CHRISTMAS Newsletter - RAAMC Association

Michael remarked that he had often ‘talked’ to Philip when
they were at their Sub Branch meetings, but had no idea of his
achievements and standing. He said he was a very modest and
quiet man.
The ‘Wake’ was held at the Burwood RSL Club and Michael
said among the many attendees were two of our members-- a
past president of St John’s Ambulance—MAJGEN Warren
Glenny AO and the present OC of 5 CSSB—MAJ David Czerkies.
LEST WE FORGET
(Thank you kindly, Michael, for your letter and attachments and
Philip’s ‘Order of Service’.)
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“Bill” O’KEEFE contacted me to say he enjoys reading
about his old unit and remembering all the friends he made. He
asked that his good wished be passed on to all his mates in the
Association.
(Thank you Bill. What a pleasant surprise to hear from you. I hope
that when you read this you and Marie are going ok. I know there are
a few issues and I am thankful that you are back closer to all your
family. We are thinking of you.)
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David CAVANAUGH wrote say he enjoys reading about
his friends in the Association. When he wrote me, he was due to
have an operation at the “San” Hospital in Wahroonga and that
when he was ‘up to it’ he was going to write about the recent
cruise that he and his wife, Nancy, went on—the QM 2- around
Australia.
(David contacted me at the end of September to say he had
the heart operation and is now back home and recovering—
slowly. He sounded very positive and able to do some small
walks).
(Good on you David. We hope that when you read this you received
a good report from your doctor and we pray that you are getting back to
your old good self again. Thank you for your letter and phone calls.)
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Gavin DRISCOLL is my friend. He lives nearby and often
comes in to have a ‘cuppa’ with Ruth and me.
He recently had his 25 year old grandson come up and visit
him for about 4 days and Gavin thoroughly enjoyed his
company.
The BIG surprise was that his grandson wrote him this most
beautiful, heart-warming letter and Gavin gave me the pleasure
of allowing me to read it.
It was basically letting his ‘Pop’ and his (late) ‘Nan’ know
how much they meant to him when he was growing up,
especially their fishing outings, and how they always saw the
best in him and how his ‘Pop’ always encouraged him to pursue
his dreams.
I had met Toby on a few occasions and it was always a
pleasure to shake his hand.
(Thank you, Gavin, for sharing your grandson, Toby, with us by way
of his letter to you. You are blessed with wonderful children and
grandchildren. You are also kindly thanked for your generous donation
for Life Membership.)
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John GALLAGHER passes on his good wishes to his
friends in the Association.
I ‘bumped’ into John in the Gallipoli Legion’s RSL Club after
the recent “Battle for Australia Commemoration” in September.
He was having lunch with two friends and when he spotted
me on my way out, he promptly jumped up and thrust $100
into my hand, as a donation for his Life Membership to our
Association--and without blinking an eye or missing a beat he
cordially introduced me and our President, Derek Cannon, to
his two lunch friends.
(Good on you, John, what a wonderful surprise and your donation is
very much appreciated.)
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Glenda GARDE sends her warm regards to her friends in
the Association.
She recently attended the Annual Reunion of the 2/5th
Field Ambulance Association and she kindly sent me the
‘report’ of their luncheon in Melbourne (see page 30).
Glenda is the daughter of our member, Neil Barrie, and she
always attends with him and her husband, Dennis. Unfor -
tunately, this year, Dad was not quite strong enough to attend
physically—but he was there ‘in spirit.
(Thank you, Glenda, for your very informative letter of your Reunion.
Please accept our Association’s sincere symphaties on the sad loss of your
dad, Neil.)
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Rob STEWART sends his good wishes to his friends in the
Association and is looking forward to being with us at our
Annual Reunion in the Paddington RSL.
Rob also requested that his name be added to our
“Expressions of Interest” for our Centenary Celebration in 2015.
(Thank you, Rob. We look forward to your presence in November. We
thank you in advance for your participation in our Centenary ‘Fund-
Raiser’.)
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Gordon CURTIS sends his good wishes to all the members
in our Association.
Gordon is the Honorary Secretary of his Morphett Vale RSL
Sub Branch in SA and he wrote to me in mid-September.
He was planning a trip to Tamworth for a family Reunion,
which co-incidentally, was to be his and his wife, Diana, 45th
Wedding Anniversary. He had also planned to ‘make contact’
with Ruth and myself at some stage of their journey. All his
travel plans have now been put ‘on hold’ due to health issues
with his arthritis and stenosis.
This has curtailed his plans, because any flying or driving is
out of the question.
Gordon is hoping the cortisone injections will be successful;
otherwise an operation may be the next step.
(Thank you Gordon. What a ‘bummer’! Your health is more
important—so get yourself right and ‘re-schedule’—we are thinking of
you.)
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Barry &Heather PERIGO send their good wishes to their
friends in the Association.
They kindly sent me a ‘Thank You’ card (for items that we
sent) and enclosed a NEW 60 cent “Rising Sun” Stamp Issue, as
well as the funeral service details of Terry Maling (see ‘Items of
Interest’) and a very interesting Sydney Morning Herald article
(Wed. 31st Oct 2012) on MAJGEN Alan Stretton AO CBE. (the man
whom the government sent to Darwin, after Cyclone Tracy devastated
the township on Christmas Day 1974, to organise the evacuation of
36,000 residents and the subsequent initial ‘clean-up’ operations). Alan
Stretton passed away in late October.
(Thank you Barry and Heather for your card and ‘inserts’-they are
much appreciated and with your kind permission I will offer the ‘Stamp’
Issue as a prize at our Annual Reunion.)
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Ron FOLEY sends his good wishes to his friends in the
Association. He recently sent me a very interesting story of an
Australian hospital in England from 1915-1919. It was the No 1
Australian Auxiliary Hospital.
It is a good story and I have passed it to our printers to place
it in one of our future magazines.
(Thank you, Ron. Your story will be much enjoyed by our members.)
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