- Author
- Lind, L.J.
- Subjects
- History - general
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- December 1990 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
The Naval Historical Society of Australia Prize for 1987 was awarded to Sub Lieutenant Jacqueline King, RAN, the first female officer to win the award. She received her prize from Rear Admiral David Martin, AO. This prize was introduced in 1985 and was awarded to the midshipman at the Royal Australian Naval College to achieve the highest standard of proficiency in his course.
This year was marked by the passing of one of our oldest members, Commander Stan Veale, RAN. Stan landed with the naval contingent at Rabaul and not only served through World War 1 but offered for service in World War 2. He was 94.
The quantity and diversity of our correspondence never fails to amaze me. In the past 20 years we have received letters from every part of the world and their contents has been a compendium of naval history. Glancing through ‘Letters to the Editor’ in the March, 1988 edition of the Naval Historical Review I found letters from Sydney, Brisbane, Whitsunday, Williamstown, Eagle Point and Biburg, Germany. Their contents referred to M.V. REMO, the Italian vessel seized in Fremantle in 1940, the colonial vessels KANGAROO, BATHURST and MERMAID, M.V. HELEN MAY, a former Air Sea Rescue Craft, M.V. TANGALOOMA and HMA Ships PARRAMATTA and SYDNEY. Although the answering of these letters was a long and laborious task they rewarded us with a wealth of historical lore.
Captain L.M. Hinchliffe, DSC, RAN (Ret.), our Vice President, was made an Honorary Life Member of the Society at our Annual General Meeting. He was the fourth recipient of the honour.
1988 – Bicentennial
1988 was the Bicentennial Year and I was involved in the Navy’s Planning Committee for this important event from early 1987. The programme of events covered the period 1 March to 26 November and were spread geographically across the face of Australia. However, those of direct interest to the Society were the International Fleet entry into Sydney on 26 September, Visits to Ships alongside, the International Naval Review and Flypast on 1 October (this included the sail past of visiting sailing ships) and the International Naval Reunion.
Like the 75th Anniversary Celebrations two years earlier this was a wonderful opportunity for interstate members to join us on an important occasion. Tickets were obtained for all the major events and distributed on a fair basis. The celebrations were blessed with fair weather and the spectacle of tall ships and warships from many nations was an unforgettable occasion. Good vantage points for viewing were obtained by all members.
Perhaps the most interesting of the Society events was the International Reunion of Navy Men. Our reception was held in the courtyard of the Museum and we had the pleasure of welcoming representatives from Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand, United States, Germany and The Netherlands. One of the speakers at this function who carried a message from former members of the German Navy was Lieutenant Heinfried Ahl who served as Air Officer in the raider KORMORAN. He spent four years as a prisoner of war in Australia and later became a Professor of Economics at Frankfurt University. I had met Lieutenant Ahl on two previous occasions, once in Sydney in 1978 and later in Germany in 1981.
On my retirement as Public Relations Officer in August 1987 I had foreshadowed my intention of retiring as President of the Society in 1988. The reasons for this decision were twofold, firstly: I considered it was time for new ideas to be brought into the Presidency of the Society and secondly: I wished to devote my efforts to the development of the Garden Island Museum of which I had been appointed Director.
A new era
The new Committee elected in September, 1988 was President, Captain L.M. Hinchliffe, DSC, RAN (Ret.); Vice Presidents, Messrs J. Date and T. Weaver; Treasurer, Lieutenant V. Fazio, RAN (Ret.); Committeemen, Captain W. Cook, RAN (Ret.), Lieutenant T. Richmond, RN (Ret.), Mrs E. Colthorpe and Messrs G. Crombie, N. Bate and P. Thane. Our Honorary Legal Officer remained Mrs J. Farrell, B.Ed, Barrister at Law.
In these elections I became the Society’s first Past President and Captain Hinchliffe the Society’s second President. With these executive changes the Society entered a new era.