4 Field Regiment (SVN) 'Old Boys' Newsletter - June 2024 Edition

Association and 108 Bty Association contributed $100 each and the ‘A’ Field Battery Association contributed $56.30 and the 105 th Bty Association have kicked in $75.00. This covers the cost of manufacturing the RAA plaque and we have enough in reserve to monitor the plaque installation and any ongoing costs. An outline of the plaque appears later in this edition but mentions the three regiments, all the batteries and includes the Detachment from 131 st Divisional Locating Battery. Our RAA plaque and 11 others will be unveiled at the memorial on Sunday 18 August (Vietnam Veterans Day) commencing at 1100 hours. I will be attending along with Keith Hall and our Patron David Anderson and welcome any other Old Boys to join us. Hopefully a representative from ‘A’ Bty, 105 Bty,107 Bty and 108 Bty will be in attendance. All are welcome but if you would please advise me if you are attending so I can give the organisers some idea of our numbers attending. The memorial is at the entrance to the current Land Warfare Centre, just near the town of Canungra. Canungra RSL will be conducting a BBQ/refreshments after the service. Medals should be worn. Any questions regarding the plaque or attendance, please let me know. I recently started going through a box of old bits and pieces – I’m sure most of us have a box or two stored away “in case we need it” – anyway, I found paper copies of the first dozen newsletters we put out. The first one is dated February 1989 and newsletter number 19 is dated January 2010. I will eventually scan them all and send down a digital copy to Tim Ford at the Cutler Research Centre. Edition 1 was put out when I was posted to 8 th /12 th Medium Regiment at Holsworthy. Old Boys who got a mention were Dave Drabble, Peter Dunn, Sandy Nall, Brian Swift, Peter Dobbs, Garry Jones, Peter Kilpatrick, Dave Larter, Lance Grimstone, Peter Smith, and Lindsay Warpole. This edition included a list of Old Boys and their address and phone number if known. Edition 2 was printed in February 1990. Issue 3 was in September 1990 and included details of our reunion in Townsville at 4 th Field Regiment planned for May 1991. Somewhere, I have a photo of the group of us at that event. The reunion revolved around activities at Lavarack Barracks, but we all met on day one at the Cleveland Hotel on Friday 3 May. Saturday, we had Regimental transport to take us out to the barracks for the Birthday parade. Next day we had a trip to Magnetic Island and on the Tuesday, a free day with dinner that night. Tickets for the dinner were set at $30.00 each. I doubt we could do anything for that price these days. Bulletin Number 4 was April 1993 and I was posted in Melbourne. Bulletin 5 was September 1993 with some new additions to the fold. Number 6 was March 1994 and very thin on content. Some info about Anzac Day in Melbourne with instructions to end up at the Flying Duck Hotel – one of my haunts in Melbourne. Number 7 was September 1994 which included a letter and cheque for $100.00 from our then patron, Don Donkin. Back in those days we were chasing subs to cover postage and life membership with a donation of $100.00 or more. I still have a list of our life members. Number 9 was in June 1999 and included letters from Swifty, Keith Hall, Mick Crane, then CO of 4 th Field Regiment in Townsville, Denis Byrne, Shane Oxenham, Bob White, Geoff Dunkley and PJ Smith. Mike Berriman was still trying to sell all the 4 th Field Regt caps he had and we also were selling maps of Phuc Tuy province for $15.00 which included P and H. By March 2000 when Bulletin Number 10 was printed, I had moved to Peak Hill. Number 11 also came from Peak Hill in June 2004. By October 2004, another move for me to Myrtleford in Victoria when Bulletin no 12 came out. July 2006 saw Bulletin No 13 which included a brief summary of our now Patron, David Anderson. The last hard copy I have is of Newsletter number 19 dated January 2010. Still down in Myrtleford at that stage and