During the recent festive season, the Naval Historical Society of Australia lost three long term members whose service to the nation and community in peace and war is a fine example to all.
All in their nineties, the Committee and members of the Society offer their condolences to the families of;
Mr David Henry Mattiske, OAM
Captain Redmond ‘Pat’ Rodriguez, AM, RANR Rtd
The Honourable Dr Raymond Moyle Northrop QC PhD (Hon), LLM
The following synopsis of their naval service and civilian lives is offered as a salute from fellow members.
David Henry Mattiske
Crossed the bar on 3 January 2022 Age 96
David Henry Mattiske entered the RAN just after his 18th birthday as an Ordinary Seaman on 22 June 1943 and served as a Gunnery Rating until demobilised on 5 April 1946. Most of this time was spent in HMAS Shropshire when serving in the Pacific campaign, especially during the Battles of Leyte Gulf and Suriago Strait.
On leaving the Navy David continued a lifelong association with fellow veterans through membership of the RSL, the Canberra/Shropshire Association and the Naval Historical Society.
David wrote of his experiences in “Fire Across the Pacific” published in Runaway Bay, Qld, 2000. This book has been widely used as reference material most recently in the epic biography “Collins of the Sydney” by the respected author Tony Macdougall, published by Clarion, Mudgee, NSW, 2018.
David with a dwindling number of contemporaries was a great advocate of commemorating the Australian involvement in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and was a leading light in the establishment of a permanent memorial, the Australian-Philippines Liberation Memorial which was officially dedicated at Palo, Leyte Gulf in 2014. The memorial is significant as these battles involved nearly 4,000 Australian servicemen (3,500 from the RAN) serving in 9 ships including HMAS Australia and HMAS Shropshire. Although 92 Australians lost their lives and many more were injured there were no graves or memorials in the Philippines until the establishment of the Palo memorial.
David, with failing eyesight, together with a shipmate from Shropshire, Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths AO DSO DSC RAN Rtd, attended the 75th anniversary of the Leyte Gulf landings at Palo in 2019 when HMAS Stuart and Leeuwin represented the RAN.
David Mattiske contributed to the naval community in war and for many years as a veteran in peace. His drive and sense of duty helped in the recognition of the service played by the RAN in the Philippines campaign. He was greatly respected by his colleagues and Returned Servicemen both in Australia and in the Philippines.
Captain Redmond ‘Pat’ Rodriguez, AM, RANR Rtd
Crossed the bar on 27 December 2021 Aged 91
Pat Rodriguez joined the Royal Australian Naval Reserve as a recruit Seaman in 1950 and gave distinguished service until his retirement in 1990. After training as an officer, he was commissioned as Sub Lieutenant in 1955. He then went on through the ranks of the Fremantle Port Division to become Commanding Officer in 1974 and then as Captain Naval Reserves Australia. He served in this position from 1982 until 1984 before transferring to the inactive list after 34 years of continuous service. He eventually retired in 1990.
As a Lieutenant Commander in command of HMAS Acute during a training cruise of May 1973 Pat and his ships company distinguished themselves by locating and apprehending two Taiwanese in the vicinity of the Monte Bello Island group. Their orders were to investigate a possible incursion of illegal foreign fishing vessels. Boarding parties embarked in the two seized vessels which were subsequently sailed to Exmouth while Acute continued to patrol the area.
Acute later escorted the apprehended vessels from Exmouth to Fremantle, a distance of around 1,000 nautical miles arriving in Fremantle on 13 May. Having steamed through a force six gale enroute. The Naval Officer Commanding West Australia Area, Commodore Peter Doyle, OBE, RAN, later wrote, “The conduct of the entire cruise, culminating in the successful arrest of two Taiwanese fishing vessels in the Declared Fishing Zone and their escort to Fremantle reflects the greatest credit on the captain of HMAS Acute and his company. It was a most praiseworthy combination of firmness and tact which enabled good relations to be maintained with the masters and crews of the captured vessels from the moment of arrest to eventual arrival in Fremantle.”
Captain Pat, as he is affectionately known by colleagues, demonstrated his lifelong commitment to the Royal Australian Navy by discharging himself from hospital for several hours to participate in the Society’s WA Chapter anniversary dinner on 13 November 2021. This enormous effort, as well as his long and dedicated service to Navy was recognized in a personal letter from the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan following the Dinner.
The Honourable Dr Raymond Moyle Northrop QC PhD (Hon), LLM
Crossed the bar on 31 December 2021 Age 96
In January 1943 Ray Northrop joined the Royal Australian Navy and served as a seaman in the Tribal Class destroyer, HMAS Arunta from March 1943 until September 1945. He saw active service in the southwest Pacific, New Guinea, the Philippines and Borneo areas.
Post War Raymond studied law at Melbourne University graduating with honours. He was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria in 1951 and practised as a barrister from 1952 until March 1976. He was appointed queen’s counsel in Victoria in 1970, and in New South Wales in 1974. He later specialised in industrial law.
After a long and distinguished career Justice Northrop voluntarily retired from the Federal Court on 28 August 1998. He was the Court’s longest-serving judge and the last of its original appointees.
As with most veterans of his generation, his naval service and passion for his ship HMAS Arunta continued to influence his civilian life. For many years he served as president of the HMAS Arunta Association and was very proud to be involved in the commissioning of HMAS Arunta (II).
Arunta served with great distinction during the Second World War, sinking a Japanese submarine off Port Moresby in August 1942 and evacuating Australian troops from Timor the following January. As part of the Seventh Fleet of the United States Navy Arunta was engaged in many bombardments and landings on the way to the Philippines, New Guinea and New Britain and ferrying American troops. Arunta along with HMA ships Australia, Shropshire and others were part of the armada involved in the battles of Leyte Gulf and Surigao Straits. Arunta later took part in the liberation of Manila and survived a Japanese suicide bomber, but lost two crew members, with five wounded.
After appointment as a judge of the Australian Industrial Court and taking up a position in the newly-created Federal Court in 1977, Ray Northrop served 22 years before retiring in 1998. In March 1976 he was also appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and from 1994-95 also served as a judge in the Industrial Relations Court of Australia. From 1976-77 he was president of the Trade Practices Tribunal, and of the Defence Forces Discipline Appeal Tribunal for five years from 1990-95, as well as chairman of the Stevedoring Industrial Council from 1972-76.
Lest We Forget