July 2009 - Monthly E-Newsletter

NGVR & PNGVR Ex members association
The mixed dining night at Pam and Barry’s property at Jimboomba on Sat 13th June was well attended
by 60 members and friends, the largest ever group at this function. A most enjoyable evening was had
thanks to the wonderful hosting and preparatory work of Barry, Pam, Bob and other helpers. The next mixed dining night at Jimboomba is schedule for Saturday 10th Oct 09. Diarise this date now so you do not miss a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable evening.
Several members attended the 29th June “Astronomical Evening of Wonder” at Bancroft Park, Kelvin Grove, sponsored by our patron and the SEQ Astronomical Society. Sky tours of the moon, Jupiter and its satellites, Saturn with its magnificent rings, stars, star clusters, and nebulous clouds of dust and far away galaxies were viewed through a range of telescopes. This is a much appreciated and unusual annual event.
The Montevideo Maru Memorial Service was conducted by Paul Brown and John Holland in the Hall of Memories, Brisbane Cenotaph on the 1st July, and the 67th anniversary of the sinking of that tragic ship. About 50 people attended and part of the ceremony was aired on SBS news that night.
The attendance at this service is growing proportionally each year as the Montevideo Maru tragedy becomes more widely known.
Clive and Harriet Troy, Gerry and Joyce McGrade and their daughter Susie and I attended the unveiling and plaque dedication of the Montevideo Maru Memorial Service in Subic Bay, Philippines on the 1st July. About
100 attended including about 20 friends and descendants of the victims from Australia. The key speakers were the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, Rod Smith and Andrea Williams, editor of Una Voce, PNGAA. I had the honour of dedicating the plaque. I understand there was significant coverage in the southern newspapers and on the ABC, Channel 10 and SBS TV that night. John
Schindler’s documentary team was present and it is hoped a DVD of the whole event may soon be produced for distribution through our Association and PNGAA. Their 104 minute documentary will go to air on the History Channel in November 2009.
The engraved plaque is 6ft x 1ft in Italian black marble and has a prominent place on the Hell Ship’s
memorial on the shore front of beautiful Subic Bay. As the plaque tells the story of the Montevideo Maru, it is much larger than originally envisaged and cost more. The short fall of funds will be made up by the original
sponsors, the 2/22 Battalion Lark Force Association, PNGAA, Greenbank RSL Sub Branch and our
Association. There is a Subic Bay Trust Fund in place to ensure the maintenance of the Memorial and its plaques.
The Montevideo Maru Memorial Committee, whose patron is Kim Beasley, and in which I am a representative, is preparing a substantial submission through the Federal Government for national recognition of the Montevideo Maru tragedy. The committee’s chairman, Keith Jackson, is presently canvassing ideas about how this could be achieved. The submission is scheduled to be presented this November,
about the time the documentary goes to air. The “finding the MM foundation” is also submitting its partition to Parliament around this time. Please contact Keith Jackson on email: benelong@bigpond.net.au if you wish to view the MMMC newsletter or Keith’s blog “PNG Attitude” or presentation of ideas.
John Winterbotham is currently upgrading our website www.pngvr.com – thank you, John. The distribution of the next edition of our Harim Tok Tok is imminent and should be in your hands by the end of the month.
Our Museum is progressing with remarkable speed. The receipt of a 20ft container has provided much more work space, storage and better arrangement of exhibits. Paul Brown is fabricating a steel ramp which is due for installation later this year.
New and improved furniture and equipment has transformed the Museum. The purchase of a new
catalogueing programme, thanks to the Greenbank RSL Sub Branch donation, with attendant training has significantly progressed this important aspect of its operations. John and Jessica have spearheaded these improvements, together with assistance from committee members. A working bee on the 20th June also helped.
Thanks to some hardy committee members, our late Saturday night Greenbank RSL sausage sizzles have brought in handy cash for the Museum’s upgrade. The improved Museum has had several recent group visits including our first children’s group visit. Generous donations from visitors reflect appreciation of the Museum and the assistance provided by supervising members. Incidentally, these members hold Blue Cards which are mandatory for children’s visits.
I met with the new Sydney based president for PNGAA, Riley Warren, on the 13th July and he showed much interest in how our Association endeavours to maintain its aims. He will visit our Museum during his next Brisbane visit. The new president of the Greenbank RSL, Wally Buldo, has asked me to make a
presentation about the Subic Bay Montevideo Maru Plaque Dedication Service to his members meeting next Monday evening.
Our next committee meeting is this Saturday 18th July. All members are invited. Please turn up early around 10am so chores may be completed in and around the Museum prior to an enjoyable BYO lunch with friends and the meeting. Concluding about 2:30pm – a good day out for everyone.

Phil Ainsworth
15th July 2009