Junior Recruit Memorial Project

 

The Memorial Medallion is now available

How to Order

 

We need to take orders for medallions on the basis of prepayment only. On receipt of payment a medallion, leather case and certificate will be sent by post. The price of each medallion is $85.00 (including GST of 10%) postage and packaging with Australia Post will cost an additional $7.30. We are able to make arrangements to have each medallion engraved with the name and number of each purchaser, this is however at a nominal cost of $10.

 

Cheques or Money Orders should be made out to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc and posted along with an order form to the fund at 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas 7310.

Delivery will be made within 21 days of receipt of payment. Do not remit cash or make payment out to any other person or organisation. It is not possible to deal with payments by electronic transfer, as we need to have all of the information required on the order form in addition to the payment

 

 

 

 

 

Please Supply:

 

Number of Medallions Required  @ $85.00 per unit	$
Engraving of Name and Official Number (optional)  @ $10.00 per unit	$
Please write below exactly what is to be engraved   Name& Initials…………………………………….   Official Number……………………………………
Postage and Handling @ $7.30 per unit	$
Total Cost (inc GST @10%)   (Payment by cheque or money order should be made to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc. Do not send cash)	$

 

Your Name
Address
Postal Address for Medallion(s) if not home address
Telephone
Email Address

 

 

 

 

 

Newsletter Number 7

Welcome to Newsletter Number 7 It is now just on 12 months since we started the project. The aim of which is to establish a memorial that will commemorate the dedication, commitment and service of the 13,000 fifteen and sixteen year old boys who joined the Royal Australian Navy as Junior Recruits between 1960 and 1984 In the past year support for the project has grown in leaps and bounds and with continued support we will achieve our objective in July 2010 to commemorate the 50 years of service given by the Junior Recruit training system to the RAN. The project has created and awakened much interest in the history and the achievements of this service. Many old friendships are now being renewed and the process of establishing reunions to coincide with the dedication of the memorial is now moving at a hectic pace. The next 12 months will see the construction phase of the project begin with work on the first section of the memorial commencing in June. This first stage will be the engraving, impression making and casting of the centrepiece bronze. The masonry engraving and cutting will begin in November with the final placement scheduled for June 2010. Project Update The project continues to meet all milestones set out in the Strategic Plan. The Memorial Committee has commenced the planning arrangements that will set out the program for the dedication ceremony. Although this is at the earliest stages important considerations have to be made not only for the logistics of it all but also to the protocols associated with such as event. Some of these protocols will include obtaining approval to use the Australian White Ensign in the proceedings as well as appropriate service and dedication matters. The service will include the involvement of a RAN Chaplain. It is not expected that we will have a draft plan of the ceremony until at least July 2009, as we will need to consider a number of things including confirmation of the attendance of a number of important guests to the occasion. The Memorial Medallion is now available How to Order We need to take orders for medallions on the basis of prepayment only. On receipt of payment a medallion, leather case and certificate will be sent by post. The price of each medallion is $85.00 (including GST of 10%) postage and packaging with Australia Post will cost an additional $7.30. We are able to make arrangements to have each medallion engraved with the name and number of each purchaser, this is however at a nominal cost of $10. Cheques or Money Orders should be made out to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc and posted along with an order form to the fund at 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas 7310. Delivery will be made within 21 days of receipt of payment. Do not remit cash or make payment out to any other person or organisation. It is not possible to deal with payments by electronic transfer, as we need to have all of the information required on the order form in addition to the payment All proceeds from the sale of the medallions will be passed to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc. and will be used meet the costs associated with materials and construction of the memorial. Junior Recruit Memorial Fund 50th Anniversary Commemorative Medallion Order Form Please Supply: Number of Medallions Required @ $85.00 per unit $ Engraving of Name and Official Number (optional) @ $10.00 per unit $ Please write below exactly what is to be engraved Name& Initials��������������. Official Number�������������� Postage and Handling @ $7.30 per unit $ Total Cost (inc GST @10%) (Payment by cheque or money order should be made to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc. Do not send cash) $ Your Name Address Postal Address for Medallion(s) if not home address Telephone Email Address Please remit cheque or money order with the order form To: Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas 7310 Tel 03 64247198 Email ken.dobbie@bigpond.com It is Your Heritage We have identified the Medallions as being important keepsakes that can form part of the naval heritage in each family. It is hoped that sons, daughters and even grandchildren may seek to purchase one as well. The sale of these will go towards meeting the costs of the memorial construction. (Show this newsletter to your wife you never know what you might get for Christmas). Creating the Commemorative Medallion The engraver for our Commemorative Medallion is Andrew Borg who is based in Gordon, Victoria. Andrew initially trained as an Industrial Engraver producing print embossing dies for the textile industry. His training as an engraver also involved medallion and coin hobbing dies. Further work in this area included the making of buckles and fashion accessories. Andrew has been established in this type of work for more than 20 years. He works in a small rustic workshop surrounded by much bric-a-brac and work in progress. The work, undertaken with the assistance of magnifying glasses, involves many small drilling and carving devices to produce the required effect. Generally Andrew works directly on the metal that will create the die and uses a photograph or drawing to guide his work. He has an uncanny ability to carve the exact detail directly into the metal. The medallions are cast in solid pewter and finished with a bronzed coating to provide the replication of the bronze centrepiece on the JR Memorial. The size of the pewter casting is 230 grams in weight and 80 mm in diameter (� pound and 3 � inches for those who have not yet converted to metric) The reverse side of each medallion has the Memorial Dedication and is cast in a way to provide for the engraving of a name and personal number. The presentation case is made of leather with printed images of the crest of Leeuwin and Cerberus on the outside with the RAN crest on the inside. The Engraving of the Master Die The First Casting First Stage of Hand Finishing The finished medallion An original Tingira flash, have you kept yours? 5th Intake Kaiber 1 Division Back Row: G. Walker, M. Marsham, D. Stone, D. Lyons, A. Wells, I. Spaulding, R. Kendall, P. Roberts, A. Barret, T. Boyd, T. Gaffney. Mid Row: LSmn Clifford, G. Forrester, C. Stevens, A. Browning, G. Hansen, P. Cooper, K. Greig, M. Gleaves, J. Grace, D. Needham, P. Tasker, D. Koneman, L. Mills, LSmn. Bingham. Front Row: P. Bowles, M. Leitch, R. Burgraff, POFC Lowein, CPOQMG Wilson, Lieut. Donohue, Lieut. Anderson, CPOGI Mitten-Lane POFC Amm, B. Kyson, J. Booker, G. Pennicuik. (Photo courtesy of �Sno� Roberts) �And Still They Serve� Steve Coll joined the RAN as a Junior Recruit in 1963 and is still serving. This photo is of recent activity in East Timor where rumor has it that Steve enjoys jumping out of helecopters in jungle environments and he is also believed to be having more fun now than ever in his life while the rest of us are perhaps putting our feet up in retirement. It must be all that training he received on �over night expeditions� as a JR Leeuwin Instructors 1963 Donation Banking A bank account has been set up with the Devonport branch of Westpac. The account name is the �Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc.� (BSB 037 604 Account 22 7096) and deposits can be made electronically with the bank or by cheque made out to the fund and remitted to JR Memorial Fund Inc. 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Please do not remit cash or cheques made out to anyone other than the fund. �Yours Aye� Have a happy and safe Christmas and we will continue with the project in the New Year Ken Dobbie 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Tel 03 64247198 Mob. 0418140042 Click here to download this file

Junior Recruit Memorial Project Newsletter Number 6

 

Project Update The project continues to meet all milestones set out in the Strategic Plan. Application has been made for some financial assistance from the WA Government but as most will realise there has been a change of government there and it may be a little while yet before we will find out if assistance is available. We have written to the new Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Russ Crane RAN forecasting our intention to invite him to unveil the Junior Recruit Memorial in 2010, I expect we will hear from him in due course. Approaches were made to the RSL and the Naval Association in WA for letters of endorsement for the project; we continue to await replies from them. The web site for the 50th Anniversary Reunion is up and running with a tremendous amount of interest in that. For those wanting more information log on to www.jrsreunion.org One of our primary objectives is to raise the necessary money for the memorial. It is important to note that 100% of the donated funds will go towards the memorial construction and that at this time we are encountering a short fall rather than a surplus. Keep the donations coming, as the amount of money available through grants is quite small. We have been advised informally that DVA is not granting amounts to the levels previously given to many applicants and whilst we are yet to submit an application to them I do not expect that we will be treated differently to others. In any case the amount available from DVA is quite modest and only $4,000 if we get the full amount. Continuing Support Throughout the project we have been endeavouring to gain wide spread support for the objectives of establishing a lasting memorial to the Junior Recruit Scheme and the 13,000 boys who participated in it. To date the project has received the endorsement of the National President of the RSL, National President of the Naval Association, Vice Admiral Shalders RAN (as Chief of navy) National President Vietnam Veterans Association, The Minister for Veteran�s Affairs, Member for Fremantle Jim McGinty MLA, Leeuwin Barracks and more recently the Deputy Secretary Defence Support. The level of support received so far is indicative of the importance of this work and recognition given to it within government, defence and ex service organisations across the country. The continuing financial support from the ex JR community is also vital to the completion of this work Memorial Medallion The Memorial Committee has decided on a design for the Memorial Medallion. This will be comprised of a cast pewter medallion that will represent the 3 dimensional centre bronze piece of the memorial. The Memorial Medallions will be wholly manufactured in Australia. The photo below is a first draft of the image which will be finished with a rope surround and lettering at the top �Junior Recruit Memorial� and �1960-1984� at the bottom. The reverse will feature the dedication from the memorial and space will be allowed for the name of the purchaser to be engraved. The size of the pewter casting is 230 grams in weight and 80 mm in diameter (� pound and 3 � inches for those who have not yet converted to metric), which is quite heavy and will be finished to give a bronzed appearance. The case for the medallion will be covered with black leather, navy blue velvet lining with the crests of Leeuwin and Cerberus in gold leaf on the lid and Junior Recruit Memorial 50th Anniversary and RAN crest on the inside of the lid. A Certificate will be issued with each Medallion. This will be the same size as the case and will give an overview of the commemoration. Rear Admiral Brian Adams AO RAN (Ret), who is the Patron of the project, will sign each certificate. It is Your Heritage We have identified the Medallions as being important keepsakes that can form part of the naval heritage in each family. It is hoped that sons, daughters and even grandchildren may seek to purchase one as well. The sale of these will go towards meeting the costs of the memorial construction. At this time we are seeking advice on the GST position with the sale of these, the JR Memorial Fund is GST free for donations, the Tax office however may treat the sale of the medallions differently even though the transaction is in effect a donation. I will release full details of price and delivery arrangements shortly. There is an 8 to 10 week lead-time for manufacture but they will be available before the end of the year. (Show this newsletter to your wife you never know what you might get for Christmas). Payment and Ordering When the purchase price and GST arrangements have been finalised we will release information for payment and ordering. At this time we expect that orders will be made only by a prepayment arrangement though the JR Memorial Fund Inc. JR Memorial Medallion In terms of your family heritage you might ask �Would your family buy one and have it as a permanent keepsake of your service in the RAN�? Can I recommend that you bring the opportunity to purchase a medallion to the attention of your family? I am more than confident that they would like to have a valued memento of your service, If you don�t do it for yourself then perhaps you can do it for your children and your grandchildren. Reunion Web Site Most will now be aware that a web site has been established for the 50th Anniversary of JRTE at www.jrsreunion.org . This has been set up by a newly formed Reunion Committee that is now faced with the task of putting in place arrangements for an all intakes reunion commencing on 13th July 2010. The reunion activities will coincide with the unveiling of the Junior Recruit Memorial and several major activities are planned including a Gala Dinner. Updates on the planed activities as well as registration arrangements can be found on the web site. The web site will also provide information related to the JR Memorial Project including arrangements for making donations. We will make regular contributions to the �memorial page� on the web site as well as the normal distribution of a newsletter. Memorial Bronze Consultations are ongoing with the memorial development and I made a recent trip to Ballarat to talk with the companies who will be making the bronze centrepiece for the memorial. Grigsby�s Foundry has undertaken a lot of work of this nature. They are presently engaged to manufacture the bronze emblems for the Queensland Fire Service. I was able to witness the making of some of that work whilst there, very impressive. The engraver for our bronze will be Andrew Borg who is also based in Ballarat. Andrew has previously worked as a coin engraver for the Australian Mint and has been established in this type of work for more than 20 years. After witnessing the collaborative work undertaken by these two companies I am more than confident that the work to done on the memorial bronze will be first class. The work on the bronze will commence with the engraving and impression making in June next year with the casting and final finishing scheduled for November. The finished piece will be transported to Perth in December for fixing to the granite panel. Work will commence on the masonry side of things from January 2010 with final placement expected in June. Donations Yes!!! We do need more donations. Donation Banking A bank account has been set up with the Devonport branch of Westpac. The account name is the �Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc.� (BSB 037 604 Account 22 7096) and deposits can be made electronically with the bank or by cheque made out to the fund and remitted to JR Memorial Fund Inc. 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Please do not remit cash or cheques made out to anyone other than the fund. How are we going? At this time we only have $7,500 and the target is to raise $25,000 and whilst we will get some funds from DVA and others there is a significant gap in what comes from grants and what we need to get it done. Just $10 from each ex JR will get us there and all of this will not happen without your support. A Very Motley Crew From 1963 Just in case one of your children asks, �what did you do in the Navy Dad?� you can refer them to these photos (courtesy of Brian �Rocky� Freier) Do you recognise any of these faces? Some were still serving up until quite recently �A little bit of JR History�-Aboriginal Titles Given to JR Divisions In the early part of Junior Recruit Training at Leeuwin the names for the Recruit Divisions were drawn from eminent local aboriginal elders and guides. These elders and guides played significant roles in the early days of white settlement in Western Australia. Kaiber Division �Kaiber� was a guide and interpreter to Captain George Grey of the 83rd Regiment during the period when the area between Fremantle and Shark Bay was explored in 1839. Winjan Division �Winjan� was an elder of a tribe in the south west of the state. These people were known as �Winjan�s People�. He much later was given the English name of George Winjan and was recognised for his role and leadership in reconciliation matters between aboriginal people and white settlers. The Winjan Community is a significant aboriginal community in Western Australia. Nakina and Mokare Divisions �Nakina� and �Mokare� were members of the King George Sound tribe and were known for their roles in the early English exploration of King George Sound and worked with surveyors of the time such as Lieutenant Robert Dale. The abilities of the aboriginal guides to act as interpreters were well respected, as was their role in establishing good relationships with other aboriginal groups. Wylie Division �Wylie� was an aboriginal of the King George Sound tribe who was taken by ship from Albany in 1840 to Adelaide by the explorer Edward Ayre. �Wylie� accompanied Ayre, Baxter and two other aboriginals in the exploration of a land route from Adelaide to Albany in Western Australia. During the journey Ayre and his party suffered from starvation and attacks from natives. One of the party, Baxter, was murdered by natives. Despite suffering from a lack of food and water �Wylie� was able to assist and direct Ayre to his destination. Later through the influence of Ayre the dedicated �Wylie� was rewarded with a pension and returned to his tribal lands in Albany. Yagan Division �Yagan� was a very respected elder in the district of Beelier, which was the aboriginal name for the area around the Swan and Canning Rivers. �Yagan� was initially more recognised for his ability to steal livestock from the white settlers and also for his escape from custody. He was very active in crime against settlers and was implicated in many thefts of provisions and also for murder. He was proclaimed an outlaw and a price was placed on his head however he eluded capture for many months. Unfortunately a shepherd shot him in July 1833. He was both admired and feared by the white settlers and respected for his role in defending his tribal lands. One of the guards responsible for his custody named him �Yagan the Patriot� and referred to him as the �Wallace of the age� which had reference to the great Scottish hero William Wallace who defended his homeland from the English. The 1963 JR Rugby Team This team was made up of both first and second term JR�s some of whom have passed on, the officer is Lieut. Terry Roach who went on to command submarines and is now, as I understand a �sheep farmer� (one extreme to another) Click here to download this file �Yours Aye� Ken Dobbie Email ken.dobbie@bigpond.com 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Tel 03 64247198 Mob. 0418140042 Junior Recruit Memorial Project Newsletter Number 5 Project Update The project has been reviewed against the planning milestones set by the committee and at this time I am happy to report that we are on track. The progress can sometimes become a little ragged whilst we await responses from various organisations that we need to consult with. Often these minor time delays can compound and frustrate matters but we are obliged to use snail mail so to speak when seeking formal approvals. We have had a positive response from the Minister for Veteran�s Affairs and he has referred us to DVA for further assistance. The National President of the RSL has also given us his endorsement that we now place with others such as the Naval Association of Australia on file to be used in future applications for assistance to the project. We have had approval from Leeuwin Barracks to place the memorial at that site and have access to our preferred location that is near the ensign staff immediately inside the ceremonial gates. Submissions have been received from a number of memorial masons and foundries with quotes to undertake the work. These quotes will be reviewed by the committee in time and a final decision will be made sometime late in 2009 at which time we expect construction to begin. The Design The memorial will be constructed to form three grey granite panels each of 1500 mm x 1000 mm. The left hand panel will be engraved with the dedication in gold lettering and this is to be surrounded by a gold rope. The centre panel will have a bronze sculpture attached to it. This will be a full sized head and torso embossed image of a Junior Recruit (waist up). It will include the Tingira flash on the left shoulder and represent full winter uniform features such as silk, lanyard, tapes, collar etc. The embossed image will be in the centre of a circular bronze disc (500 mm) and include a rope surround with a figure of eight knot at the bottom. The right hand panel will have etched into it the crests of Leeuwin and Cerberus and as such be representative of all Junior Recruits. The forecourt area will be paved in a similar colour to the grey granite in the panels. This drawing represents the structural details in terms of size and layout and was supplied by one of the companies providing quotes for the work. The Location Leeuwin Barracks has been helpful in meeting our request for use of the land at our preferred location near the ceremonial gates. At this time there is another memorial located near where we propose to locate the JR Memorial. The existing WWII memorial will not be relocated; we will locate ours to the rear of this and closer to the Drill Hall. The location is presently used for ANZAC Day ceremonies by Leeuwin Barracks, it is envisaged that the ex JR community could use this location for the same purpose in future years. The site for the memorial Memorial Medallion The bronze centre piece for the memorial is being designed to represent a Junior Recruit in uniform and the artist is being asked to ensure that both the uniform features such as lanyard, silk scarf, collar etc are true in every detail. We are also seeking to have the facial features representative of a young man of the appropriate age and no we will not include the acne. Discussions are presently underway to determine the feasibility of having a memorial medallion manufactured in bronze or similar metal that is a replica of the memorial centrepiece, the reverse of the medallion will have the dedication engraved and if there is sufficient support also have the name and number of the purchaser included in the engraving. Similar medallions were made for the centenary of the Scout movement and a photo of their medallion is below. We are having options for this type of thing costed at this time and our decision to proceed will be determined by the level of the responses we receive. There are costs in setting this type of thing up and we can only undertake it on the basis that there will be full cost recovery. We are not in a position to use donated funds to support this concept. How much will they cost? The example shown above which is 48 mm in diameter and 4 mm thick (quite heavy) in a bronzed metal with a velvet lined leather case will cost $85. Of this about $25 would go to the memorial fund. Less expensive options are being explored at this time with the assistance of SALT, which is the outlet for RANCCF items. Jak Goudman (ex JR and WOSN) is looking into our options with that organisation. Would you buy one and how much would you pay? In terms of family heritage you might ask �would your family buy one and have it as a permanent keepsake of your service in the RAN�? Can I recommend that you bring this to the attention of your family, I am more than sure that they would like to have a valued memento of your service Your feedback on this is requested. It goes without saying that we will not proceed unless there is sufficient support. If we can get indications for a demand of 100 or more then we can proceed Donations A bank account has been set up with the Devonport branch of Westpac. The account name is the �Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc.� (BSB 037 604 Account 22 7096) and deposits can be made electronically with the bank or by cheque made out to the fund and remitted to JR Memorial Fund Inc. 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Please do not remit cash or cheques made out to anyone other than the fund. Donations have slowed somewhat since we started the project, at this time we only have $5,000 and the target is to raise $25,000 and whilst we will get some funds from DVA there is a significant gap in what comes from grants and what we need to get it done. Just $10 from each ex JR will get us there and all of this will not happen without your support. Some History of HMAS Leeuwin The history of the RAN in Fremantle goes back to 1st July 1911 when a District naval Officer was appointed at Fremantle primarily to administer Reserves enrolled for compulsory training. The first district naval officer was captain C.J. Clare and the Naval Staff Office was established in a disused Post Office in Cliff St Fremantle. In 1913 a building known as King�s Warehouse was leased from the Customs Department for use as a drill hall. This remained in use for 13 years until a new drill hall was constructed in an area bounded by Mouat St, Croke Lane and Cliff St. On the 1st October 1926 the new buildings were occupied by the District Naval Officer and his staff and King�s Warehouse was vacated. At this time the establishment was known as HMAS Cerberus V. The Naval Control of Shipping Service was established on 1st September 1939 and the next day the Port War Signal Station on Rottnest Island was manned and mobilisation commenced. The Croke Lane Depot was commissioned HMAS Leeuwin on 1st August 1940. During 1941-42 much development occurred including the building of the new and present depot at Preston Point to provide torpedo maintenance facilities for allied submarines and gunnery training for the RAN. This land had previously been partly WA Government Railway property along with Gallop�s farm on the Preston Point Road side. This was occupied in 1942 following the appointment of NOIC Fremantle, the first being Commodore JA Collins. After the war and prior to Junior Recruit Training starting in 1960 the depot was mainly used in the training of Reserves and National Servicemen. The Naval Board decided to proceed with Junior Recruit Training in 1959, HMAS Leeuwin that had existed in rundown state since the end of National Service was the choice for the new scheme. By the end of 1959 HMAS Leeuwin again took on the appearance of a naval establishment and facilities were restored to provide the accommodation and training of Junior Recruits. On the 18th July 1960 the first 155 trainees entered HMAS Leeuwin. A total of 141 went on to graduate on 16 June 1961 in the first Passing Out Parade that was reviewed by the late Vice Admiral Sir Henry Burrell, KBE, CB, RAN, and Chief of Naval Staff. The number of Junior Recruits under training grew steadily in the 1960�s reaching 619 in 1965 and eventually peaking to just over 800 in the early 1970�s. The largest intake was the 50th in 1974 consisting of 276 entries of which 229 went on to graduate. A long-term development plan was commenced in 1965 in a sweeping rebuilding program that saw virtually all of the temporary structures replaced by modern buildings. Sadly the 1980�s saw the decline of the JR Scheme and the graduation of the 86th intake on 4 December 1984 was the last. A total of 13,340 JR�s entered the scheme between 1960 and 1984, of that number 12,074 graduated. (The information in this article comes courtesy of Vic Jeffery) Photos from the past Ramsay Division 1984 (the very last) Kaiber 1 Division January 1963 6th Intake Marks Division 23 rd Intake Passing Out Parade (note the modified 303 rifles) Winjan Division (year not known) The New Chief Most of us will now be aware the new Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral R Crane RAN. Vice Admiral Crane is an ex Junior Recruit and the second to rise to Flag Rank. The first was Rear Admiral Brian Adams who is the JR Memorial Project Patron. �Yours Aye� Ken Dobbie Email ken.dobbie@bigpond.com 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310 Tel 03 64247198 Mob. 0418140042