Junior Recruit Memorial Project

Newsletter

Number 7

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Newsletter Number 7

 

It is now just on 12 months since we started the project. The aim of which is to establish a memorial that will commemorate the dedication, commitment and service of the 13,000 fifteen and sixteen year old boys who joined the Royal Australian Navy as Junior Recruits between 1960 and 1984

 

In the past year support for the project has grown in leaps and bounds and with continued support we will achieve our objective in July 2010 to commemorate the 50 years of service given by the Junior Recruit training system to the RAN.

 

The project has created and awakened much interest in the history and the achievements of this service. Many old friendships are now being renewed and the process of establishing reunions to coincide with the dedication of the memorial is now moving at a hectic pace. The next 12 months will see the construction phase of the project begin with work on the first section of the memorial commencing in June. This first stage will be the engraving, impression making and casting of the centrepiece bronze. The masonry engraving and cutting will begin in November with the final placement scheduled for June 2010.

 

Project Update

 

The project continues to meet all milestones set out in the Strategic Plan. The Memorial Committee has commenced the planning arrangements that will set out the program for the dedication ceremony. Although this is at the earliest stages important considerations have to be made not only for the logistics of it all but also to the protocols associated with such as event. Some of these protocols will include obtaining approval to use the Australian White Ensign in the proceedings as well as appropriate service and dedication matters. The service will include the involvement of a RAN Chaplain. It is not expected that we will have a draft plan of the ceremony until at least July 2009, as we will need to consider a number of things including confirmation of the attendance of a number of important guests to the occasion.

 

 

The Memorial Medallion is now available

 

How to Order

 

We need to take orders for medallions on the basis of prepayment only. On receipt of payment a medallion, leather case and certificate will be sent by post. The price of each medallion is $85.00 (including GST of 10%) postage and packaging with Australia Post will cost an additional $7.30. We are able to make arrangements to have each medallion engraved with the name and number of each purchaser, this is however at a nominal cost of $10.

 

Cheques or Money Orders should be made out to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc and posted along with an order form to the fund at 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas 7310.

 

Delivery will be made within 21 days of receipt of payment. Do not remit cash or make payment out to any other person or organisation. It is not possible to deal with payments by electronic transfer, as we need to have all of the information required on the order form in addition to the payment

 

 

All proceeds from the sale of the medallions will be passed to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc. and will be used meet the costs associated with materials and construction of the memorial.

 

Junior Recruit Memorial Fund

50th Anniversary Commemorative Medallion

Order Form

 

Please Supply:

 

Number of Medallions Required

 @ $85.00 per unit

$

 

 

Engraving of Name and Official Number (optional)

 @ $10.00 per unit

 

$

Please write below exactly what is to be engraved

 

Name& Initials…………………………………….

 

Official Number……………………………………

 

Postage and Handling @ $7.30 per unit

 

$

 

Total Cost (inc GST @10%)

 

(Payment by cheque or money order should be made to the Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc. Do not send cash)

$

 

 

 

Your Name

 

 

 

Address

 

 

 

Postal Address for Medallion(s) if not home address

 

 

 

Telephone

 

 

Email Address

 

 

 

Please remit cheque or money order with the order form 

To:

 Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc

75 Lovett St Devonport Tas 7310

Tel 03 64247198 Email ken.dobbie@bigpond.com

 

 Click here to download the Order Form as a .doc file OR Click here to download the Order Form as a .pdf file

 

It is Your Heritage

 

We have identified the Medallions as being important keepsakes that can form part of the naval heritage in each family. It is hoped that sons, daughters and even grandchildren may seek to purchase one as well. The sale of these will go towards meeting the costs of the memorial construction.

 

(Show this newsletter to your wife you never know what you might get for Christmas).

 

 

Creating the Commemorative Medallion

 

The engraver for our Commemorative Medallion is Andrew Borg who is based in Gordon, Victoria. Andrew initially trained as an Industrial Engraver producing print embossing dies for the textile industry. His training as an engraver also involved medallion and coin hobbing dies. Further work in this area included the making of buckles and fashion accessories. Andrew has been established in this type of work for more than 20 years. He works in a small rustic workshop surrounded by much bric-a-brac and work in progress.

 

The work, undertaken with the assistance of magnifying glasses, involves many small drilling and carving devices to produce the required effect. Generally Andrew works directly on the metal that will create the die and uses a photograph or drawing to guide his work. He has an uncanny ability to carve the exact detail directly into the metal.

 

The medallions are cast in solid pewter and finished with a bronzed coating to provide the replication of the bronze centrepiece on the JR Memorial. The size of the pewter casting is 230 grams in weight and 80 mm in diameter (½ pound and 3 ¼ inches for those who have not yet converted to metric) The reverse side of each medallion has the Memorial Dedication and is cast in a way to provide for the engraving of a name and personal number. The presentation case is made of leather with printed images of the crest of Leeuwin and Cerberus on the outside with the RAN crest on the inside.


 

The Engraving of the Master Die

 

 

The First Casting

 

 

First Stage of Hand Finishing

 

 

The finished medallion

 

 

An original Tingira flash, have you kept yours?

 

5th Intake Kaiber 1 Division

Back Row:   G. Walker, M. Marsham, D. Stone, D. Lyons, A. Wells, I. Spaulding, R. Kendall, P. Roberts, A. Barret, T. Boyd, T. Gaffney.

Mid Row:   LSmn Clifford, G. Forrester, C. Stevens, A. Browning, G. Hansen, P. Cooper, K. Greig, M. Gleaves, J. Grace, D. Needham,  P. Tasker,  D. Koneman, L. Mills, LSmn. Bingham.

Front Row:   P. Bowles, M. Leitch, R. Burgraff, POFC Lowein, CPOQMG Wilson, Lieut. Donohue, Lieut. Anderson,  CPOGI Mitten-Lane  POFC Amm, B. Kyson, J. Booker, G. Pennicuik. (Photo courtesy of “Sno” Roberts)

 

 

“And Still They Serve”

 

Steve Coll joined the RAN as a Junior Recruit in 1963 and is still serving. This photo is of recent activity in East Timor where rumor has it that Steve enjoys jumping out of helecopters in jungle environments and he is also believed to be having more fun now than ever in his life while the rest of us are perhaps putting our feet up in retirement. It must be all that training he received on “over night expeditions” as a JR

 

 

Leeuwin Instructors 1963

 

Donation Banking

A bank account has been set up with the Devonport branch of Westpac. The account name is the “Junior Recruit Memorial Fund Inc.” (BSB 037 604 Account 22 7096) and deposits can be made electronically with the bank or by cheque made out to the fund and remitted to JR Memorial Fund Inc. 75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310

Please do not remit cash or cheques made out to anyone other than the fund.

 

 

“Yours Aye”

 

 

Have a happy and safe Christmas and we will continue with the project in the New Year

 

Ken Dobbie

Email ken.dobbie@bigpond.com

 

75 Lovett St Devonport Tas. 7310

Tel 03 64247198

Mob. 0418140042