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The Secretary
5 RAR Association Inc.
P O Box 698, CARINGBAH, NSW, 1495 |
Gary Townsend
Phone: 07 5594 4780
Mobile: 0412 767 975
Address:82 Lake
Hills,
117 Palm Meadows Drive,
Carrara, Qld, 4211,
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Gary Townsend
Phone: 07 5594 4780
Mobile: 0412 767 975
Address: 82 Lake Hills,
117 Palm
Meadows Drive,
Carrara, Qld, 4211,
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Ted Harrison
Mobile: 0403 907 775
Address: PO Box 312
Dromana VIC 3934
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Note: All e-mail addresses are in image format
to prevent spamming. Copy the address into your
e-mail client. Members, when your POC changes
please inform your Membership Officer otherwise
you will be lost to our records. |
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POSTED 11 NOVEMBER 2019 |
Click on
the poster for screening dates, theatre and timings. |
HOMELAND STORY
The film has just
been released in the cinema in Northern
Australia in Broome, Darwin, Katherine
and Alice and will have limited
screenings in the southern states. The
first of these is a fundraiser organized
by the Rotary Club of Melbourne on
December 5, see flyer attached. It would
be terrific if you could let Melbourne 5
RAR Vets know about the event.
It tells the story of
Donydji, an Indigenous Homeland in East
Arnhem Land. It focuses on the work of
Dr Neville White, a 2 RAR Veteran and
genetic anthropologist who has worked
there since 1974. The immense number of
photographs (20,000) and videos (120
hours) he has taken of community life
from the 1970’s to the present day
allowed the history of the Homeland to
be told.
Part of that history
includes the work of Veterans, friends
of Neville’s from Vietnam, who he took
to the Homeland from 2003 to 2018 to
work with the young men of Donydi.
Together they built a school, houses, a
workshop (where vocational training
could be taught to equip the young men
for trade work in the future), outdoor
kitchens and ablution blocks. Melbourne
5 RAR Vets David Bryan and Wally Magalas
took part in the development work which
was funded by the Rotary Club of
Melbourne.
As the flyer says: it
is the story of a remarkable
cross-cultural partnership; one that
benefited both the Veterans and the
Donydji community.
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POSTED 19 0CTOBER 2019 |
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BARRY THOMPSON'S MEMORIAL SERVICE
1ST
FEBRUARY 2020
Further details
»Here
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POSTED 15 OCTOBER 2019 |
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WARNING ORDER
REGIMENTAL BIRTHDAY
FUNCTION
VICTORIA BARRACKS
SYDNEY
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER
2019
Members, family and
friends of the Royal Australian Regiment, the
RAR Association NSW and RAR Battalion
Associations are advised that the 71st Birthday
of the Regiment will be celebrated at Victoria
Barracks Paddington on Saturday 23 November
2019. More» |
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POSTED 11 JUNE 2019 |
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LAST POST CEREMONY FOR
PTE. WAYNE TEELING AND CPL. JOHN KENNEDY
Photographs of the Last
Post Ceremony for Private Teeling
Here
Photographs of the Last
Post Ceremony for Cpl. Kennedy
Here
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POSTED 11 JUNE 2019 |
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5RAR PRESENTATION OF
COLOURS PARADE
Video of the Colours
Parade can be viewed
Here
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POSTED 3 JUNE 2019 |
Royal Australian Regiment Corporation's WINTER EDITION OF 'DUTY FIRST'
Or you can view it
online
Here
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POSTED 3 JUNE 2019 |
Robert S Kearney OAM South Australian
Historian of the Year
The 5RAR Association Inc are pleased to be
advised of Bob's award as 'Historian of the
Year' by the History Council of South Australia.
Bob served in C Company and also with
Reconnaissance Platoon during the Battalion's
first tour in the Republic of South Vietnam. To
read what the Virtual War Memorial Australia
(VMWA) has to say of his award
Click Here
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POSTED 7 APRIL 2019 |
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5RAR REUNION 2020
In 2016 a survey was
distributed to the financial members of the 5
RAR Association asking for the member’s views
and ideas as to when and where the next
Association Reunion should be held. This Reunion
Survey confirmed that we should hold our next
Reunion on the Gold Coast QLD and we have
decided that we should proceed as follows:
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POSTED 17 FEBRUARY 2019 |
PROPOSED 5RAR
MEMORIAL PLAQUE FOR REGIMENTAL SQUARE SYDNEY
Origonally, The proposed
plaque was to be dedicated on site with a low
key activity on the Battalion's birthday
on
the 1st March 2019.
We have received an
email from our Association President with an
update:
The executive members of
our committee have now considered an alternative
timing and believe it would be best to dedicate
the plaque on 1 March 2020. This would occur
during the remembrance ceremony as part of our
55th anniversary reunion at Twin Towns. This
would provide a focal point for the ceremony in
front of hundreds of our members rather than
just a small group in Sydney next month. After
the Twin Towns ceremony, the plaque would then
be placed at Regimental Square.
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POSTED 11 NOVEMBER 2018 |
RAR Corporation Funding Campaign to Support Legal Matters
At the RAR
Associations National Council Meeting in
Townsville in October it was determined to
establish a fund to obtain legal positions
and/or defend any legal matters which have the
capacity to bring into disrepute the good
standing of the RAR and its associations.
The national HQ of
the RAR Association has now established a "crowd
funding" mechanism whereby members and
supporters of all associations can donate as
they see fit to support any legal matters
confronting the organisation. Further background
to the purpose and need to establish this
contingency fund is provided on this link.
https://chuffed.org/project/protecting-the-rar#
The link does not mention any specific cases but
there is an ongoing legal matter that is of
direct interest to 5RARA members as it involves
one of our own.
Some of you would be
aware that Michael von Berg MC, OAM is being
sued for defamation by an ex 8RAR Sergeant cook,
who on a nomination form for appointment as an
RSL Director in SA, made some highly
questionable claims of "being and acting Platoon
Sergeant and Platoon Commander of 8 Platoon, C
Company 8RAR on Operation Hamersley, Long Hai
Mountains". He also claimed to have been "a
Liaison Officer with the Americans at Long
Dien". All claims are disputed by members of 8
Platoon and C Company 8RAR in general. Mick, in his
capacity as Chairman of the RAR Corporation and
President of RARA SA, wrote to the RSL to alert
them to these facts and the former Sergeant cook
on that basis has sued Mick for defamation. The
legal costs in defending this action are already
in excess of $60,000.
If you see fit to
support this fund which has already received
some considerable donations, you can do so on
the link above. |
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POSTED 13 JUNE 2018 |
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QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY
HONOURS LIST
CONSPICUOUS SERVICE
MEDAL
LTCOL. TRAVIS GORDON
The 5RAR Association is pleased to announce
the awarding of the Conspicuous Service
Medal (CSM) to LTCOL Gordon Travis,
Commanding Officer 5RAR.
'For
meritorious devotion to duty as the
Commander of Joint Task Group 658 in support
of the national elections
of Papua New
Guinea during the conduct of Operation
HANNAH.'
President COL Roger
Wainwright, (retd) has offered his warmest
personal congratulations and those of the
5RAR Association to LTCOL Gordon in
recognition of his award.
Also,
MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE
MILITARY DIVISION
Warrant Officer
Class Two John William SMALLACOMBE,
NT
For meritorious performance of duty in
promoting positive relationships between
Indigenous communities and the Pilbara
Regiment and rehabilitating wounded, injured
and ill soldiers within the 5th Battalion,
the Royal Australian Regiment.
Warrant
Officer Smallacombe demonstrated selfless
dedication to duty over two consecutive
postings. He developed positive Army
relationships with Indigenous communities,
organisations and businesses within the East
Pilbara Region as Training Warrant Officer.
Warrant Officer Smallacombe worked
tirelessly to rehabilitate wounded, injured
and ill soldiers significantly reducing the
number of downgraded personnel as the Unit
Welfare Officer in the 5th Battalion, the
Royal Australian Regiment.
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POSTED 27 MAY 2018 |
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LAST POST CEREMONY
4719818 Private.
Alexander Remeljej, 21
On 25 May, a Last
Post Ceremony was held at the Australian War
Memorial to remember PTE Alexander Remeljej
who was killed in action on 11 April 1969.
Alex was a member of B Company.
The ceremony was
initiated by the Glenelg Surf Club in
Adelaide where Alex was a was a keen surfer
and dedicated member before he was called up
for national service. The Club's annual
trophy for its most valuable member is named
in honour of his service to his country and
to surfing. The Club has a display dedicated
to Alex.
Alex's nephew,
Mark Remeljej with his family and members of
Glenelg Surf Club travelled to Canberra for
the ceremony. 5 RAR was represented by our
Patron Colin Khan, our President Roger
Wainwright, Ralph Hindmarsh who was CSM B
Company at the time of Alex's loss and other
members of our association. Prior to the
ceremony, Roger and Ralph escorted the group
to the Vietnam exhibition and explained
5RAR's role in the Vietnam conflict.
Click on Montage
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POSTED 7 AUGUST 2017 |
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INFANTRYMAN
The Royal Australian
Regiment Association South Australia (RAR
Association SA) August edition of the excellent
journal 'Infantryman' can be viewed via this
link here:
»Here
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POSTED 13 FEBRUARY 2017 |
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5RAR RECIPIENTS ON
AUSTRALIA DAY'S HONOURS LIST
MAJ. Bryan Schafer OAM,
Richard Biele OAM, and Brigadier Jake Ellwood
DFC (awarded the Commendation for Distinguished
Service). Details
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POSTED 30 MARCH 2016 |
A DUTY DONE
A
summary of operations by the Royal Australian
Regiment in the Vietnam War 1965-1975
by Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Fred Fairhead
Published by the Royal Australian Regiment
Association (SA) Inc
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For more details |
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2016 Price List for A Duty Done and Addendum
The Association will shortly publish a 30
page Addendum describing three operations by
1RAR in 1965 (Iron Triangle, New Life and
Smash), two by 9RAR in 1969 (Matthew and Hat
Dich), one by 5RAR in 1969 (Kings Cross) and
the
one by 6RAR/NZ (ANZAC) Battalion on 17/18
August 1969 when the original Long Tan Cross
was erected. It is necessary to have a copy
of A Duty Done to read the Addendum. Costs
for both are detailed below. If you would
like to order a copy...
»more
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POSTED
1 NOVEMBER 2015 |
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NEW
ONLINE VIETNAM WAR ROLL OF HONOUR GALLERY
The
collection is displayed in an interactive online
image gallery, which allows visitors to the site
to view and reflect on all the photographs on a
single page. Search functions allow visitors to
find family members and friends by name or to
sort the photographs by categories such as
Service, their home state in Australia, or year
of death. For example, visitors can quickly
discover how many National
Servicemen from New South Wales died in 1966, or
how many Royal Australian Navy personnel on the
Vietnam War Roll of Honour were born overseas.
By selecting a single image, visitors are
presented with a profile of the individual, a
larger image and some biographical details.
If you would like to view this extraordinary
commemorative gallery, please visit DVA's
Australia and the Vietnam War website at
http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/honour-roll/profiles.php#listing |
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POSTED 21 OCTOBER 2015 |
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5RAR MEMORIAL WALL COMPLETED
The
Memorial Wall has been completed with our
secretary, Geoff Pearson in Darwin supervising
the completion of the wall. To see the larger
photograph
click Here. |
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POSTED 22 SEPTEMBER 20155 |
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CRITERIA FOR REPLACEMENT OF MEDALS
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POSTED 16 SEPTEMBER 2015 |
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AUSTRALIAN CUSTOM METAL WORK DESIGNS ICB BADGE
Anyone can purchase these for serving or ex
serving members of the Army that have been
awarded the ICB.
To visit their website to view the video of the
badge being manufactured and to order
Click Here
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POSTED 19 MAY 2015 |
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AUSTRALIA'S VIETNAM WAR
Explore the Combat Actions of 1st Australian
Task Force
A
new interactive website created by the Defence
Force Academy about the Vietnam war.
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) operated
in Vietnam from March 1966 until November 1971.
Some of its battles have become well-known to
the public through film and literature. Many
however, have not.
This website is the product of over twenty years
of research. It provides unprecedented access to
information on nearly all ground combat actions
Australians fought in during the Vietnam War,
numbering over 4,500. Through the use of modern
Web technologies, veterans, researchers and the
general public now have the power to understand
the Vietnam War at a scale and depth not
previously possible.
The Battle Map provides an ideal way to
catalogue and share veterans’ stories, keeping
them accessible to current and future
generations. Our aim is to enable Vietnam
veterans to record their stories, perspectives
and images against contacts on the Battle Map.
In doing so, we hope to develop the ‘ground
truth’ picture of what happened at the tactical
level, revealing the human dimension of the War.
»MORE |
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POSTED 12 MARCH 2015 |
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VIEW SPRAYING MISSIONS IN VIETNAM BY DATE AND
LOCATION
Courtesy our mates from the 1st/83rd U.S.
Artillery who were in support of us for a
period:
"The map of areas where defoliants were sprayed.
The map can be used to see defoliant spraying
missions by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces
over Vietnam, as well as Laos and Cambodia. The
missions began in summer 1961 and ended more
than a decade later, in spring 1971."
Here |
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5RAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER OFFER
From
Robert Brett MC (Officer Commanding 2 Platoon A
Company 2nd Tour).
"I
own a tour company that specialises in Vietnam
and Siberia. The Vietnam Tours cover leisure and
golf but in the main are military focused. The
company is HIGHFLYA TOURS and the web site
www.highflya.com.au
I am prepared to offer any association member a
5% discount on any tour plus donate $100 to the
Association for each person booked. For groups
of over 20 I will provide a 10% discount and
$120 donation per person." |
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POSTED 21 DECEMBER 2014 |
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THE
RSL VIRTUAL WAR MEMORIAL
The
RSL Virtual War Memorial is to be the definitive
resource and repository for anyone wanting to
research, study or contribute to the
commemoration of South Australia's and the
Northern Territory's socio-military history,
from the Boer War to the present day.
The RSL Virtual War Memorial has four key
foundation principles:
Education - local context for school students
studying under the National Curriculum
Commemoration - give greater depth of meaning to
our memorial infrastructure.
Community Engagement - crowd sourcing of
community family and personal information, and
Accessibility – connect 24/7 anywhere with
internet access via mobile devices.
For
more about the RSL Virtual War Memorial
»Click Here
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From
a RSLVWM Moderator:
Dear
all,
We have now been granted access to the above
nominal rolls so everything should be in place
by Christmas, in the meantime you can help by
logging in to look at or interact with the site.
As you know those men and women who
during their service were KIA, DOW, etc have, as
they should, their names carved in stone. Lest
we Forget
This site provides all of us with a
unique opportunity not only to put a face to
their names and forever remember them but it
also allows us to remember the service and
sacrifice of all who died later.
You can open any name (including your own)
herein so please take the opportunity and do so
in order to leave an enduring legacy by ensuring
our descendants will have a good start point at
which to find what you and yours did during your
service overseas.
Currently there are only a hand
full of moderators so please help by adding your
service details, a photo (preferably in uniform)
and a story if you wish.
For examples please place a name in
the search box provided; If you do log in, your
email address and whatever password you make up
is secure.
Please forward this to your mates
Volunteers of the RSL Virtual War Memorial
Telephone: 8100 7300
Email:
virtual.memorial@rslsa.org.au
Website:
http://www.rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au |
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POSTED 6 OCTOBER 2014 |
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From
the RARC: DVA's Remedial Exercise program for
Gold and White Card holders and veterans over
70.
Click Here |
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POSTED 27 APRIL 2014 |
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LIGHT HORSE REGIMENTAL JEWELLERY PTY. LTD
My name is David (Blue) Coleman Ex A & B
Squadron 3rd Cavalry Regt. Whilst in B Squadron
I worked a lot with 5 Battalion and went through
the battle of Bin Ba with you on the 5th & 6th
of June, 1969.
As a hobby I produced
Regimental rings as presentations for some of
our younger soldiers returning from Afghanistan
to our Regiment in Townsville. An Ex Iraq
veteran from 5/7 battalion has asked me to
produce a ring for him which I have completed
out of Pilbra Gold and Silver from Broken Hill
and cast in Sydney - 100% Australian made.
More ... |
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POSTED: 14 JANUARY 2013 |
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NAMES WANTED
Photograph of the original A Company 5RAR on the
grass verge at Holsworthy in March 1965. A
Company had been re-formed from the old E
Company 1RAR.
The larger image can be viewed Here:
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If you recognise anyone please email
me |
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POSTED: 29 NOVEMBER 2008 |
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BATTLE WING INGLEBURN 1965
We
are endeavouring to put names to the many faces
in the above photograph. How many served with
5RAR? To see a larger image »Here
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POSTED: 2 MAY 2007 |
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C
COMPANY MEMBERS 1ST TOUR
Roger Wainwright and Gary Townsend are trying to
put 'names to faces' on a photograph of C
Company that was taken at Nui Dat in February
1967. At this point we believe that we have
named 35 out of the 94 in the line up and it
would be great to get as many as we can. If any
one feels that they can help, or thinks they
would like to, please contact Gary and if
needed, a photo and list of names will be
emailed to them. We know that our memories are
not as good as they were but even if we get a
contribution of only one new name from each
member it is possible that we could succeed and
preserve some history of C Company 1966-67
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E-mail Gary at: |
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POSTED: 2 MAY 2007 |
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GARY TOWNSEND ASKS
I
am trying to compile a DVD of photos and film of
7 Platoon 1st tour and am looking for any items
from members of 7 Platoon with names if
possible. I am happy to convert slides to JPG's
and all items will be returned to the members in
the same condition as received but with a CD of
computer images included. Also any one who
contributes and any members or families of
deceased members will receive the DVD, if they
would like a copy, when it is completed. This
will not be a commercial project, just something
that I would like to do after all these years.
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Email Gary at: |
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