Battalion Moves

3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment

Just a short note to advise that 3 RAR held a small ceremony and morning tea at Holdsworthy yesterday (30 November), to mark their departure after 28 years, and to honour those members of"Old Faithful" who died during this period. The memorial, consisting of an impressive metal eagle, the emblem of airborne forces, was unveiled. As most will know, 3 RAR is moving to Townsville.

A good number of ex-members turned out including Joe Vezgoff and several other Kapyong veterans.

The following former Commanding Officers also attended. Brigadier Jim Shelton, Major General Peter Phillips,
Lieutenant Colonel Roger Tiller, Colonel Wade Stothart and myself.

The Commanding Officer of 3 RAR, Lieutenant Colonel Trent Scott, invited all veterans to join the Battalion for the first Kapyong Day parade in Townsville on 24th April 2012.

3 RAR is expected to deploy to Afghanistan during 2012.

I suggested that as the battalion is leaving Sydney, now would be an appropriate time to form a NSW based Battalion Association so that the veterans in and around Sydney can maintain contact with one another and the Battalion. (See NSW Annual gathering) (See NSW Annual gathering. Regards Webmaster)

Duty First

Hori Howard.

Pathway
of
Honour
Memorial
to
3RAR

Source: The Advertiser
March 28, 2011 12:00 am

Former soldier Doug Paterson pays his respects at the 3RAR memorial dedication service at the Torrens Parade Ground
Source: The Advertiser

MEMBERS of the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment have been honoured with a memorial in the heart of Adelaide.

Veterans gathered at the south side of the Torrens Parade Ground yesterday to see the memorial unveiled on The Pathway of Honour..

3RAR Association SA president Bob Whelan said the battalion had a long association with SA, being based at Woodside from 1965 to 1981.

"Our memorial is not only dedicated to those who were killed but everyone who served with 3RAR, whether they served overseas or not, regardless of where they served," he said.

"We have a strong membership here because 3RAR was stationed at Woodside for about 20 years, a lot of men met their wives and settled here."

The memorial was an initiative of the group, which used federal and state government grants to fund it. The stone monument was spurred by two special dates this year - the 60th anniversary of Kapyong and 40th anniversary of 3RAR's second tour of Vietnam.

At the service, seven surviving battalion members of the Battle of Kapyong, Korea, were honoured with life membership.

Dr Donald Beard, who served as Regimental Medical Officer, said it was a surprise to be acknowledged.

"I was also very proud to be a part of the medical and surgical unit helping the Australians I grew to respect," he said.

"When you are in action so many of the men around you are working to the same end and you grow together. There was a bond of friendship that you do not get in any other situation in life."

Anzac Day

2010

Blinman
South Australia

Anzac Day 2010 Celebrations

Blinman
South Australia

The ANZAC Day Celebrations at Blinman South Australia attracted about 20 or so vets with a good number of them former 3 RAR members. The Dawn service was very well supported by the locals, some of whom would have had to get up very early to drive in from outlying stations.

Following the formalities the Blinman Progress Association put on a cooked breakfast for everyone in the Memorial Hall with the rest of the day spent catching up in the usual manner. The ANZAC Day March was something of a spectacle for the locals. David Lean dusted off the pipes and with appropriate dignity we all marched up the main street to an appreciative applause from the locals. Although Blinman is a tiny outback town, it must be said that both the locals and vets tendered as much sincerity to the occasion as would have been expected in any of our Capital cities. Although ANZAC Day Celebrations have been held in Blinman in the recent past, they have been rather impromptu, but it would appear that there is a strong interest in ensuring that a more structured and formal Ceremony become a regular event.

It will be interesting to note that other than "Tex" a lone American Vietnam vet who lives near there, all other Vets drove or in Gary Heffernan's case flew in from distant places with a commitment to be there again next year. I can recommend the Blinman ANZAC Day celebrations and if other Vets want to join in with us in the years to come .There is plenty of accommodation at the hotel as well as most of the local stations.

Names of those attending included Bob Kearney, Bob Lewis, Wheels Whelan, Garry Heffernan, Colin Cogswell, David Lean.

The Blinman Pipe Band
David Lean

Tasmania Hut

Roger is an ex Army( not 3 RAR) and  found this hut in the highlands of Tasmania. Roger would be keen to find out any history about this hut and the painting.
The hut is near Lake Antimony in the central plateau.

Roger Norton
Municipal Inspector
Break O'Day Council

Australians Killed in Action

Australian servicemen Killed in Action during the Vietnam War number 502. Australians who died in Vietnam during the period 1963 to 1973 actually number 527. Files available for download provide some details of those who died in Vietnam during that period.

The spreadsheet is particularly useful when researching Vietnam. The advantage of sorting the excel sheet information by any column heading provides a backup research ability allowing you to view the associated actions that may have occurred around the same date, or with the same unit.

Military & civilian personnel serving in war zones are susceptible to physical and psychological pressures. These pressures may effect individuals psychologically (see medical definition) making them more susceptible to illness.

What is surprising is the high numbers of individuals who's death may be classified as accidental during times of war. The responsibility required when associating with live ordinance daily cannot be overstated requiring real skill. The excel spreadsheet column detailing cause of death has been removed for fear of offending.

Download Excel Sheet KIA South Vietnam War.xls here

Download Adobe KIA South Vietnam War.pdf here

3rd Battalion

RAR

HISTORY
Research

Request

3rd Battalion RAR History

Calling on all past & present members of Old Faithful

I have been ferreting through second hand book stores and stalking ebay for a number of years now in an attempt to compile a significant body of knowledge about the Battalion. Much of what has been written about Old Faithful resides in the national library, but there are also a number of ex-members who have self published their own accounts of time spent in the ranks, and those works subsequently lacking an ISBN number will not be found in the usual places.

Ultimately I hope to have the most comprehensive collection of written information about 3 RAR, and for that information to be  readily accessible to researchers and in particular descendants. As the Regiment approaches its 70th birthday and our members continue to age I believe now is the time to begin capturing the remnants of our history before they vanish completely.

My history with the Battalion is from April 1985 when I marched in straight from Kapooka to carry out my IET training at Holsworthy. First IET training within the Battalion since the SVN era I believe, and we were fortunate enough to complete our parachute course before we finished our IET training. I was on parade the day we swapped berets and donned the dull cherry, and I was there this year (22 years after leaving the army) to see the last Kapyong Day parade held at Holsworthy.

To assist me in collecting, preserving and sharing the history of all those who have served in Old Faithful I am asking any member past or present, or descendant who may have something they wish to sell/donate to contact me.

Yours Faithfully

Mark W Tisdell

Email: Mark W Tisdell here..........
Formally Alpha Company (Retd)