WA Chapter – Monthly Meeting with Guest Speaker Commodore Brett Dowsing, JP RAN (ret’d): “The Navy War Years of Lieutenant Commander Maxwell (Max) Shean, DSO RANVR (ret’d) Bronze Cross USA.””.

Here are the details of the 17th June 2024 NHS meeting at 6pm at the Claremont Tennis Club.

The Navy War Years of Lieutenant Commander Maxwell (Max) Shean, DSO RANVR (ret’d) Bronze Cross USA. 

Max was an ordinary Western Australian lad who left his studies at UWA and a joyful adolescent life to go to war in 1940. With his sailing experiences gained on the Swan River and Fremantle environs, Max joined the Royal Australian Navy to serve in the European and Pacific theatres through to the Japanese surrender in late 1945. Max served initially as a Torpedo and Anti-Submarine Officer on Corvettes, and then in midget submarines as a diver and Commanding Officer.  Max was one of the Royal Australian Navy’s most decorated officers for bravery by war’s end, and this presentation will concentrate on the missions that resulted in this recognition.

THE SPEAKER: Commodore Brett Dowsing, JP RAN (ret’d)

Brett was born and raised in Western Australia and Papua New Guinea, and joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1969. Brett served in Vietnam, and is a qualified fixed wing and helicopter pilot. His Commands included: HMAS Buccaneer, HMAS Gladstone and HS816 Squadron. Brett was the Naval Staff Officer in Washington DC during the 9/11 attacks on New York, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and subsequently the Australian Defence Attaché covering Korea and Mongolia based in the Australian Embassy in Seoul, Korea. Brett was also the Senior ADF Officer for Western Australia and Senior Commanding Officer at HMAS Stirling at Garden Island. Brett retired in 2019 after 51 years of Naval Service.

The talk is on Monday June 17th at 6:00pm at the Claremont Lawn Tennis Club, Shenton Road, Claremont. Parking is at the Tennis Club and in the public car park on Davies Road. There is a $5 Admin fee, and a cash bar is open before and after the talk. To attend, you must register with the Secretary, Heather Rogers: secretary.nhs.wa@gmail.com, or Mobile: 0407-912-781