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Makan - No. 44 Official Organ of 2/30th. Bn. A.I.F. Assn, Patron: Brig. F.G. Galleghan, D.S.O., O.B.E., E.D. Dear Dig, Most of the young couples who have married since the War know all about housing or rather, the lack of it and the lucky ones will always remember the first delirious excitement and the frightened-to-believe it feeling when told that a house was forthcoming. It is a feeling that has to be experienced to be believed and one is likely to burst forth into song or run out and shout for the mob on hearing the good news. Such a fortunate fellow is Harry Maurice who has been living in a Herne Bay mansion almost since the end of the War. He wrote us a long letter which we think is too good to keep to ourselves. Here are a few excerpts –“I would not be dead for a pound now – the yard is so big that I have to tie cow-bells around the kid’s necks so that they won’t get lost – grass as high as coconut trees which I will chunkle out – I will give ₤40 for a chunkle but they will have to take Jap money as that is all I have left – my wife bursts into song as she does the washing up – There was a lot more but I think you can understand that Harry is pleased about LIVING IN A HOUSE OF HIS OWN. Hilton McLaren has just bought a new trawler for his fishing business on the Clarence. He was a patient at Yaralla recently for his P.O.W. examination which most of our chaps are having. Ernie Willis, whom we have mentioned recently, is one of our new Life Members. Many of our chaps are availing themselves of this chance to rid themselves, once and for all, of the horrid business of trying to remember to post along the annual sub. If you are interested write to Reg. Ellis and he will tell you how much it will cost you to transfer to Live Membership. Bill Lamping sends his subs along but he forgets to add a little news for us. Cec. Farrer is working at Grace Bros. He suffers very bad health but is cheerful for all that. The Eighth Division Council has booked the Wentworth Ballroom for Tuesday 29th August, 1950 for their ANNUAL BALL. The tickets this year will cost ₤1.5.0 each to meet taxation requirements and the sale of tickets will be limited to 500 including official guests. Any member of the Eighth Div. who desires that his daughter will make her debut at the Ball should ring BU1260 for all arrangements. Enquiries for the booking of tables, etc. should also be made at this number. This Ball, as usual, has the support of our own Association and you are asked to patronise it if you possibly can. Major Johnston at BW1621 knows all the dope on the Ball and he also will take your party bookings. Norm King is on the land at Goulburn and is doing very well. The Association sends its heartiest congratulations to Eric Arps on his recent marriage. We knew of course that Eric was to be wed but we had a very interesting report from one of our spies who saw the honeymoon couple at Narooma. Watty Gates of Wangi Wangi is having a bad trot at the present. He recently spent three months as Yaralla Hospital and is now unable to do any work at all. We hope that his ill health is only of a temporary nature. Ted Lutz who toils for the Post Office is still a keen baseball fan and plays every Saturday afternoon. Ted has been interested in the game for years and we understand that his main interest now is in coaching the youngsters in the finer points of the sport. Congratulations are in order for Tommy Grant on the birth of a baby daughter, Mother and Baby and Father are doing well. Harry Teasdale of Tweed River has been forced to sell his farm because of ill health and is at present on the Richmond River somewhere. George Gallard was sighted in Murwillumbah recently, looking very well. Ray Streatfeild is to be congratulated on his marriage of six months ago. Ray is a popular lad and all will wish him the very best in his new venture. Carl Rope was sighted at Bundanoon where he is working in a bakery. According to our informant Carl now looks as if he is working in the bakery as he is supporting a growing waistline. Tommy Coombs of Padstow has been in a lot of housing trouble since we came home but he is now building a shanty of his own. Stan Larkin has an excellent wife who sends along his subs regularly and adds a little news into the bargain. Stan recently spent a fortnight in Greenslopes Hospital for a medical check-up but was found to be still intact and reasonably well. George Lister is still share-farming at Theresa Creek, and recently spent ten days in Greenslopes Hospital just after Xmas. George has the misfortune to be still a bachelor, we hope that he will soon take steps to remedy this evil. Alex McKenzie did very well on the land this year but he needs all that he made this season to plant and restock. One more good season is all that Alex requires now in order to breathe a little easier for a long time. We wish that Joe Geoghegan would stop talking about his babies. Yes, it’s on again, another baby, this time a little girl again, making three little beauties. She gained 51/2 lbs in the first six weeks that she was home, and in the same period, what with lack of sleep and too much washing of nappies coupled with the odd piece of housework, old Joe lost 51/2 lbs. Terry O’Rourke has been transferred to Griffith to the local branch of the Forestry Commission. Terry is in charge of the office which is a new one and covers an area from Barellan to Hillston, down to Carrathool, along the ‘Bidgee to Darlington Point and back to Griffith. Terry has often bumped into Billy Brown down there. It is a disappointment to us that Billy is not yet a member of the Association but we are hoping that one of his cobbers will rope him in soon. Jacko Jackson is one of our newer members and we extend to him a warm welcome. ‘Jacko’ is happily married and has a nice cosy job working for the P.M.G. Harry Brown, our dairy farmer from Penrith was unfortunate enough to be bitten by a red backed spider recently. Had he still been in the Army Harry would have been on three weeks ‘no duty’ but as he is his own boss he was lucky to be able to miss one milking. Harry was one of these big hearted gents who sent along the price of two Ball tickets even though he was unable to attend. Col Tuckfield, Don Coy., new resident in Brisbane is one of our keenest supporters although he is such a long way away. He is rather keen on himself also, at the moment he is the father of a baby son who he swears will grow bigger than Harry Riches. If any of our lads are in Brisbane there is always a spare bed at Col’s place and his ‘phone number, during the day, is B1541-ext. 140. Eighteen Platoon will be happy to know that Chalkie Johnston is well and truly married and we have the word of Bob Wells and Max Ross to prove it. Johnno added to his dairy farm about 1700 acres and was so busy that the only person he ever had time to speak to was the postmistress from who he collected the mail so he did the right thing and married her and has not looked back since. We send our heartiest congratulations. George Johnson suffers with chronic backache but is otherwise in good health. Joe Veivers had the misfortune to fall from a horse and break his ankle and when last reported had been on crutches for at least twenty weeks. Ted Skuse is having a bad trot of the ‘cuts’ as the moment with sickness in the family. Ted is living in a garage but is building a house of his own and hopes to shift in this year. The Ball was an even greater success than usual and if you were not there then you missed a night of enjoyment. The numbers who attended remained about the same as last year but the fun seems to grow with each passing year. The orchestra was in rare form and the lads were stepping lively from one set of female toes to another. Ward Booth and the Black Prince sang half a dozen of the usual little songs which they put across and by the enthusiasm of the crowd they could sing plenty more of that variety. The Black Prince is sporting an even fiercer fungus than usual and whilst he was before the mike he threw such wicked glances around the room that half a dozen of the younger girls just swooned away from sheer delight of him. On the dance floor the Prince as an even greater sensation, he dances with the nonchalant grace of a Fred Astaire and affected such an air of studied boredom as only a real Prince could muster. All the usual faces were in evidence although some were temporally absent due to the impending rounds of Mr. Stork. The Old Man was much in evidence and with Mrs. Galleghan enjoyed the night immensely. The ladies present all appeared to be in a very happy mood whilst all the men were in good spirits (mostly gin but a fair quantity of whisky). We received a lot of news from various people but most of it was unfortunately forgotten by the end of the night. There were dozens of old familiar faces whom we could talk about for several pages but to mention just a few, there was Kevin Ward, with a really charming wife whom he has kept a secret, Jack Greenwood with an equally lovely wife, Harry Riches, Harry Webber, Jimmy Dinnen, Alan Pryde, Bill Melville, Tommy Bicknell and lots of others. One of our most unexpected visitors was Garry Rickwood and his charming wife who were down from Singapore for a holiday. They enjoyed their first Thirtieth function very much but I will leave any news of Garry, our Eastern Representative until another Makan. The Ball was a grand financial success, due only to the efforts of the Social Committee led by Johnny Parsons and Garry Evans. We are fortunate to have such workers and through their efforts the Association is in the clear for twelve months and you will continue to receive your Makan without reductions in the number of issues. There were others of course who helped to make the finances of the Ball to come along so well and we refer to those folk who quite spontaneously sent along donations even though they were not able to come along themselves. These people included Mr. and Mrs. Wally Bell of A. Coy. (Wally died in Thailand), Clarrie Burgess A. Coy, Harry Brown and Jack Brooks both also of A. Coy, Mr Clayton Senior, P. Higgins A. Coy., Wally Bell (Lewisham ), Dal Oldknow of Singleton and Big Mick Lovell. Last but not least we must mention Ward Booth who donated the tickets for the Ball. Yes it was a jolly night and if you were not there then make a resolution to try to come along next year and be in the fun. 3/- CLAIM The appointment of Dr. Fisher to the tribunal of three which will investigate the claim we make should satisfy you that the claim has at least got away to a good start. The first sitting of the Tribunal has been held and we hope for an early decision. If you read the Smith’s Weekly newspaper you probably smiled at the article contained therein entitled CAN YOU GO TO MALAYA. It contained some amusing information which had not previously been know to the Executive of the Association and an official letter was despatched to the paper at once. It was not published of course but we thought that you would like to know that the article did not pass unnoticed. The following addresses are listed to enable you to keep your register up to date: NEW ADDRESSESTerry O’Rourke, Forestry Commission, Griffiths. W. R. Jackson, Chatswood. T.J Coombes, Padstow. J. McGoldrick, Scone. R. T. Donald, Arncliffe, H. S. Abrahams, Paddington. A. G. McWilliams, Wentworthville. J G. Black, Dee Why. R. J. Streatfeild, Padstow. Please forward all cheques, postal notes and money orders to R. E. Ellis, 21 Military Road, Neutral Bay. Cheerio, STAN ARNEIL. Back to 1950 index or Main Index |