Activities of The Friends

At our AGM held on 20/5/2018 the following Statement of Activities was presented by Secretary Peter Randell for the year 2017.

Last Dambuster Flies In Lancaster.

Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, the last British Dambuster, recently flew on board the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s (BBMF) Lancaster for a historic flight to mark the raid’s 75th anniversary.

Here is the link to the video - https://www.facebook.com/thelincolnite/videos/1783001945072590/

Thanks to Michael Rossiter for the link.

VE Day 2018 At The Shrine Of Remembrance

Victory in Europe Day has been celebrated at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance with a strong showing from Friends Of The Odd Bods Association and the key address by Odd Bod Jack Bell.

Jack is shown with the heads of the armed forces in our lead photo. The service was held in bright sunshine on The Shrine forecourt and enhanced by the military precision of the Shrine Guard, and the Navy Band. Special guests included military personnel, the French Consul, and representatives of the RSL and various associations.

Jack Bell at The Eternal Flame

Jack Bell's speech was heavy on fascinating detail from his war experiences, including his time as a POW, and his emphasis on the importance of compassion even in association with the enemy. Jack commented on the high level of interest shown by young Australian during his recent attendance at school services including the Wesley ANZAC service.

Representatives from Friends of the Odd Bods included Faye & Gerald McPherson, Maurie Smith, Jan Dimmick, Gary Elliot, and Greg Smith. Jan Dimmick once again prepared the Odd Bods wreath to be laid at the Eternal Flame. Jan selects flowers to match the colours of our banner which is a nice touch.

     

Wreaths for Bomber Command (On left)
and Friends of the Odd Bods at the Eternal Flame.

It was generally agreed that Shrine staff excelled in presenting a wonderful service on the day.

VE Day at St. Pauls Cathedral London 8th May 1945

Stories of Odd Bods

In the column on the left of this page you will find a new entry under Stories of Odd Bods- Service Life of John Wilson Bourchier. Click on that link to go to John's story. 

His family have been good enough to send us information for publishing on this website and you may have a similar story of an Odd Bod, or your own story, that we can treat the same way. 

Stories tucked away in family drawers are fine but sharing with others, and recording for future generations, can make a lot of sense.

All we need is a story in some sort of digital format, perhaps a Word.doc, and preferably some photos. Feel free to contact Greg Smith if you would like to discuss further.
Greg Smith 0406222020 or email gregandsuesmith@iinet.net.au

2018 Battle Of Britain Commemoration – Hobart

Our Patron, AVM Peter Scully (ret) has sent us details of the Battle of Britain Commemoration program to be conducted in Hobart 14^th -16^th September 2018. 

This comprehensive list of activities will no doubt be well supported by participants from all around Australia and details are available below.

Articles Worth A Read

Assembling the Mighty Eighth (Assembling an aerial armada) - http://www.indyrcsouth.org/forum/index.php?topic=439.0

Thanks to Ken Broomhead for this link.

The Imperial War Museum’s Battle of Britain Airshow – September 2017

http://vintageaviationecho.com/duxford-battle-of-britain-2017/

Another link from Ken Broomhead.

International Bomber Command Centre – this is a link to the website and the fascinating stories of people and places associated with Bomber Command - https://internationalbcc.co.uk/

Thanks to Wendy Dean for the link.

Wesley Anzac Service - George V. Smith Award

The Wesley Anzac Service had a double dose of Odd Bods involvement with member, Jack Bell, providing the main address, and the presentation of the George V. Smith Award.

Odd Bods founder and long term secretary, George Smith, was a regular attendee at Wesley College Anzac Services and was keen to foster student understanding of Australians in war.

When George passed in 2015, Wesley College and Friends of the Odd Bods joined in creating the George V. Smith Award for the best student essay about the Anzac spirit. 

The essays from year 10 students were to be judged by college staff and the winner announced at the Anzac service. Friends of the Odd Bods and the Smith Family contribute to a student prize which in 2018 was a $250 book voucher.

At today’s Wesley service the 2018 award went to Sarah Gordon and her excellent essay about Australian nurse Agnes Jeffrey. You can read the essay here – The ANZACSpirit – Alive and Well.

Jack Bell addresses the service.

Jack Bell, Doug Parry,
Head of Campus- Richard Brenker,
and Maurie Smith.

Smith family members and Odd Bods join with award winning student,
Sarah Gordon, in front of a Lone Pine tree at Wesley College.

The ANZAC Spirit - Alive and Well

Following is the essay that was awarded the George V. Smith award for 2018 as the best essay by a year 10 Wesley College student about the ANZAC Spirit. Student, Sarah Gordon, is the author.

“The ANZAC Spirit was seen to be alive and well in the actions of Australians during World War II.”

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) spirit first surfaced in World War I during the Gallipoli campaign where ANZAC forces bravely fought against the Turkish in ghastly conditions. Ever since the war, ANZAC spirit has been defined by courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and most importantly, mateship. The first ANZAC day was in 1916, on the 25^th April and has been celebrated ever since^[2]. ANZAC spirit has been applied to locations (Gallipoli and Kokoda), military formations and people. One such person who displays the ANZAC spirit is Agnes ‘Betty’ Jeffrey, an Australian war nurse who was taken as a POW (Prisoner of War) in World War II. Jeffrey displays the desire for freedom, justice, and peace that are characteristic of ANZAC spirit. She displayed these characteristics during her service, captivity and after the war when she continued the ANZAC legacy through her actions^[1,3]. She is an example that the spirit of ANZAC was alive and thriving in WWII.

Agnes Jeffrey shows ANZAC spirit through her unwavering, courageous service as a nurse. Jeffrey was a nurse deployed to the Pacific front to work recovering ill and wounded soldiers. She was assigned to the 2/10^th AUS General Hospital in Malacca, Malaya in 1941 where she and 65other nurses worked in often half-built or makeshift hospitals^[4]. They nursed the men there until January 1942. The area was unsafe as the Japanese were advancing and so the hospital was moved to Singapore. They turned an abandoned school into a makeshift hospital where soldiers were nursed. The hospital was abandoned when the nurses were ordered to evacuate to Java on the 12^th February 1942. Initially, the nurses refused as Jeffrey later recalls “Our refusal was useless… we were ordered to leave and had to walk out… I have never felt worse about anything…”White Coolies p.2.^[7] Jeffrey displayed great courage and initiative but was forced to board the Vyner Brooke. Two days later, on the 14^th of February, the Vyner Brooke was sunk by Japanese aircraft bringing an end to Jeffrey’s nursing career^[4]. Jeffrey remained calm and strong throughout her service and displayed vital aspects of ANZAC spirit. She showed initiative and discipline during the evacuation and mateship throughout the course of her service. Jeffrey also endured many trialling tasks in her service such as working in poor conditions and in anticipation of an invasion, but she persisted and showed discipline, mateship, endurance, and courage.

Jeffrey’s ANZAC spirit can also be observed in her 3 ½ years as a POW in a Japanese camp. She displayed mateship, endurance, and courage during her capture with other nurses and women. After the Vyner Brooke sunk on the 14^th of February, Jeffrey spent 16 hours floating on some debris until she landed on Banka Island, which was occupied by the Japanese^[6]. She gave herself up to the Japanese, as she had no other options, and was escorted to Palembang where a camp of women greeted her. Jeffrey and the other prisoners suffered cruel conditions from lack of basic survival needs, tropical diseases, malnutrition, abuse and forms of torture^[5]. However, Jeffrey did not give in to despair; she strengthened her bonds with her fellow prisoners and kept a hidden journal of the conditions and occurrences of the camp. If the journal had been found, Jeffrey would have been cruelly punished or executed. Jeffrey was also a member of the ‘Vocal Orchestra’, a choir the women started to ease the boredom and raise their morale. This choir was vital as it made the women “…clean forgot where we were during those rehearsals and you see that was so important”, Margaret Dryburgh^[7], and it created an escape for Jeffrey and others to endure their cruel captivity. Throughout her 3 ½ years of imprisonment, Jeffrey displayed consideration of her friends, dauntless determination, and endurance which were extremely encouraging to others' spirits in those times of desperation.

Agnes Jeffrey did not stop her service after the war. After being liberated from the Palembang in Jeffrey was admitted to the hospital and suffered two years from severe malnutrition as she weighed 32 kilograms and suffered from tuberculosis in her lungs^[4]. Once she was discharged, she travelled the country with Vivian Bullwinkel, a close friend who had also been a POW at the Palembang camp. Together, the women visited hospitals and war centres to educate others, raise awareness and funds. The funds they gathered went towards the Nurse’s Memorial which was opened in 1949 and Jeffrey was the first administrator and continued her duties there until her death in 2000^[6]. Jeffrey continued to raise awareness to the ANZAC spirit and contribution from nurses to the war effort. Jeffrey didn’t stop there though; she wrote a book based on her journal from the prison camp. The book was called White Coolies and was published in 1954^[5]. Jeffrey’s recounts and knowledge was also incorporated into the movie, Paradise Road, a movie about the Vocal Orchestra the women ran. Her tales of hardship and persistence inspired thousands to learn and teach others about the events of World War II. Her post-war actions kept the legacy of the ANZAC spirit alive and well as the centre she opened is still running today, she educated hundreds and the film and book she created continue to inspire and educate thousands. Her actions reflect on the spirit of ANZAC from her persistence to teach others and open the nurse’s centre, endurance when dealing with her illness whilst assisting others and her strong desire to bring justice to the war nurses and have them be recognised like soldiers for their bravery.

 Agnes ‘Betty’ Jeffrey clearly displays all the qualities of the ANZAC spirit proving it has been carried on from WWI. She was brave when the situation was atrocious during her captivity and service in islands were the Japanese threat was high and persisted through these tough times with assistance from her friends and strong spirit. She also embodies the spirit of ANZAC through her desire for freedom for all and to help anyone and everyone she can; the reason why she became a nurse. Agnes Jeffrey is an inspiration to others, an icon among nurses and clearly displays the characteristics of ANZAC spirit, making her an example of how the ANZAC spirit lives on past World War I.

Bibliography

1.     ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee 2016, The Spirit of ANZAC, Australia, accessed 5 April 2018, <https://anzacday.org.au/the-spirit-of-anzac>.

2.         Australian War Memorial 2017, Anzac spirit, Australian Government, Australia, accessed 5 April 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/anzac/spirit>.

3.         Australian War Memorial n.d., Dawn of the Legend: The Anzac spirit, Australian Government, Australia, accessed 5 April 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/dawn/spirit>.

4.         Australian War Memorial n.d., Lieutenant Agnes Betty Jeffrey, Australian Government, Australia, accessed 29 March 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10676864>.

5.         Encyclopaedia of Australian Science 2012, Lieutenant Agnes Betty Jeffrey, Australia, accessed 29 March 2018, <http://www.eoas.info/biogs/P004118b.htm>.

6.         National Library of Australia 2001, Jeffrey, Agnes Betty, Australian Government, Australia, accessed 13 April 2018, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/1473722?c=people>.

7.         Ryde, N 1997, Betty Jeffrey, Australian War Memorial, pdf, accessed 29 March 2018, <https://www.awm.gov.au/sites/default/files/jeffrey.pdf>.

8.         Singing To Survive 2013, The Vocal Orchestra, Australia, accessed 16 April 2018, <https://singingtosurvive.com/the-vocal-orchestra-1943-44/>.

Professional Portraits of Odd Bods Available For Download

You might remember those wonderful portrait shots taken by photographer Rob Anderson at Leonda in 2015. He has kindly made the shots available for download to all members. Simply click on the link below.

Friends Of The Odd Bods

Anzac Day 2018 - The March Video

Tip: click on the little square icon to get the best full-screen effect from the video. 

Anzac Day 2018 - The March

Photos from today's Anzac Day march in Melbourne.

Gathering on Flinders Street prior to marching.

Our Patron flanked by the wonderful
banner bearers from Wesley.

Striding out in front of the iconic Shrine of Remembrance.

A big thank you to Vimal, Mohit, and the 13CABS organisation for providing such efficient transport. 
They are a very important part of our day.

Anzac Day 2018 - The Stars of the Reunion

Here we show some special photos of some very special people - our original Odd Bods.

Anzac Day 2018 - Reunion

Here are some more photos from our most enjoyable setting at Amora.

Bruce Waxman introduces proceedings.

Terry Maher regales us with High Flight.

Peter Scully addresss the gathering and here seems
 to be getting a handball from Peter Randell.

Anzac Day 2018

We are preparing photographs and a video of today's march and reunion but in the meantime you might like to go across to our Facebook page for a few shots and a video posted earlier in the day - https://www.facebook.com/friendsofoddbods/

From The Archives - Odd Bods Reunion 1963

This photo was taken at the Air Force Club in Melbourne during the 1963 Odd Bods reunion. How many faces do you recognise? Let us know some names in the comments below. "Tich" Marshall, Father Mac, and Tom Rossiter show up in the front row.

Request From The Shrine Of Remembrance

We have received a call from Mr. Neil Sharkey of the Shrine who is planning an exhibition at the Shrine mid July focussing on the Resistance movement throughout Europe in WW2.

He would be keen to hear from anyone who may have been involved from our group who may have done airdrops, special missions, pick-up and delivery of special agents etc.

He can be reached on 9661 8118 or via nsharkey@shrine.org.au

A Fine Collection

Thanks to Gary Elliott for this photo.

ANZAC Day 2018 - March & Reunion

Dear Friends,

                Anzac Day (Wednesday 25th April 2018) is not far away and we are pleased to send you an invitation to this year’s Anzac Day reunion which is being held at the same location as last year’s successful event -  The Riverwalk Amora Hotel on the banks of the Yarra in Richmond.

                Arrangements for this year’s march are similar to previous years. You will find details on a form sent out via email or hardcopy and you can also access the form by clicking on the Anzac Day 2018 tab at the top of this page. We ask you to complete the details as soon as possible particularly so that we can prepare transport arrangements for the day. Arrangements like car transport in the march, bus transport to the reunion and luncheon bookings, need to be organised well in advance.

                We look forward to seeing you on Anzac Day and in the meantime if you have any queries please direct them to Peter Randell (0410271941), Greg Smith (0406222020), or Michael Rossiter (0418324383).

Best Wishes

Bruce

Sqn Ldr Bruce P Waxman OAM RAAF (Rtd)

President

FRIENDS OF THE ODD BODS ASSOCIATION INC.  - 2018

COMMENTS:
13/3/2018 2041hrs
From Bryan Wilcockson:

Thanks for the note, a seat on the bus suits me fine. Here’s some directions for the driver.

 Bry

 P.S. I hope all goes well with such a worthy endeavour and everyone has a great day.

14/3/2018 0708hrs

I will be thinking of you on ANZAC Day and also the other Odd Bods – please convey my kind regards to all.

LEST WE FORGET

Sincerely

Diane Wright (Rechter)

14/3/2018 1358hrs

I appreciate your emailed advice re Anzac Day's march and reunion, and thank you, but send my apologies.  Will be thinking of you all, you Odd Bods, especially, and my wonderful husband, Harl.

With my Best wishes, - GABRIELLE HOGAN

Tyabb Air Show

Our President, Bruce Waxman, and his Son, Tom, enjoyed a day out at the annual Tyabb Air Show yesterday (Sunday 11th March). They were good enough to send us some great photos of old aircraft, so enjoy.

Avenger

Kittyhawk

Mustang P51

T28 Trojan

Dambusters - The Last Storyteller

Following is a link to a BBC report on a fascinating documentary about this iconic WWII event.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-42580442/dambuster-johnny-johnson-recalls-world-war-two-raid