President Frank Wust extends greetings to all members and families associated with the association.
1. Christmas greetings to all members of the PIR association. 2011 has been a very eventful one for me, with events like the 2/14 reunion at Riverside.
The 39th reunion and wreath laying at Sherwood was well worth the effort of getting there. At long last the PIR is getting a little recognition.
Of course I cannot forget to mention my invitation to The Ralph Honner Oration Dinner in Sydney, through The Kokoda Track Foundation. This year I took my son Ian. He was a great support and comfort to me.
There were two very good speakers as well as this year’s scholarship winner. The Rev Peter Holloway 39th Australian Infantry Battalion gave the oration. He mentioned the work done by the PIB and for this I thanked him personally.
Greg Ivey joined me at Caboolture for the Remembrance Day service. We both laid a wreath for our lost members.
Once again, good wishes for Christmas 2011 and an exciting 2012.
2. At the annual Chalkies get together in October at the Kedron Wavell Services Club Kev Horton, Norm Hunter and Terry Edwinsmith presented a slide show and talk about their recent return trip to PNG. For most of us, I guess, our view of the country is frozen in the images we carry with us from our time there but as the presentation showed, much has changed and some of the landmarks we remember have been replaced with new developments and undoubtedly much more will change in the future. In some small way we were part of the process that initiated those changes. I think most of us remember the people with fondness and wish them well as they, along with us, come to terms with the 21st century.
3. Obituary Notice for a Distinguished Soldier, the late Colonel D. Ramsay
Colonel Donald Ramsay was born and educated in Scotland. He was commissioned in The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) in 1943 and saw active service during World War II in Italy (including the Cassino battles) and Greece. He transferred to the Australian Regular Army in 1952 and served with the Victorian Scottish Regiment and the Royal Australian Regiment, including with the 2nd Battalion in operations against the communist terrorists in Malaya (1955–57), initially as adjutant and then as a company commander. He served with the Pacific Islands Regiment twice. From 1960 to 1962, he was a company commander and then second-in-command of the Regiment, then a single battalion. From 1965 to 1967, he raised the 2nd Battalion and became its foundation commanding officer. The battalion was based in Wewak with responsibility for the border with Indonesia. He retired from the Army to lead Papua New Guinea’s largest community-owned export-import company until independence in 1975 and subsequently served on the administrative staff of the Scots College in Sydney until 1994. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2001 for services to international relations, recognising his contributions to both Papua New Guinea and “gap year” exchange programmes between British and Australian youth.
Colonel Ramsay will be greatly missed by his wife, Elizabeth, and all service personnel who knew him in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
The late Colonel Donald Ramsay of NSW
4. DATE CLAIMER
It has been decided to accept an offer from 2/14th Battalion Association to combine our commemorations of the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Kokoda in 2012. The PIB/PIR Assn will observe this 70th Anniversary with the 2/14th Assn on 26 July 2012 at New Farm, Brisbane.
This will provide an opportunity to highlight the forgotten role of the Papuan Infantry Battalion in that and other campaigns. Readers will recall that it was a PIB patrol led by Lt. John Chalk, Qld, who were the first Australian forces to engage the Japanese Army in that Campaign. Under instructions from the CO of the PIB, Major W. T. Watson DSO, to “engage the enemy” this patrol fired on the leading Japanese soldiers about 4pm on 23 July 1942 on the track east of Awala. This momentous action was later recognised by the Government of PNG which declared 23 July as the annual Remembrance Day.
The PIB/PIR Committee will invite all our Members and family, including interstate members, to attend the Combined Commemoration.
The 2/14 Assn will invite all their Members and Members of other Kokoda Battalions (eg 39th, 2/16th etc) to attend, as usual.
Invitations will also be extended to the younger marchers eg the Chalkies to attend.
Our Secretary, Kev Horton, will send an early Invitation to our Patron (Major General Michael Jeffery) to be one of the Speakers that day, if he is available.
26 July 2012 will follow the format of the usual 2/14 Assn Annual Lunch at Riverside Receptions.
- The day commences at 10am and concludes about 4pm.
- Our PIB/PIR members will meet informally over Morning Tea with our Patron. This will be, in effect, a PIB/PIR Reunion so we will encourage all to attend.
- During Lunch, there will be several Speakers talking on Kokoda matters. Our Patron, or a substitute, will speak about the PIB role.
Our Assn will negotiate our needs on that day with the 2/14 Assn so your suggestions are welcome.
Take care.
Phil Adam
dulfil@uq.net.au