said that,

there’s still a great deal of work to be done.

TLP: I was talking with Ita Buttrose who

insisted that you get a better company bottom

line when you have women involved in decision

making levels with these companies.

EB: That’s exactly right. The research shows

that where there’s greater diversity at a senior

level the corporate performance is much better.

It just makes sense – if you’re drawing your

talent from 100 per cent of the talent pool

rather than just 50 per cent, that’s got to be

better for your business. Common sense.

TLP: Back to the importance of talking

with and educating those men that may feel

threatened in some way but an overt female

presence?

EB: You’re right. There are some men who

feel threatened and the fact is that men and

women’s minds are so intertwined so that

when one side is diminished then both sides

are diminished. So it’s about working with

men to understand that families, for example,

when families have a greater deal of economic

resilience, that benefits both men and women.

Of course, there’s also a lot of responsibility

involved with being the only breadwinner in

a family. If you lose your job there’s a lot of

pressure that comes from that, so I think it’s

important that we keep the communication

happening so both gender’s create a

partnership to make a better future and create

more gender equal wealth because when we do

that we all benefit.

TLP: Does it come down to the art of

communication?

EB: I think communication is a really important

part of it but communication by itself, of course,

won’t be enough. What we need is action as

well and that’s something I’m keen to advocate,

communication between different groups. Also

between groups like employers and unions

and civil society and Governments in a bid to

get them to come together because a lot of

these issues should be non-contentious. It’s

about lifting the whole of society and making

it more equal and it’s best that we know what

each organisation’s vested interest is and make

sure we take that into account when making

decision’s. If were to take our eye of the ball, it

may tend to go backwards very quickly.

TLP: On a personal side, how important is it for

you to feel you’ve made a difference?

EB: I do feel I am making a difference, just in

the everyday conversations I have with people.

If I can change individual’s lives for the better

and work with them to suggest strategy’s then

I think, overall, I would have made a positive

difference. It’s those moments that are the most

rewarding, rather than the large scale or even

wholesale changes.

TLP: Things like more respect for motherhood

so that it’s not an inhibitor to progress in the

workforce?

EB: That’s exactly right. Smart organisations

understand that mother or fatherhood, I mean,

people need to engage deeply with their

families as well as in paid work. Both of those

are basic human rights – the right to paid work

and the right to a family life. Smart employers

are realising that flexibility and programs that

can be put in place will be a big step towards

retaining their best talent. We shouldn’t devalue

motherhood. It’s the most important thing

that I do everyday. As a women I have an

expectation as to being a good mother but also

to be in work that I enjoy and that I’ll have a

stable form of income.

TLP: How prevalent is age discrimination in the

workforce?

EB: Yes, age discrimination is quite insidious.

Research shows that from the age of 45

onwards, your age becomes one of the great

unaddressed barriers to continuing in paid

work. With age discrimination we’re at the

early stages of what needs to happen. We need

to increase the awareness of it because it’s hard

to combat in that it is invisible. A really positive

step towards that has been the appointment of

a full-time Age Discrimination Commissioner,

Susan Ryan. So she’s taken over the work in

that area and is doing a terrific job. With the

increase in the number of elderly, there’s no

question that we have some issues to deal with

there. It also presents some great opportunities

and we need to see it in that light. In different

cultures you see more of the extended families.

TLP: Had you felt the need to make a change

from an early age?

EB: I’d thought we were on a level playing field as

a young person and it wasn’t until I’d had my first

child that I realised that wasn’t necessarily the

case. At that age I was lucky enough to be in a role

where I could start to try to make a difference.

TLP: Is it true that you and your twin sister went to

different schools, as children?

EB: Yes, we’d always been enrolled at different

schools.

TLP: Did you used to swap places with your sister

sometimes?

EB: We used to swap schools, periodically, yes. I’d

go to her school and she’d go to mine. Ha.

TLP: The teachers didn’t notice but the classmates

did?

EB: Yes, the classmates did. The teachers didn’t!

I remember going to her German class and I’d

never spoken a word of German. The teacher

didn’t notice which told me her German was

pretty average! Life for me now, away from work

is spending as much time with family as possible.

That’s important in this job. It’s a reasonably high

stress job. You’re on the road a lot. There can be

hostile receptions because when you’re talking

about gender relations you’re really going to the

heart of a belief system and when you’re talking

to Super Hornet fighter pilots about flexible work

arrangements, that’s not designed to get a good

response. That can be challenging!

TLP: Thanks for your time at The Last Post

Elizabeth.

EB: Yes, thanks Greg. It was great to speak with

you.

people


Legacy’s role:

Legacy is dedicated to supporting the

families of deceased or incapacitated ADF,

peacekeepers and humanitarian officers.

Every day, Legacy provides caring,

compassionate support for these families

through pension advocacy, counselling,

special housing, medical, and social

support. They’re also committed to

nurturing children’s education by

contributing towards school fees, books,

uniforms, and recreational activities to aid

their self-development and confidence.

Legacy Australia has been a loyal servant to the

Australian public for nearly 90 years. Guided

by a promise to look after the ‘missus and kids’

of those who lose their lives fighting for their

country, Legacy has been a constant source of

support and friendship to families following the

tragedies which accompany war.

As Australia celebrates another Legacy Week

and remember those who gave their lives for

their country, it’s important to recognise the

families left behind, and the struggles they’re

forced to overcome.

The Shoebridges are one such Australian family.

Ruth Shoebridge’s husband Murray served with

the RAAF in Port Hedland during World War

II, and was tasked with the responsibility of

manning radars in hot, isolated and very harsh

conditions. Like many of his comrades, Murray

smoked during his time at war, a habit which

later contributed to his death in 2000 following a

prolonged illness.

After returning from service in World War 2,

Murray and Ruth had a daughter by the name of

Helen who suffers from down syndrome. Since

Murray’s death in 2000, Ruth, now 82 years old,

has been left with sole care of Helen, aged 52.

In recent times Ruth’s health has deteriorated

following a stroke, and she now requires

constant high-level care. While restricted by

the circumstances of her own health, Ruth

was deeply concerned for the welfare of her

daughter. Helen has lived full-time in a residential

community house since her father’s health

deteriorated, and has been regularly visiting her

mother on weekends.

The family is coping with many difficulties, both

practical and emotional, but without the everpresent

support of Legacy their struggles would

be much greater.

For twelve years since the death of her husband,

Ruth has cherished the company of other widows

who have children with a disability, and says

they are a fine group of ladies who understand

each other’s challenges. Ruth is grateful Helen

has been able to attend Legacy activities for

dependents with a disability, which she says have

been ‘marvellous’ for Helen and have helped her

maintain her cheerful disposition.

The contemporary need for Legacy is very

real. The tens of thousands of Australian

Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed

over recent years, and Australia’s

various peace-keeping operations and

commitment in the Middle East, continues

to see a growing demand for Legacy’s

services today and well into the future.

To date, throughout Australia Legacy

assists over 100,000 widows, and 1,900

children and people with a disability.

Legacy’s presence in the Shoebridge family’s life

has been a constant in good times and bad. All

Ruth wants is for her daughter Helen is to know

she will have a healthy and happy future, and

takes great comfort in the fact she can rest easy,

knowing Legacy will be there for her daughter

Helen when she’s no longer around.

Legacy can only continue to provide counselling,

special housing, medical, advocacy, social support

and other essential services to over 100,000

widows, children and dependents with a disability,

thanks to faithful support from their donors.

If you want to help Legacy, then please make

a donation today – or buy a badge for Legacy

Week – and help them keep their promise to care

for our veterans’ families.

For more information visit

www.legacy.com.au/Donate


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by David Campbell

I am writing, dearest mother, of a land that’s like no other,

and a lifestyle that’s so far from all I’ve known.

But despite my homesick yearning there is so much I am learning

that there simply isn’t time to feel alone.

Though I miss the village chatter, it no longer seems to matter

that I’ve left the lanes and hedgerows well behind,

for this country is beguiling in a sense that has me smiling

at the sheltered way my life was once defined.

You have heard, I know, of sorrow, of a place with no tomorrow,

of a landscape that is stark and dry and bare,

where the wildlife is quite feral and each day is fraught with peril,

while the people, by and large, just couldn’t care.

But the tales of any nation are, in truth, exaggeration,

and one needs to pause and try to understand

how the past has been translated to the present now created,

for Australia is an ancient, timeless land.

As I write, the heat is fading, and a gum tree’s leaves are shading

me from daylight’s final blaze of blood-red sun.

While the distant hills still shimmer and I wait for starlight’s glimmer

I can ponder on the life I’ve now begun.

A Leter Home

I remember you beseeching me to stay at home while teaching,

and I’m sorry that I caused you so much pain,

but I followed other voices, and, in taking up my choices,

I can truly say I’ve found so much to gain.

There is harshness in the weather, but it brings us all together…

we unite as one to face a common foe…

and the harmony of sharing brings a strength, a bond of caring,

that assists us all to prosper and to grow.

In the turning of the season I can find another reason

to renew my strength and keep my vow to stay,

for the drought has just been broken and each patch of green’s a token

of a future that at first seemed far away.

With the dams all overflowing and a breeze at twilight blowing,

it is possible to see some hope again.

In the people I am meeting there is joy, a friendly greeting,

for the lifeblood of the town flows with the rain.

But enough procrastinating, for, you see, I’m hesitating

to explain the major reason that I write.

All I ask is understanding, with a plea you’ll not be branding

me in haste with hurtful names, as well you might.

I have met a man, dear mother, and he’s unlike any other,

with a lifestyle that’s so very far from yours.

He is strong, yet kind and gentle, and there’s something elemental

in his knowledge of the land and nature’s laws.

He was wounded in the fighting in New Guinea, and that’s blighting

quite a lot of lives as men return back here.

There is little comprehension of the scale and true dimension

of the horror that they went through, and the fear.

But it seems as though he’s coping, and I very much am hoping

that the two of us can overcome the past,

for I love him very dearly and would ask that you, sincerely,

will support us both and make our union last.

Now I have one last confession, lest you get the wrong impression,

and I hesitate once more to set this down,

for I really need your blessing…your dismay would be distressing…

so I pray you’ll grant a smile and not a frown.

I have searched for words quite vainly, yet must state this very plainly,

for the man I love has skin as black as coal.

You may think I’ve lost my senses, but I’ve banished all pretences,

and I need him so, with all my heart and soul.

We will face discrimination with a joint determination

that we’ll do our best to prove the doubters wrong,

for his colour has no bearing on the life that we’ll be sharing,

but we know the road ahead is hard and long.

On our path lie many dangers, and the necessary changes

to this culture still lie decades down the track.

We’re just part of the beginning, in a battle well worth winning…

the acceptance for all time of white and black.

David Campbell is a Melbourne

writer and poet.

This poem, ‘A Letter Home’,

won the 2008 NSW Bush

Poetry Championships.

To my son, I leave my piano.

To the Salvos, I leave hope.

Include a bequest to The Salvation Army in your Will and leave behind a future

for people in need. To find out more please call 1800 337 082 or visit us

online at salvationarmy.org.au/wills

Please send to: The Salvation Army, GPO Box 9888, In Your Capital City.

Yes, I’d like to know more about: (Tick one)

□ Leaving a Bequest to The Salvation Army □ Information to assist with preparing a Will

Name

Address

State

Email Tel Best time to call AM/PM

□ I have already included The Salvation Army in my Will

P/C

people

Maureen

Frank

CEO, Emberin Pty Ltd

Put simply, Maureen works at an

organizational level to help men,

women and their businesses become

far more successful by embracing the

value of gender diversity. With a legal

and risk management background, she

can analyse and quickly assess the risks

businesses face and the strategies they

need to implement, particularly in light

of the new ASX Recommendations

for ASX Listed companies.

Maureen Frank is Australia’s pre-eminent

expert on gender diversity and women’s

advancement,recognised globally for her acumen,

initiatives and best practices. In March 2010 she was

instrumental in Telstra becoming the first Australian

company to win the prestigious Catalyst Award.

Headquartered in New York, Catalyst is the peak

global body that champions inclusive workplaces

and increased opportunities for women in business.

Through her participation in PWC’s Closing

the Gap gender diversity program she has helped

business leaders in over 150 countries marshal the

resource of women and their unique talents. In May

2010, Maureen was invited by the International

Biographical Centre, of Cambridge, England to be

named as part of the World Who’s Who of Women

biographical volume.

At an individual level she helps people

transform their lives through practical

guidance, skill development and motivation. She

is the founder of Emberin, Australia’s premier

women’s empowerment and gender diversity

company; and the creator of the My Mentor

suite of women’s advancement programs and

men’s gender leadership programs undertaken

by thousands across Australia and India.

A former lawyer, Maureen moved to the

UK in the mid-1990s where she was a major

player in the fledgling mergers and acquisitions

insurance industry. In 2001 she returned to

Australia to create and head up Aon’s local

mergers and acquisitions team. Within three

years, her department was the largest producer

of new revenue for Aon, having cracked the

hardnosed investment banking and private

equity worlds in Australia.

Within Aon internationally Maureen was

recognized as a standout performer. Within

Australia she won a Telstra Business Woman

of Year Award in 2004 and was named a BRW

‘Rising Star’ in 2005 – all this whilst being a single

mother of twin girls, one of whom has a disability.

She is the standard bearer for a new

generation of female business leaders respected

by their male and female peers for achieving

outstanding success whilst embracing their

femininity and supporting other women.

Maureen’s passion for helping women achieve

their personal and career goals is reflected in

her book, You Go Girlfriend, which inspires

women to believe they can achieve whatever

they put their minds to. This book, first released

in 2005 and now in its second edition, was an

Australian best seller.

Maureen has been an expert presenter at

conferences in the United States, India, South

Africa and Australia. In addition she is a highly

sought-after motivational speaker and VIP

executive facilitator. She sits on Coca Cola

Amatil’s, Amcor’s, Downer’s and Wesfarmers

Resources Diversity Councils, has been a

Gender Diversity advisor to some of Australia’s

largest companies and donates profits from her

business to the Smith Family. Emberin spans

ASX 100 companies in Australia, government

departments, national sporting bodies,

educational institutions, a number of large

global clients, and individuals.


WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...

Lucky Starr is one

of the founding

members of the

Australian Pop

Music Industry. A

regular on television

shows such as

Bandstand and also

hosted Six O’Clock

Rock for one season.

He also made

regular appearances

on Mavis Bramston,

Revue 60-61

Lucky Starr

whatever happened to...

In Melbourne Tonight, Sing Sing Sing, plus

many other entertainment shows.

In early 1962 Lucky met songwriter

Geoff Mack in an Afro-Cuban nightclub in

Kings Cross. Geoff played him “I’ve been

everywhere” and Lucky recorded it a couple

of weeks later. It was released in Australia

on Festival and in the USA on Dot Records.

It remains an all-time favourite and received

the highest accolade in the music industry,

the Platinum award. “It was heady days back

then as rock ‘n roll here was in it’s infancy

and young kids would go to extremes to hear

it, to see it. Roland Storm, Digby, J O’K, The

Deltones, we were the first rock stars but, fame

is fleeting and it’s how you handle it that’s

important”, Lucky says.

In 1963, Lucky moved to the United States

and had chart success with “Poor little Jimmy

Brown”. During this time Lucky concentrated

on the cabaret circuit and toured the world

extensively for the Hilton Hotel chain. With the

considerable success he had in Las Vegas Lucky

was offered American residency. “America was

sensational. I’d worked here with jazz vocalist

Billy Eckstein and the famous Jimmy Rodgers and

they sponsored me so that I got my Green Card

and started working in the U.S. I loved it and then

of course I arrived there in L.A. and recorded

‘Poor Little Jimmy Brown’ at Dot Studios.

Lucky was also the first Australian

performer to entertain the troops in Vietnam;

in fact paying his own way there and made five

subsequent trips into the war zone.

2002 and 2003 saw Lucky touring with

“Long Way To The Top”, an Arena Spectacular

which toured Australia’s capitals and regional

centres. The show featured the cream of

Australia’s entertainers from the 50’s, 60’s

and 70’s. Due to its popularity it became the

subject of an ABC Television special. “It was

ten years back and it was sensational”, says

Lucky, “and there’s every chance it may happen

again”.

Lucky’s style ranges from Rock & Roll, to

Country through to Jazz and is in fact similar to

the late great Bobby Darin.

These days his polished performing style has

him working full time in the business he loves.


schools across the nation

WEST WANGARATTA

PRIMARY SCHOOL - VIC

In 2004 I entered my school in ABC Classics Grab the Goanna competition amid sense of belonging, cooperation and confidence

doubts that our school was worthy of such a prize. To our great delight we won! as we make music together.

We not only received a Yamaha baby grand piano, but the goodwill of a nation of Reflecting on our win eight years ago I know

Classic FM listeners. Such was the kindness that one listener donated a sizable that the piano is not just a sentimental memory.

amount of money to start a building fund for a new music room. Six years on It is an ever present reminder that change can

and we got exactly that. The occasion of winning the piano stands as a landmark and does happen. It stands as a symbol of the

in our school’s history. It opened a door to a new culture; a new way of seeing status that music holds in our school and the

things, creating pride in our school and a renewed sense of achievement. It value we place on quality music education.

generated the inspiration needed to move the music program forward, and since Music at our school crosses all social and

then music education at Wangaratta West has never been the same.

cultural barriers. It is the thread that binds our

school community together.

Over the past eight years the number of

students who have taken up the piano and

other instruments has dramatically increased.

A year on from winning the piano we held our

first music recital in the old music room as a

way of commemorating the birthday of our

piano. Over the years the recital evening has

grown into an event that celebrates how music

connects us. Students perform alongside their

parents, teachers, friends and other community

members. The last few years have ended with

a community drum circle or African dance led

by our Senior Drum Group.

The school runs an extensive African

drumming program with junior, intermediate

and senior groups. The senior drum group,

known as West Beat, perform and run

drum circle workshops for local community

organisations and events. In 2010 West Beat

formed a partnership with the Northeast Neuro

Support Group to assist adult clients in their

rehabilitation for brain injury. Students are

partnered with an adult client; assisting them

to participate in rhythm activities and helping

them learn traditional African drumming

pieces. The partnership is hugely successful,

benefitting both clients and students. Recently

we performed at the 7th World Congress for

Neurorehabilitation and were applauded for our

efforts in the use of music therapy.

Aside from weekly music lessons the school

also runs two choirs and a senior percussion

group. The choir program develops students’

part singing and has seen them give heartwarming

performances at local events,

nursing homes, retirement villages, Carol’s by

Candlelight and the school’s annual Christmas

musical. Students at Wangaratta West enjoy

learning music because it instils within them a

Celebrating the arrival of the grand piano in 2004

Celebrating the arrival of the grand piano in 2004

The school’s senior African Drumming group, called West

Beat, performing at Harmony Day celebrations in 2011

Heart Beat group (Neuro support

drumming partnership) at the

International NeuroRehabilitation

conference in Melbourne in May this year.

The school’s senior African Drumming group, called West Beat, performing at Harmony Day

celebrations in 2011

OECD GIVES MY SCHOOL TOP MARKS

A recent report from the OECD

confirms that the Labor Government’s

goal of giving Australian families more

information about their local school than

ever before has been highly successful,

thanks to the My School website.

School Education Minister Peter Garrett

said the Delivering School Transparency in

Australia: National reporting through My

School report released late June, showed that

the implementation of My School has helped

students, teachers, parents and decisionmakers.

“The OECD monograph sets out the

rationale behind My School, the various

challenges the Government faced during its

development, and how these challenges were

resolved. The report provides examples of

sound policy formation and strong political

leadership which other countries may choose to

learn from,” he said.

“This Government launched the My School

website in January 2010 to ensure everyone involved

in education—teachers, school leaders, parents and

politicians—can see how schools and students are

faring, to help us lift school performance and direct

resources to where they are most needed.

“The report found that as a result of My School,

we now have nationally consistent data that lets us

analyse policy options and better target our funding

and resources.”

International research—including the OECD

Programme for International Student Assessment

(PISA)—shows clear accountability for school results

encourages better results for school leaders, teachers

and students and lets parents make informed

decisions about their child’s education.

Recognising Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander

peoples who championed

change

Defence has

acknowledged the

role Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander

peoples have played in

defending Australia at a

memorial service held

at the Australian War

Memorial last month.

The Chief of the Defence Force, General

David Hurley addressed the ceremony and laid a

wreath in honour of Indigenous servicemen and

women, past and present.

The ceremony was part of NAIDOC week

2012 which is celebrating Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander peoples who have championed

change. One of the themes for NAIDOC 2012 is

‘They dared to Challenge’.

“It is a powerful theme and what comes

to my mind is a spirit of courage and

determination. Both are vitally important

qualities shared by all Service men and

women,” General Hurley said.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

peoples who entered into service in World War

II are a great example of people who ‘dared to

challenge’ in the interest of Australia.

More than 3000 Indigenous Australians

enlisted during World War II. A further

150-200 served as de facto Servicemen

and patrolled and performed other military

duties along the north Australian coast while

an additional 3000 Indigenous Australians

supported the World War II defence effort as

civilian labourers.

“History shows that our Indigenous Service

men and women dared to challenge the system

by fighting for their country in a time of great

need and were among the early pioneers of a

reconciliation process that continues today,”

General Hurley said.

“There is a long list of exemplary Service

men and women who also happen to be

Indigenous. We thank them for their service

and welcome the next generation of Indigenous

Australians who will carry on their tradition of

service,” General Hurley said.

Defence provides education, training

and dedicated programs like the Defence

Indigenous Development Program and

Indigenous pre-recruitment course to assist.

Key observations of the OECD report

include:

• School transparency has placed the

whole community in the same position as

education officials in having access to new

national data.

• Policy details were based on evidence

• The Government clearly articulated

the rationale for making nationally

comparable school information publicly

available, and promoted greater flexibility

for education expenditure in return for

more transparency and accountability.

• Before NAPLAN and My School there was

no nationally comparable data or single

source of data on all schools on which

to base policy reforms and the equitable

distribution of funding.

“We know parents use and appreciate My

School. On launch day, the site had around

30 million page views, and since then up

until late June, 4.5 million people have

logged on to get information about their

local school,” Mr Garrett said.

“The OECD report acknowledges how

important My School is in helping us

respond to the recommendations of the

Gonski school funding review. My School is

also helping us implement other key reforms

such as Rewards for School Improvement,

and ensure funding for programs such as

literacy and numeracy schemes goes to the

schools that need it most.”

Mr Garrett said My School will continue

to be updated and improved over time, with

information such as teacher experience and

the number of students with disabilities at

every school to be added to as part of site

updates.


music

Out of Abingdon

From dappled-shade-ice-tinkling riverside afternoons to

balmy twighlight city rooftops and late-night jam joints,

Out of Abingdon continue to make their indelible mark

on the jazz and blues soundscape.

Their interpretations of the greats are as

captivatingly unique as they are eminently

respectful. Their originals are effortlessly

spellbinding, flowing and following in the

musical footsteps of the greats who inspire

them: Bjork, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nina Simone,

Grant Green, Tom Waits, JJ Cale, Kenny

Burrell, Joan Armatrading, Bill Withers and

the incomparable Miles Davis. It’s an eclectic,

intoxicating fusion; and one that continues

to bewitch and charm festival audiences for

thousands of miles around.

Hargreaves’ guitar is deft, explorative;

penetrating into every nook and nuance.

Fullerton is breathy, sultry and seductive;

at other times innocent wisp. Theirs is an

understated elegance that draws the listener in.

Out of Abingdon have just independently

released their long awaited debut CD ‘Journeys’

after building a solid following playing hundreds

of live shows over the last 3 years.

CONTACT US

EMAIL:

outofabingdon@live.com

PHONE WARWICK:

0419 664 126

PHONE TINA:

0410 801 797

Career Highlights

include performances at:

2011’s

• ‘Edinburgh Fringe Festival’

• ‘Noosa Jazz Festival’

• ‘Gold Coast Acoustic Music Festival’

• ‘Teneriffe Festival’ (VIP party)

• ‘Valley Jazz Festival’

• ‘Ipswich Festival - Jazz, Wine & Blues’

2010’s

• ‘Broadbeach Jazz & Food Festival’

• ‘Noosa Jazz Festival’

• Brisbane Advertising & Design (BAD)

Awards - Tivoli Theatre

& venues including

• Frizzantes Restaurant - London

• a monthly residency at award winning

‘boroughs cafe/winebar’ (over 2 years)

• Rydges Hotel South Bank

• the Waterloo Hotel

• DM Jazz Bar/Restaurant

• North Lakes Resort Golf Club

• Limes Hotel Rooftop Bar

• ‘Brisbane Unplugged Gigs’

• the Point Restaurant South Bank

• Diana Plaza Hotel & Plaza Deck Bar & Bistro

(weekly residency)

• Redefined Restaurant

• the Valley Markets

• Chinatown Mall

• Brisbane Convention Centre..... as well as many

other venues & private & corporate functions.

Testimonials

‘Out of Abingdon are friggin’ awesome, worldclass

double bass, guitar and vocals’

Shane Murray, President- Brisbane

Advertising & Design Club (BAD)

‘100% recommended .. cool Jazz at it’s very best’

Pat Hall - Folk Redlands

‘the Duo last night was perfect...you could have been in

New York or London..... and this style is a perfect fit.. ‘

Damian ‘LIMES Hotel’

‘stunning and wonderful performance....absolutely

wrapped with your music, yourselves and everything

from volume to vibe, even the rain preferred to listen!’

Tea C. Dietterich, Multimedia Languages & Marketing

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Revues

5/5 Stars

Wonderful music and a class act, I not only got

the debut cd but will be looking out for them

in future festivals. If you see the name ‘out of

abingdon’ please go and see them you won’t be

disappointed.

Marc Wooten ( via Lovefringe .com )

5/5 Stars

Went to see this duo last night in The Jazz Bar

and was really impressed. Superb! If you like

jazz, blues, soul music you’ll love this duo.

Great dynamics, lots of feeling and sensitivity

to their playing, I was mesmorized and could

have watched them all night. Beautiful, tender,

sincere and meaningful playing and vocals.

Jools ( via Lovefringe .com )

5/5 Stars

Just spent an hour drifting on a cloud of sublime

jazz. Truly wonderful!

Warwick Hargreaves - Guitar / Vocals

Tina Fullerton - Double Bass / Vocals

www.outofabingdon.com.au

www.myspace.com/outofabingdon

www.facebook.com/pages/outofabingdon


travyyel

*Conditions 86 THE LAST Apply

POST - The Special Edition - Aug/Sep 2012

familyhistory

Everything in your life will be going along smoothly. & then something

unexpected happens. & there’s a family drama, or you have to get your

affairs in order. & now you need a good lawyer. & someone nearby you

can trust. & so you call 1800 555 777 or visit slatergordon.com.au

ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC & WA


FUNDING BOOST FOR VETERAN HEALTH

AND WELLBEING INITIATIVES

The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon

announced in July, funding for 62 projects that will

benefit the health and welfare of veterans across Australia.

REGIONAL

COMMUNITIES

GET ARTS

FUNDING

BOOST

Regional communities

across Australia

will be flexing their

creative skills thanks

to funding for arts

projects as diverse

as busking, street art,

musical theatre and

photography.

Arts Minister Simon Crean announced in

late June that 86 arts and cultural activities

throughout regional Australia will benefit from

more than $900,000 in funding through the

Regional Arts Fund.

Mr Crean said the funding will help kick-start

arts projects in South Australia, Queensland, the

Northern Territory, Western Australia, Victoria

and Tasmania.

“Australia has a huge wealth of creative talent

in the regions. The funding announced today

allows artists to work with communities to

create vibrant and memorable performances and

artworks,” Mr Crean said.

“The Australian Government is committed to

supporting creative and artistic expression in our

regional communities.

“The Regional Arts Fund encourages

networking and partnership building in these

regional communities to enable the exchange

of ideas which is so essential to growth and

creating new opportunities in the arts and

culture space.”

The successful applicants include:

• $14,570 for Arts in the Long Grass (Northern

Territory). One of the most disadvantaged

populations in Darwin will be offered access

to arts and cultural expression through the

provision of arts materials and mentors which

will allow members of this community access

to a wide range of artistic expression.

• $29,670 for Crush Festival 2012 – Youth

Development Project (Queensland). Young

people in Bundaberg will engage in a variety

of street art projects such as making zines, QR

interaction games, pop-up acts and busking at

the 2012 Crush Festival in October.

• $2,376 for Exploring OUR world through

photography (South Australia). Local women

from the Bowhill and Karoonda area will be

able to participate in a two day photography

workshop exploring ways to express themselves,

celebrate local life, and to find beauty within the

harsh environment in which they live.

• $15,000 for Inside/Out (Victoria). A site specific

performance project working with people with

a disability exploring movement, sound, light

encountering space through the senses.

• $25,000 for Staircase to the Moon (Western

Australia). Theatre Kimberley will develop

the story Staircase to the Moon (written by

Indigenous author Bronwyn Houston) into a

musical play for children by running puppetry,

dance and voice workshops. The final production

will be performed as part of the opening season

of the newly refurbished Civic Centre Broome.

• $2,280 for the 140th Anniversary Gala Concert

(Tasmania). To commemorate 140 years

of continuous service, the Latrobe Federal

Band will perform a reunion Gala Concert in

November 2012 featuring past and present

senior and junior band members and debut

a commissioned work. Funding will assist

commissioning composer Graham Lloyd with

travel costs and to engage Musical Director of

the Latrobe Federal Band, Vivian Martin.

• The funding for each state will be provided

through the local regional arts agency.

• The full list of recipients and

further information on the

Regional Arts Fund is available at

www.arts.gov.au/arts/regional_arts_fund

Mr Snowdon said the funding is part of

the Australian Government’s Veteran &

Community Grants program, which provides

support for ex-service and community

organisations.

“I am pleased to announce $555,589 has

been allocated towards 62 projects around

the country that help veterans, war widows

and widowers lead healthier and more

fulsome lives,” he said.

“This funding will assist a range of

initiatives and activities, from undertaking

bus trips to reduce social isolation,

to purchasing equipment to produce

community newsletters and enhance social

activities.”

Veteran & Community Grants are

available to ex-service and community

organisations, veteran representative

groups and private organisations to

support projects that aim to improve the

independence and quality of life for the

veteran community.

Since 2008, the Australian Government

has supported more than 1,200

organisations with over $13.6 million in

funding.

“It is important that the ex-service

community has access to activities and

programs to give them skills to remain

independent, healthy and active, particularly

for the elderly living by themselves,” Mr

Snowdon said.

“These projects improve access to

community care services, encourage social

interaction and ultimately enrich the lives of

Australian veterans, young and old.

“I encourage local and community

organisations to apply for funding to ensure

our veterans continue to engage in a healthy

lifestyle.”

Organisations interested in applying for

funding are encouraged to visit www.dva.

gov.au/grants or contact their nearest DVA

office on 133 254 (metropolitan callers) or

1800 555 254 (regional callers).

.


LIVING LONGER LIVING BETTER IN THE HUNTER

Minister for Ageing

Mark Butler joined

local MP Jill Hall in July

in Belmont to report

back to the community

on the Government’s

$3.7 billion aged care

package.

Mr Butler said the Australian Government’s

Living Longer Living Better aged care reform

provided a comprehensive 10-year plan to

reshape aged care.

“In preparing this package I held consultations

with individuals, community groups and the

aged care industry across Australia, including the

Hunter and Central Coast regions. We listened to

what you said and now we are delivering.”

Local Federal MP for Shortland Jill Hall said

the $3.7 billion reforms provide a strong focus

on helping people to stay in their own home as

they get older.

“People want to be able to live in their own

home and get the support services they need to

continue having a meaningful interactive life in

their community,” Ms Hall said.

Mr Butler said it was also important to

provide more choice and control to older people

in the way services were delivered.

“We’re replacing an aged care system

designed a quarter of a century ago and which

is now ill-equipped to meet the needs of retiring

baby boomers and their parents who are living

longer and healthier lives,” Mr Butler said.

Other key aspects of the reform package

include:

• Increase residential aged care places from

191,522 to 221,103.

• Funding of $1.2 billion to improve the

aged care workforce through a Workforce

Compact.

• More funding for dementia care in the aged

care network, and more support for services.

• A single gateway to all aged care services, to

make them easier to access and navigate

Every student benefits from arts

education under new National

Curriculum

Every Australian student

will study the arts from

their first year of school

under the new national

arts curriculum, which

was released last month for

public consultation.

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said

that education will be transformed with the

arts coming to centre stage.

“This will be the first time every Australian

school student will be entitled to arts education

from kindergarten onwards and I know the

positive impacts on students will be huge,” he said.

“I’ve been a passionate advocate of the

importance of arts as part of a comprehensive,

well-rounded education. Learning subject

areas like music and drama inspires creativity,

encourages young people to think critically, helps

develop their sense of identity and can provide

great benefits for learning in other core areas.

“The value the Gillard Government places

on the arts is reflected in the fact that the

Arts Curriculum is the first learning area to be

developed for the National Curriculum after the

four core subjects of English, maths, science

and history.”

Speaking at the Australian Major Performing

Arts Group (AMPAG) Arts in Education forum

in Brisbane, Mr Garrett said the draft curriculum

has been developed after close and extensive

consultation with the arts community and

educators across the country.

“The curriculum is divided into the five arts

subjects of drama, dance, music, the visual arts,

and media arts. It sets out how students from the

first year of school to Year 10 will study these

subjects, what they can learn and the achievement

standards they will need to meet,” he said.

“Each subject is developed to be appropriate

for different age groups, so for example

Kindergarten students will learn about dance

movements by playing games.

“Students will also use the arts to learn about

local, regional and global cultures, history and

traditions. There is also a strong focus on Indigenous

art forms in the new curriculum.”

Minister for the Arts Simon Crean said a

creative nation is a more productive nation and

teaching arts is vital to inspiring creativity in

young people.

“Research shows an arts-rich education

prepares children for better academic

achievement and creative flexible thinking,” Mr

Crean said.

“The new national arts curriculum is an

important dot to join as the Federal Government

develops the first National Cultural Policy since

Creative Nation more than 20 years ago.

“The National Cultural Policy will link

traditional arts, creative industries, screen

production, digital platforms and school

education to position the arts as a driver of

social and economic benefits.”

Mr Garrett said the draft Arts curriculum

was developed by the Australian Curriculum

Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA),

following the blueprint set out in the earlier arts

‘shape paper’ developed last year by Professor

John O’Toole, Foundation.

THE LAST POST - The Special Edition - Aug/Sept 2012 8 9

CULTURE RESCUE

by The Zone’s Michael Short

“We are readers who the writer could

not have imagined. We belong ... to the

unimaginable future.” - Michael Heyward

THE Miles Franklin

award is arguably

Australia’s most

prestigious literary prize.

It was won three times

by David Ireland. His

books are out of print

in this nation. This

seems absurd, a cultural

shame, as does the fact

that Miles Franklin’s

celebrated My Brilliant

Career can only be

bought in Australia in

an American edition; it is

out of print here.

Michael Heyward is on

a mission to bring outof-print

Australian

literature back into

the cultural ether,

writes Michael Short.

Michael Heyward. Photo by Simon Schluter, Fairfax Syndication.

Ireland and Franklin are but two of many

writers of stupendous Australian literature

whose work is out of print in Australia.

You can’t buy a new Australian copy of a

lamentably large number of works that are a

fundamental part of our heritage and are as

fresh and enticing and engaging as they were at

their creation.

The Zone’s guest Michael Heyward has

decided to do something about it. He is founder

and publisher of Text Publishing, which is

poised to release - in paperback and e-book

- 30 Australian classics, many of which are at

present out of print.

Each book in the series contains an

introduction by a guest writer. The full list

can be found here. As well as Franklin’s My

Brilliant Career and Ireland’s The Glass Canoe,

it includes Peter Corris’ The Dying Trade,

Watkin Tench’s 1788, Shane Maloney’s Stiff,

Kate Grenville’s Dark Places and Elizabeth

Harrower’s The Watch Tower.

In explaining the project during our

interview, the full transcript of which and a

short video are at theage.com.au/opinion/thezone,

Heyward gives a definition of what makes

a book a classic.

‘’There is something about them that remains

new, fresh, shocking, challenging, confronting

and energising.

‘’The thing about old books that I find

mysterious and interesting is that reading them

now, we are readers who the writer could not

have imagined.

‘’We belong, from the point of view of the

book, to the unimaginable future, and it’s when

a book passes that test of moving beyond the

circumstances of its publication, where people

are either cheering it on or they’re howling

at it or whatever, and it encounters readers

who have no prior interest in the book, no

preconception about whether it’s good or bad

and different, that’s when you get a really

fascinating reading experience.’’

Australia is a nation of readers; we have long

had a relatively high consumption of books per

person. Paradoxically, though, we publish a

relatively low number of books compared with

other industrialised, rich nations.

A key reason is that Australian publishing

began to emerge quite late. The industry

remains dominated by European and US

publishing houses.

‘’Our book publishing, in its modern

incarnation, is not really old - it’s about 30

years old, maybe going back to the ‘70s. Before

then, there was really one great Australian

company, which was Angus & Robertson.

‘’So we have a history of being intensely

curious about things with our reading, but of

our writers often having to go overseas … to

have their books published. And what that has

meant is that over time for a range of reasons

we have lost track of some of the great books

that have been written by Australians.’’

The other key explanation for the

unavailability of Australian classics, as Heyward

would have it, is that our universities are failing

to offer enough courses in Australian literature.

The first chair in Australian Literature

was created by public subscription at Sydney

University in 1962. Fifty years later, there are

only three such professorships in the entire

nation, he says. ‘’This goes to a question

of what is the view inside cultural studies

departments, as they are called now, about

the primacy and the primary necessity of kids

encountering the literature of their own country

when they are doing their degrees.

‘’Kids are studying Australian books at

school and then they get to university and

unless they go out of their way to find these

courses, they may do an arts degree and not

read any Australian books at all.

‘’While the publishers have often not done

a very good job to keep these books in print, I

am mystified myself why Australian literature

does not have a bigger footprint inside our

universities.’’

Heyward’s epiphany about older literary

works came long ago when he discovered the

writing of Watkin Tench, a lieutenant-general


who arrived with the First Fleet. He came

across references to Tench in Tim Flannery’s

The Future Eaters, and finally tracked down in

a library an academic hardcopy that had been

published in the late 1950s, the first reprint

since 1792. ‘’I read the book and it blew

me away. I thought every 15-year-old should

read this book, because here is an incredibly

readable, lively account of the primary

encounter between European and Aboriginal

culture that the British encountered, and the

environment.’’

He contacted Flannery, who has written

the introduction to the edition Text is about

to publish, and suggested editing a version

for paperback. They did, and it sold tens of

thousands of copies. ‘’Penny Hueston, my

wife, was in Readings the weekend that we

published the book and she came back and

said, ‘I couldn’t get out of the bookstore

because someone had bought a copy of Watkin

Tench and he was standing in the doorway

reading it and he wouldn’t move.’

‘’There is something so distinctively modern

about Tench’s engagement with a place that

he’s trying to understand absolutely for the

first time that he really showed us how we

could take older books - and there is a history

of us doing this at Text - and present them to a

readership now in ways which will really entice

readers to pick them up.’’

The digital revolution is creating

opportunities for publishers and media

companies, even while it disrupts their

traditional business models to the point of

driving some out of business. It might be

difficult for producers and distributors of

content, but it is unambiguously positive for

consumers. People can now buy an e-book at

any time of the day or night, and Text is feeding

this growing market by producing all but two

of the 30 books in the classics series in digital

form as well as paperback.

Michael Heyward and Penny Hueston

launched Text Publishing in 1994. They have

four children. When Heyward speaks of

publishing, he does so almost with the same

passion as when he talks of childbirth and

fatherhood. Almost. The first book they

published was Maloney’s Stiff, and it has not

been out of print since.

Heyward says many people he talks to

about the project are astounded that so much

great Australian literature is out of print.

Is there some sort of cultural cringe going

on? ‘’Cultural cringe is an extraordinarily

potent phrase, because it not only identified

a reflex in our culture that things had to find

cultural approbation outside Australia before

they could be accepted inside Australia. It’s

extraordinarily potent because ‘cultural cringe’

has, with the fame of the phrase, helped to

engender the thing that it’s meant to merely

describe. But I think that that is a common

reflex. In some ways it’s an understandable

reflex.

‘’We are a recent literature, but there is

nothing in literary history that says that recent

literatures are not dynamic, fully formed and

as challenging as older literatures.’’

Heyward describes his project as ambitious,

something that is about much more than his

little publishing company. He is on a cultural

mission, seeking to create a rightful place for

works that capture our passions, our fears,

and that link us to our past and can inform our

future.

‘’These books add to our stock of available

reality … We simply won’t be fully culturally alive

if those books are not part of the cultural ether.’’

www.theage.com.au

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Ringwood Reservists continue

a tradition of serving

In late April Parliamentary

Secretary for Defence

Senator David Feeney and

the Member for Deakin

Mike Symon MP visited

the 4th Combat Engineer

Regiment (4 CER) in

Ringwood East.

4 CER has a long history in Ringwood East.

The Regiment’s lineage goes back to the 10th

Combat Engineer Squadron who served in

WWI. The Ringwood East Depot has been in

continuous Defence use since 1956.

Ninety per cent of these Reservists live

within a 20km radius of the depot, making the

Regiment truly local to the eastern suburbs.

There are 195 Army Reserve officers and

soldiers stationed at the East Ringwood Depot

as well as 14 full-time Army personnel.

Senator Feeney and Mr Symon MP were met

by Brigadier Robert Marsh, Commander of 4

Brigade and Lieutenant Colonel Glen Pilbeam,

Commanding Officer 4 CER.

Lieutenant Colonel Pilbeam briefed Senator

Feeney and Mr Symon MP on the role of 4 CER,

their rich history, connection to the community

and active servicemen and women.

Recent domestic operations of 4 CER include

deployment to Kinglake in the aftermath of the

2009 fires and a rotation to Shepparton in 2010

and Nathalia in 2012 after floods.

Currently the unit has one member deployed

in Afghanistan, seven members deployed in

Timor Leste and upcoming rotations to the

Solomon Islands.

“It was great to meet the men and women

of 4 CER and to be briefed on their significant

contribution to the Army Reserves and ADF,”

said Senator Feeney.

“4 CER is a wonderful example of ordinary

people in the electorate of Deakin living

extraordinary lives by serving to their country

through the Army Reserve,“ said Mr Symon MP.

The Ringwood Depot is certainly a good

neighbour to the people of Ringwood, lending a

helping hand to the community wherever possible.

“We often get requests from local schools and

RSLs for assistance, especially around ANZAC

Day. A particular highlight was the recent

Maroondah Schools ANZAC Day service on held

18th May at Ringwood Soundshell. Lieutenant

Green and 4 soldiers assisted with the official

ceremony,” said Lieutenant Colonel Pilbeam.

The Ringwood East depot is also home

to 31st Army Cadet Unit and 408 (City of

Melbourne Squadron), Australian Air Force

Cadets. The combined strength of these cadet

organisations is approximately 170, including

staff and cadets.


familyhistory

looking back

LookingBack

Image courtesy of National Archives of Australia and the National Australia Day Council

SIR Macfarlane Burnet OM AK KBE,

Winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine

and the first Australian of the Year – 1960

Born in Traralgon, Victoria, Frank Macfarlane

Burnet graduated from the University of

Melbourne in 1923 and joined the Walter

and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

(WEHI). His early research focussed on

bacteriology but his major contributions were

in virology. In 1944 he was appointed Director

of WEHI and during his 21-year tenure the

institute became a world leader in the study of

the influenza virus and immunology.

In 1960 Burnet shared the Nobel Prize for

Medicine with Peter Medawar of Britain for the

discovery of acquired immunological tolerance,

which paved the way for successful human

organ transplants. He was awarded the inaugural

Australian of the Year award shortly after

his return from the Nobel Prize ceremony in

Sweden. When told of his honour, he observed:

‘It does indicate that the community thinks that

science is important, which pleases me.’

Burnet has embodied his experience and

experimental results, not only in numerous

scientific papers, but in several books which

show that he is a master, not only of a clear

and attractive literary style, but also of lucid

exposition of complex ideas and scientific facts.

Burnet received many honours and

distinctions, among which the Fellowship of

the Royal Society of London (1942), where

he was awarded the Royal Medal in 1947

and the Copley Medal in 1959, and where he

delivered the Croonian Lecture in 1950. He

holds an honorary doctorate of the University

of Cambridge, and was made a Fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons in 1953. He was

knighted in 1951, and in 1958 he received the

Order of Merit. Burnet was appointed a Knight

Commander of the Order of the British Empire

in 1969.

Burnet married Edith Linda Druce in 1928.

They have one son, Ian, and two daughters,

Elizabeth (Mrs. Paul M. Dexter) and Deborah

(Mrs. John Giddy).

Everyone should

have a Will.

Do you?

Your Will is one of the most important documents you sign during your lifetime. It’s the only way you can be sure that

your possessions and assets will go to the people and charities you care about.

Making or updating your Will doesn’t need to be a daunting task. Red Cross has arranged a special offer with local

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After providing for your loved ones, we would be honoured if you would consider leaving a gift in your Will to Red

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TLP MAG 4 - The Special Edition 2012

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