A Farewell to those with whom we served...

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:36 am

It is with much sadness that I advise the sudden passing of Reggie COLDWELL at his home on Wednesday 24th October, 2012.

Reg is a former Treasurer and Life Member of the HMAS SYDNEY & Vietnam Logisitcal Support Veterans Association here in Victoria.

Reggie served from 11th July, 1965 to 10th July 1985.

Sea service onboard HMAS MELBOURNE, PARRAMATTA, DUCHESS (7 YEARS), TORRENS and JERVIS BAY.

Reg was accorded the honour of pulling down the Whie Ensign when DUCHESS was de-commissioned and always regretted that he was not able to Rabbit it.

Honours and Awards:

Active Service Medal 1945-75 with Clasp "Vietnam"
Vietnam and Logistic Support Medal
Australian Service Medal 1945-75 with Clasp "FESR"
Defence Force Service Medal with First Clasp National Medal Flag Officers Commendation Returned from Active Service Badge

Funeral Service will take place at Bunurong Memorial Park, Frankston-Dandenong Road, BANGHOLME (near Corner of Thompsons Road) at
1200 on Friday 9th November at 1200.

Medals are to be worn.

Martin Grogan

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:16 pm

Hi All,

It is my sad duty to inform you of the passing of Rear Admiral (E) William John (Bill) Rourke O1009 this morning in St Vincent's Hospice Sydney
.
Bill was born on 29/7/1928, and was well known throughout the RAN, his son Andrew & Andrews wife Margaret were with him at the end & Bill was as comfortable as he could be. Michael & the Navy Chaplain had been with Bill about an hour before.

Bill's funeral is expected to be held at the Navy Chapel in Garden Island, details will be promulgated when known.

Another good man who wont blow soot anymore.

Regards
Kerry Kerr
www.navystokers.org

UNCLASSIFIED
Good afternoon Sirs and Ma'ams,

On behalf of the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral R.J. Griggs AO CSC RAN, it is with regret to advise that Rear Admiral W.J. Rourke, AO, RAN (Retired) passed away this morning at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney. His funeral arrangements will be advised in due course.

Admiral Rourke was born in 1928 at Pemberton, Western Australia. He attended Perth Modern School and joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Cadet Midshipman in January 1942.He graduated from the Naval College in August 1945 and then proceeded to the United Kingdom to continue his training with the Royal Navy Training Squadron where he served in HM Ships Queen Elizabeth and Howe, prior to his appointment to the Royal Naval Engineering College in Plymouth in 1946. During his engineering officer's course , he was appointed to the aircraft carrier HMS Ocean for four months and to destroyers for several months undertaking the Haifa Patrol which was intercepting Jewish immigrants to Palestine and taking them to Cyprus. He graduated in 1949 and, on return to Australia in 1950 as a Lieutenant, joined the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney as the Flight Deck Engineer. He served in Sydney during the Korean War and was Mentioned-in-Despatches.

In 1952 he was appointed to HMAS Leeuwin as the Assistant Base Engineer Officer. During this period, one of his main tasks was preparing a group of British ships for a nuclear explosion in the Montebello Islands. The following year he rejoined HMAS Sydney as part of the Coronation Contingent and was awarded the Coronation medal which he received at Buckingham Palace. In 1953, he joined HMAS Vengeance as the Flight Deck Engineer. From 1954 to 1956 he was an Instructor of the Advanced Engineering Course at HMAS Cerberus . In 1956 he married Jennifer and the following year was appointed as the Engineer and Ordnance Engineer of HMAS Quickmatch. In 1958, the then LCDR Rourke was appointed to Navy Office in Melbourne as the Deputy Director of Naval construction. In 1960 he was selected to undertake post graduate nuclear engineering courses at the Royal College of Technology, Salford and A.E.R.E. Harwell. On completion of his post graduate studies he was appointed as a Project engineer at Yarrow-Admiralty Research Department of Glasgow responsible for design of advanced marine propulsion installations in naval vessels. During this period one of his achievements was that he was granted a British Patent on the Improvements in and relating to Nuclear Reactor Installations.

On his return to Australia in 1962 he was the commissioning engineer officer of HMAS Stuart. On promotion to Commander in 1964, he was appointed as the Deputy General Overseer, East Australia Area. Later that year, he was posted to the USA as the RAN Liaison Officer, Bay City, for the building of the DDGs and was subsequently posted to the third DDG, HMAS Brisbane, as the commissioning engineer. In 1969 on promotion to Captain, he was appointed as the CSO (Technical) to FOICEA and later that year was selected as the inaugural Military Adviser to the Chief Defence Scientist. In 1972, he was then appointed as the Deputy Project Director, DDL Project and Project Director, New Destroyers. In 1974 he attended the Royal College of Defence Studies and on completion was promoted to Commodore and appointed as the Defence Scientific and Technical Representative, London. On returning to Australia in 1977, he was appointed as the General Manager, Garden Island Dockyard where he served for three years prior to being promoted to Rear Admiral and appointed as the Chief of Naval Materiel.

Upon retirement from the Royal Australian Navy in 1985, Admiral Rourke was appointed as the CEO of the Institution of Engineers.

respectfully,

Brian G

Brian Gorringe
CAPTAIN, RANR
Director Navy Senior Officer Management
Office of the Chief of Navy
R1-4-COO1
Russell Offices
CANBERRA ACT
Tel: 02 62652619
Fax: 02 62654790

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Thu Nov 15, 2012 8:30 pm

Good morning Sirs and Ma'ams,

On behalf of the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral R.J. Griggs AO CSC RAN, it is with regret to advise that Commodore H.P. (Paul) Berger LVO RAN
(Retd) passed away yesterday afternoon in Canberra after suffering a massive stroke on Monday and had significant bleeding in the brain from which he did not recover. His funeral arrangements will be advised in due course and will be in the Canberra Times on Saturday. Commodore Berger was born in Neutral Bay in 1935 and joined the RAN College on
25 January 1949. He graduated from the Naval College in October 1952 and awarded the Otto Albert Prize for Seamanship and then departed for the United Kingdom for Midshipman training in HMS Devonshire, a county class heavy cruiser which had been converted to the Royal Navy's cadet training ship and HMS Enard Bay, a Bay Class frigate. In September 1953 he returned to Australia and joined the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney for service in Korea. In October 1954 he was then posted to HMAS Queenborough for a year prior to him returning to the United Kingdom for courses at the Royal Naval College Greenwich, HMS Excellent, Collingwood and Drake. He returned to Australia in 1956 and joined HMAS Swan where he was awarded his watchkeeping certificate in October 1957. He was then posted to HMAS Watson for the little d course and on completion to HMAS Albatross to consolidate his training before joining HMAS Melbourne in September 1958. In late 1959 he was selected for two years exchange service with the Royal Navy and joined HMS Albion , a Centaur class light fleet aircraft carrier in December 1959. In January 1962 he returned to Australia and was posted to HMAS Albatross for 805 Squadron and to Melbourne in continuation on each occasion of the Squadron embarking. In June 1963 he was posted to the the RAN College, HMAS Creswell , for a year before he joined HMAS Anzac as the Executive Officer. In January
1966 he was posted to HMS Dryad to undertake the Advanced D course before joining HMAS Melbourne as the Direction Officer.In May 1968 he was posted to HMAS Yarra as the Executive officer for a year before being appointed to Government House in August 1969 as the Military Secretary to H.E. the Governor General as a Commander. In July 1972 he was posted to HMAS Torrens as the Commanding Officer for 18 months before joining Fleet Headquarters in December 1973. In December
1975 he was promoted to Captain and appointed to Navy Headquarters for two years before being posted to HMAS Perth for two years as the Commanding Officer. In 1980 he returned to Navy Headquarters and in April 1985 promoted to Commodore and appointed in command of HMAS Albatross until November 1987. Commodore Berger then returned to Canberra to serve in Navy Headquarters prior to his retirement from the Royal Australian Navy in 1990.

respectfully,

Brian G

Brian Gorringe
CAPTAIN, RANR
Director Navy Senior Officer Management
Office of the Chief of Navy
R1-4-COO1
Russell Offices
CANBERRA ACT
Tel: 02 62652619
Fax: 02 62654790

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:26 am

Good afternoon Sirs and Ma'ams,

1. A Service Funeral will be held for Admiral Rourke at 1300 Friday 23 November at the Garden Island Chapel, Sydney. Uniform S1 with mourning brassards (swords optional).
2. A wake will follow at the HMAS Kuttabul Officers and Senior Sailors Mess (formally Wardroom).
3. In lieu of floral tributes, Admiral Rourke's family have asked that donations are made to the Chris O'Brien Life House at www.lifehouserpa.org.au <http>
4. Condolence letters may be sent to Commander Andrew Rourke - 146 Greville Street, Chatswood West, NSW 2067 or email address andrew.rourke@internode.on.net
5. HMAS Kuttabul POC for administrative matters is the Executive Officer, LCDR Adam Joyner, Tel No: 02-93593367 or email adam.joyner@defence.gov.au

respectfully,

Brian G

Brian Gorringe

CAPTAIN, RANR
Director Navy Senior Officer Management
Office of the Chief of Navy
R1-4-COO1
Russell Offices
CANBERRA ACT

Robert W Moult · **Posted:** Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:18 pm

Do my eyes deceive me "Officers and Senior Sailor's Mess", kill me now, the RAN has gone to hell in a shit basket.

Seejay · **Posted:** Thu Nov 22, 2012 3:10 pm

Your eyes do not deceive you Bob. They recently combined to 'save money' - an initiative from the gold ring club on initiation from the ALP government. :roll:

Effectively it has killed the senior sailors' mess as the SS will not mix with the nursery. Or, to put it in the words of a Petty Officer I know:

"I have to deal with the useless f***wits at work and continually fix their f***ups, I will not sit in the same mess with them!"

Another reason why the exodus continues, but the idiots at the top cannot see the problems it has introduced. :dontknow:

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:23 pm

UNCLASSIFIED

PASSING OF REAR ADMIRAL B.T. TRELOAR AO RAN (RETD)

1. NAVY IS SADDENED TO HEAR OF THE PASSING OF RADM TRELOAR ON 14 DEC
12.

2. RADM TRELOAR JOINED THE RAN ON 2 JUN 1954. HIS EARLY SERVICE
INCLUDED POSTINGS TO HMA SHIPS PENGUIN, VENGEANCE AND MELBOURNE. ON
19 FEB 63 HE WAS APPOINTED AS THE HONOURARY PHYSICIAN TO THE GOVERNOR
GENERAL.

3. RADM TRELOAR'S SERVICE THEN ALTERNATED BETWEEN HMA SHIPS PENGUIN,
MELBOURNE AND ALBATROSS UNTIL PROMOTION TO CAPT ON 30 JUN 71.

4. AS A CAPT RADM TRELOAR SERVED AS THE COMMAND MEDICAL OFFICER AND
MEDICAL OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE RAN HOSPITAL UNTIL 1980.

5. BETWEEN 19 MAY 76 AND 06 DEC 84 RADM TRELOAR WAS APPOINTED AS THE
HONOURARY PHYSICIAN TO THE QUEEN.

6. ON 2 APR 1981 RADM TRELOAR WAS PROMOTED TO RADM AND SERVED AS THE
DG NAVAL HEALTH SERVICES UNTIL RETIREMENT ON 2 JUL 87. RADM TRELOAR
WAS AWARDED AN AO ON 26 JAN 85 FOR SERVICE AS DGNHS AND CHAIRMAN OF
THE HEALTH POLICY COMMITTEE.

7. THE FUNERAL SERVICE FOR RADM TRELOAR WILL TAKE PLACE AT 1100 FRI
21 DEC 12 AT THE ANZAC MEMORIAL CHAPEL OF ST PAUL, RMC DUNTROON.
UNIFORM FOR THE FUNERAL IS S2 WITH MOURNING BRASSARDS.

8. IN LIEU OF FLORAL TRIBUTES, RADM TRELOAR'S FAMILY HAVE ASKED THAT
DONATIONS ARE MADE TO LEGACY WITH ENVELOPES AVAILABLE AT THE SERVICE.

9. ON BEHALF OF THOSE CURRENTLY SERVING AND THE BROADER NAVY FAMILY
SINCERE CONDOLENCES ARE EXTENDED TO RADM TRELOAR'S FAMILY AT THIS
DIFFICULT TIME.

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:12 pm

DRAFT NVN ARTICLE
SUBJECT: PASSING OF COMMODORE B.G. GIBBS AM RAN (RETD) AND FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

The RAN and the broader ex-Navy community are saddened to hear of the passing of CDRE Brian Gibbs on 26 December 2012.

CDRE Gibbs joined the RAN on 10 July 1951. After 4 years of basic training and sea familiarisation in both the RAN and RN, his early postings as a junior Supply Officer included HMA Ships Sydney, Melbourne, Creswell, Penguin and Parramatta. During a 2 year exchange with the RN in HMS Terror (Singapore), he was promoted to LCDR and was selected by the Naval Board to study law on a full time basis on his return to Sydney in 1965. To his great credit, he was called to the Bar of the Supreme Court of NSW in 1968 and was also admitted to practice in both the Supreme Court of the ACT and the High Court of Australia.

He returned to sea as the Supply Officer in HMAS Perth during her deployment to Vietnam and then briefly also in the troop ship HMAS Sydney. Coming ashore as a CMDR in 1970, he spent 2 years in Navy Office where he helped to develop a common code of discipline for all 3 Services.

In early 1972, he was posted to duty with the Chief Naval Judge Advocate of the RN at Greenwich Naval College and then as the Supply Officer of the training establishment, HMS Pembroke in Chatham UK.
His considerable efforts were rewarded when, upon his return to Australia in 1974, he was appointed as Deputy Director of Naval Legal Services.

Upon promotion to CAPT in 1975 he became the Director of Naval Legal Services and, in recognition of his services to the RAN in this role, he was awarded an AM in 1979. He was promoted to CDRE in December 1980 whereupon he assumed command of HMAS Cerberus until May 1982. His final appointment was as the Director General of Naval Manpower (DGNM) until his retirement in July 1984.

In retirement, CDRE Gibbs continued to play an important role in the support of ex-Navy personnel and associations in Victoria through his membership of the Veterans Review Board and then also as a long-standing President and Trustee of the Melbourne Naval Centre until November 2011.

The funeral service for CDRE Gibbs will take place at 1300 Thursday 17 January 2013 at Saint Marks Chapel in HMAS Cerberus. Uniform for serving members is S2 with mourning brassards. Dress for ex-Navy personnel is suits and medals.

In lieu of floral tributes, CDRE Gibbs' family have asked that donations be made to a charity/cause of their choice (details TBC), with envelopes available at the service.

On behalf of those personnel currently serving in the RAN and many others in the broader Navy family, the NVN team and the MNC Committee Members extend their sincere condolences to CDRE Gibbs' family at this difficult time.

DirtyDiesel · **Posted:** Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:55 pm

Lucii

Wish I could of been there

Had many a drink and chat with Pome at the RSL

Fair winds Jacko your race is run

Hippy Chippy · **Posted:** Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:49 pm

VALE: Wayne J (Speed) Burrowes ex POME, R106092, passed away yesterday after a long battle with cancer.

The Funeral service, will be held at the Naval Memorial Club,
36 Barretts Road, Langwarrin South, 1300, ( a 7 Minutes drive out of Frankston)

Thursday 2 May 2013.

Medals to be worn.

Regards,

David Speed Dwyer

H.M.A.S. SYDNEY & VLSV Association (Vic)
Secretary

A Farewell to those with whom we served...

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