Far Ranging - rangeroverclubsa.com.au · Far Ranging November 2017 Promoting the interests of Land Rover Owners: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Freelander ! #% " $ #% " $ !

Far Ranging

November 2017

Promoting the interests of Land Rover Owners:Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Freelander

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE RANGE ROVER CLUB OF AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH INC

November 2017Page 2

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MeetingsClub meetings are (generally) held on the third Tuesday of each month at The Riverside Rowing Club, Bridge Road,Adelaide, SA 5000 commencing at 7.30 pm. Details ofmeetings are published regularly in The Advertiser in theMotoring Club notes each Thursday.

Website Emailwww.rangeroverclubsa.com.au [email protected]

Correspondence – General Correspondence - MagazineThe Secretary The EditorRange Rover Club ofAustralia Same postal address as The SecretarySouth Australia Branch Inc or email the Editor at:PO Box 381 [email protected] SA 5070

Magazine deadlineAll material for publication consideration must be submitted no later than the Friday following the first Tuesday ofthe month.

AdvertisingAdvertising material should be mailed or emailed to the Editor, with negotiated payment, no later than the magazinedeadline shown above. Payment rates for advertising can be obtained from the Treasurer.

DisclaimerWhile every care is taken in the production of this magazine, all views expressed are not necessarily those of theRange Rover Club ofAustralia, South Australia Branch Inc.

Range Rover Club ofAust (S.A. Branch) Inc. BSB 105-900 A/c No. 954415740

Committee

President

Gerry Schmied 08 8189 1040Vice President

Geoff Playford 0412019327Secretary

Tim Lawton 0428895482Treasurer

Jo Wall 0417823458Editor

Garry Cooper 0434952536Committee Members

Ron Westren 08 8297 3295 (H)Peter Allmand 0423 366 229 (H)Michael Bull 08 8387 2576 (H)Geoff Playford 0412019327Anne Schmied 08 8189 1040Distinguished Service

Chris Davies John HarrisonPamela Harrison Bruce Lynch(dec'd)Cheryl Metcalf Tony MetcalfJenny Niven Richard MillerMike Paget Bryan ReynoldsPeter Robinson Derek RutterTrevor Wareing Ken BurdonWeb organiser

Peter Allmand 0423 366 229 (H)Supper and raffles

John Fisher 08 8362 7776 (H)Social Sub CommitteeAnne Schmied 08 8189 1040Gerry Schmied 08 8189 1040

Welcome OfficerAnne Schmied 08 8189 1040

Co-opted positionsAuditor

Tony Metcalf 08 8262 4384(H)Minutes Secretary

Hal Marshall 08 8381 2763 (H)Public Officer

Dave O'Donnell 0412601571SAAFWDC Delegates

Dave O'Donnell 0412601571Gerry Schmied 08 8189 1040Technical Advisors

Tony Metcalf 08 8262 4384 (H)Garry Cooper 0434952536Ron Westren 08 8297 3295 (H)EquipmentOfficer

Michael Bull 0429022494

Trip Co-ordination Sub-committee

Tony Metcalf 08 8262 4384(H)Ron Westren 08 8297 3295 (H)Geoff Playford 0412019327

Michael Bull 08 8387 2576 (H)Peter Allmand 0423 366 229 (H)ANFWDC insurance

TCIS 08 8278 7000 (B)Driver Training

David Harwood 08 8346 7741 (H)National Club/LRA Liason

[email protected]

John Harrison 08 8556 2028 (H)Club Clothing

Tim Lawton 0428895482Club Satellite phone 0438929056

www.rangeroverclubsa.com

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President's Report

Our visit to Solitaire was a great success. Thevehicles presented were the new Discovery and aRange Rover Velar. Michael the service managerand his staff answered all of our questions andprovided a great supper. From the feedback Ireceived and observations our group was veryimpressed. Thanks go to Bob Gillen for liaisingwith Solitaire to make this an enjoyable andinformative visit.

The location of our stand at the 4wd andAdventure Show this year next to Solitaire andthe Landrover experience appeared to generateinterest and we seem to have gotten the exposureneeded to attract new members. The responsefrom visitors to our stand was positive and weappear to have been successful in attracting somenew members and I hope they show up at ournext meeting. Report to come in a future issue.Please ensure that the Xmas dinner payments areforwarded to the Treasurer by the latest endNovember. Details are in the magazine.Our November meeting is a review meeting.Please come with your notes on what we havedone well this year, what we can do better andwhat you want from your club. Some memberswill be away on the mouth to source trip and Iwish them a safe journey.All British day registrations close on the 15thNovember. We currently have 12 vehicles ofvarious vintages. All registrants will be contactedand advised how to register and as per previousyears the entrance fee will be reimbursed by theclub on presentation of the receipt.See you all at the next meeting and in themeantime stay safe.Gerhard Schmied

Editor's Note

We have the Coffin Bay trip, the Octoberfestweekend trip and more ofMichael's adventuresin India. We will see more ofMichael's reportsfrom the UK in coming issues as well.John Harrison one of our longest servingmembers said he would do a Member Profile andhe certainly excelled with his. I had to reduce theprint size to fit it all in so you might need yourreading glasses. I'm looking forward to themovie version!

Garry Cooper

Club Christmas Dinner

&

Kris KringleTuesday December 19th 2017

Grange GolfClubWhite Sands Drive

Grange.6:30pm for 7pm startThree Course Dinner

with choices for each course$60.00 per person

Cash BarTrip Folder is open

Payment to Club AccountNo money on the night

This magazine is produced using the freeOpen Source Desktop Publisher Scribus andthe free Open Source Linux Operating SystemFedora 24

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Agenda1 .Welcome2.Apologies3.Minutes of previous meeting4.Business arising from minutes5.Correspondence6.Treasurer's Report7.SAAFWDC Report8.Magazine Editor's Report9.Club Calendar10.Trip Reports11 .Other business12.Supper1 3.Activity; Feedback and reflection evening

Club Calendar

The following meetings/events have been arranged by your Club's Committee foryour benefit. Please participate and make full use of your Range Rover Discovery Club membership.

November 2017

Saturday 4th 4WD SA – DTU – Practical training weekend – Peake, sandSunday 5th www.4wdsa.asn.au for details or David Harwood

Saturday 11 th to Murray to the Mountains trip – Peter Allmand 0423 366 229Friday 24th See trip folder for details

Sunday 12th 4WD SA – DTU – OZE GPS training daywww.4wdsa.asn.au for details or David Harwood

Tuesday 21 st General Meeting Riverside Rowing Club

730pm Feedback and reflection evening

December 2017

Tuesday 19th Christmas Dinner – Grange GolfClub – See activity folder for more detailKris Kringle - $10 gift appropriate to gender

January 2018

Tuesday 16th Traditional BBQ - Mitcham Reserve (Brown Hill Creek, Old Belair RD)6pm onwards BYO everything for a BBQ tea

February 2018

Sunday 11 th All British Day – Echunga Showgrounds – Our club will be a feature1030am – 4pm display – See activity folder for details

Tuesday 20th General Meeting Riverside Rowing Club. Guest Speaker: TBA730pm

www.4wdsa.asn.au

www.4wdsa.asn.au

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November 2017Page 6

March 2018


Friday 30th- Land Rover Register Land Rover Easter Jamboree Melrose

Monday 2nd www.lrregsa.org.au for registration forms/more information

April 2018


May 2018


Proposed: Channel and Gulf country trip – Andrew Davies: 8332 8096 – See trip folder for further details

June 2018

Tuesday 19th General Meeting Riverside Rowing Club. Guest Speaker: TBA730pmClub members wishing to participate in any or all of the above trips are advised to contact the nominatedTrip Leader and put their name in the appropriate trip folder.Club members wishing to do other trips should contact the trips committee convenor, Tony Metcalf, and beprepared to assist in organising the trip.

Denotes a non RRDC organised trip or event

New Minutes Secretary Required.Due to my increasing deafness I am having trouble doing the meeting minutes.I would appreciate if anybody would be willing to take over this.I would help with the set-up of the forms required and would be willing to donate a voice recorder andinstructions on how to use it. After the March AGM next year I will definitely not be doing the minutesanymore. If anybody takes over the minutes then I would be willing to help with the club history (thisrequires a lot of reading but not much listening).Regards,Hal Marshall.

www.lrregsa.org.au

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www.triumphroverspares.com.au

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November 2017Page 8

www.triumphroverspares.com.au

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www.solitaire.com.au/landrover

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November 2017Page 10

Range Rover and Discovery Club of SA

General meeting minutes

Date: 17/10/17 Day: TuesdayLocation:

Solitaire Landrover Service Department Site Visit56-57, London RD,Mile EndMeeting Commenced: 7.35pmAttendance: As per attendance bookApologies: As per attendance bookGuests: Nil.Gerhard Welcomed members and introduced the staff at Solitaire and thanked them for hosting us tonight.Members were then given the opportunity to look through the service area and view the new Range RoverVelar as well as the new Discovery series 5. All enjoyed a lovely supper ofwine, beer and a beautifulcheese platter provided by Solitaire and the staffmade themselves available to field any questions thatmembers may have hadMinutes of Previous Meeting:

Minutes of the last General meeting were distributed separately this month due to an oversight. Acceptedas an accurate record by majority.Business arising from Previous Minutes:

Any business from the previous minutes is covered under the various headings in these minutesCorrespondence:

Presented by: Tim Lawton.Various magazines were received from other clubs – these have been distributed as appropriate prior togoing to the library.Newsletter from ‘REDARC’ Electronics4WDSA notifications can be accessed via their websiteJohn Harrison sent a congratulatory card on behalf of the RRDC to Alpana Station to congratulate theirson on his recent wedding on the stationTreasurers Report:

Jo is still away so there is no formal report available. Peter Allmand has been looking after the chequebook in her absence. He has had to write a cheque to pay for the new windscreen brochures, bookmarksand vehicle stickers getting ready for the upcoming 4WD show. Each member will receive a new stickerfor their vehicle which has the updated logo to include the word ‘Club’ then after that the costings will bethe same as per the old ones. ($3 each or 2 for $5)4WDSAMatters:

No report this month.Magazine Editor:

Garry apologised for not getting the exact address of this meeting into this month’s edition. The nextmagazine is in production. Anything for that magazine needs to be to Garry by the 9th November.Club Calendar Matters:

See calendar for a comprehensive overview.The next event is coming up on the Weekend and that is the 4WD show at the Wayville showgrounds. RonWestren handed out the passes including car parking for those volunteering on our stand. The carpark isoff ofLeader St and the pass is good for all 4 days. Ron suggests that volunteers bring a chair in to sit onto save standing non-stop all day. Tony and Cheryl will be leaving their post early on Friday afternoon dueto other commitments so if anybody happens to be at the show that afternoon looking around and canspare some time towards the end their help would be appreciated. Speak to Ron. Steve asked where wewill be in relation to Solitaire this year. The stand will be outside this year and is alongside SolitaireLandrover. The Landrover Register is not listed as a display which indicates that they won’t be inattendance. We have been provided with a 6X3 marquee with a roof and the assumption is with walls aswell. We will be displaying with X2 display boards with X4 panels and Ron has sourced 18 new photos toadd to the current display. Ron is focussing on locations this year opposed to vehicles. Ron still has somespare passes, if anyone is interested please see him.

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The Murray to Mountains trip has been taken over by Peter Allmand due to Bob having to pull outunfortunately. There is still some space if anybody is interested in joining, contact peter. Peter has been incontact with the Omeo caravan park who told him there is still snow on the Rd to Falls Creek! There arestill some road closures but there are other options, Peter is managing this. Thanks to Bob for the work hehas put into planning this trip thus far.The Next General Meeting is a feedback and reflection time. Bob is going to provide some questions toassist members with feedback and encourage input. Please think about this prior about the kind of thingsyou like to do, things we are doing well, could improve on, any feedback is good feedback. Gerhard willliaise with Bob prior to the time.Christmas dinner payments are due in full by the end ofNovember.Trip Matters:

The tour of the Edinburgh Military Museum on October the 8th went very well. See magazine for reports.The president of the preservation society facilitated the tour and was very informative.Other Business:

The Committee are currently looking for a new local charity that we can support next yearClub clothing is under control and the process of ordering new stock with the new logo has begunNew website is up and running and looking good. With thanks to Louise Briggs for all her workAuction within the club has occurred to sell dis-used equipment, items that did not sell via this methodMichael has advertised on Gumtree. The comment was made that Geoff Playford has tested out our newlypurchased ‘Max Trax’John Harrison brought up the issue of ‘All British Day’ registrations for 2018. He mentioned thatregistrations close mid-November. Gerhard is in the process of emailing members who have differentmodels of vehicle with the hope of getting a timeline type display for our club. David Baird (organiser)will be contacted for clarification on the time limit for registration. The club will re-in burse the cost ofregistration to members.Landrover will be a main display at the event due to the year of 70th anniversaryof the brand. John asked will we be able to make a block registration or still for individuals to complete?Gerhard will confirm this with David Baird.We have been allocated oval space; John asked ifwe should take the marquee? And if so to be aware thatwe cannot use tent pegs in the ground to anchor it. There is an issue with the online registration system butit will all be confirmed. Gerhard will keep all informed.Bob asked us to give a vote of thanks to Solitaire for hosting our meeting with the acknowledgement thatthe Range Rover Velar was a challenge for them to get for us to look at and that we really appreciate theeffort.Ron Westren encouraged members to collect a remote area pack from him to keep in their vehicle.Gerhard presented the staff at Solitaire with a bottle of ‘Range Rover red’ and a certificate of thanks onbehalf of the club for hosting our meeting and providing supper.Next meeting:

Date: 21 /11 /1 7 Day: TuesdayLocation:

Riverside Rowing ClubBridge RD,Adelaide,SA, 5000

To Commence: 730pmAdvance apologies: Tim LawtonMeeting Closed: 8:05pm

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Coffin Bay/Port Lincoln Trip.

Thursday September 15th:With the Oyster Farm Tour not scheduled until two in the afternoon, members of the group had free timeto do their own exploring.The group assembled at 1 :30 and after a brisk walkarrived at Pure Coffin Bay Oyster factory. We weregreeted by Chris one of the owners and Scotty his righthand man.Seated in a small display area, Chris gave a veryinformative talk, starting with a little history of the areaand the early harvesting of native oysters. He then wenton to explain and demonstrate the current oyster farmingpractices, include the reasons for growing the oysters atdifferent depths. Young oysters spend most of their timein water and as they mature the baskets of oyster arelifted so eventually the most mature oyster are onlysubmerged in water at high tide. A short video was also played which showed the the operation and size oftheir oyster lease.

Chris then took us into the processing shed and demonstrated the themachinery used to sort and size the young oysters. This was followed by anoyster tasting.

The tour lasted about 90 minutes, wasvery informative and was certainlyworth the visit.

The remainder of the afternoon wasgenerally spent preparing for travel thenext day.

That evening, the Trip Dinner was at1 802 Oyster Bar & Bistro. As you would expect it is a Seafood Restaurant on

the esplanade. Oysters of at least six different styles were on offer as well as entrees and main courseswith a seafood theme. We ordered the Seafood Platter for two. It was delightful!

Friday September 16th:Three cars had chosen the Fowlers Bay leg of the trip for awhale watch cruise. As it was about a 520kl journey, after abrief farewell departed at about 8am. The day was cool andovercast, good for driving. After several fuel stops andlunch at the Ceduna Bakery, we arrived at the small fishingvillage of Fowlers Bay and its impressive white sandhills.The caravan park is not large and considering theremoteness of the town it is well organised with veryfriendly staff. They have a communal log fire each eveningand the Camp Kitchen is rustic but well equipped. By theevening the park was full. After dinner, we watched theSwans/Cats game on the park's big screen along with most of the other patrons.Saturday September 17th:The Whale Watch Cruise started at 10am. We assembled at the jetty with about twelve more people whohad booked for the cruise. Over night, the wind had increased and by morning was blowing on shore atabout 20km, making the water choppy and with a swell.

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Once on the boat we headed into the bay. At the last count, there were 21 Southern Right whales in the bayand most with a calf. We were also told that well out in the bay were several Humpback whales. Duringour two and a half hour cruise we saw at least eight whales and their calves. One of the whales becamecurious and swam quite close to the boat. A calf became quite boisterous and breached several times.

Rod and Simone run a well organised and informative cruise and our group thought the cruise was wellworth while.

We had been told there is a colony ofAustralian Fur Seals in a small secluded bay on the peninsular, but toview them would require some sand and rough track driving. Always up to the challenge, after lunch weset off through the sand dunesWith John Fisher leading, the sand driving was quite challenging on soft sand and the track was not welldefined. The sand was followed by a rough dirt track with rocky sections and wash-aways. Theinstructions ofwhere to find the seals was a little vague, but eventually we found them. Several largemales with smaller females and pups all lounging in the sun on a sandy beach.

After the seal colony, we drove to the point of the peninsular, added a stone to the cairn and started ourreturn. The club's new Max Tracks were christened as I became bogged in the sand. They worked well andwe were soon on our way again. A goodafternoon's driving through some challengingterrain.

Saturday evening is Camp Kitchen Cook-outNight and for a very reasonable price, we hadroast beef, pork and lamb with camp-oven cookedroasted vegetables for dinner. They even suppliedgravy. What a great way to end a trip.

The next morning, Dave O'Donnell and JohnFisher headed East to return home and we headedWest to WA.

Geoff PlayfordJosephine Wall

Octoberfest 2017

The October long weekend is whenthe Mount Lofty Four Wheel DriveClub (MLR) has their annual event atWillangi Bush Escapes nearPeterborough.This year we had a small contingent:Garry & Robyn Cooper (D4) andPeter & Ryan Allmand (my grandsonin my RRS)

Arriving at the site on Fridayafternoon, the wind was blowing agale from the SW so we aligned ourcaravans accordingly but it was verydusty and uncomfortable.


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We chose to do a tagalong trip toCaryina on Saturdaywhich was a greatdrive with amazingviews in manydirections, includingacross the upperGulf to Whyalla andPort Bonython, anda few challengingsections.

On route, a visit to Magnetic Hill was a winner, particularly for the kids.

After a stop for lunch, the trip concluded in Peterborough in time for many to watch the Grand Final at oneof the 4 pubs in town. Ryan & I also did the sunset trip up a hill to the east of the camp where we saw anamazing sunset and many, many kangaroos with 10 other groups.Saturday night saw the Redarc Rock Band perform on the trailer stage, while we took the opportunity tomix with others for many clubs. The Wimmera 4WD Club from Horsham had eight vehicles for their firstvisit to Octoberfest.

On Sunday, in beautiful clear weather, we joinedthe morning group trip to the east side of theWillangi property. This was quite a challengingcourse that even had the trip leader, JeffMorgan,concerned at several steep, side slope sections.Those with gear and spares on the roof had to bevery cautious.Everyone safely negotiated the 3 hours of extremedriving, until the last 50 metres, when descendinga very rocky section, I ripped the side wall of atyre and had to carefully drive down to a flat section to change it, when Garry said “I have a flat too”.Not a nice way to end a good morning drive. We had both failed to bring a second spare wheel, so had totow our vans back home on Monday with no spares…a bit concerning but we made it OK.On Sunday afternoon I entered the Camp Oven Cook-offwith a magnificent Butter Chicken and a slightlyburnt damper. After dinner I sat with all the camp kids to watch Despicable Me 3.The MLR club really encourages families/ kids to come along, even supplying popcorn and lollies for themovie night.That got me thinking that we should try and run a Family event each year so we could bring ourkids/nieces/nephews/grandkids along.Monday morning, with more great weather, was the presentations where I received an honourable mentionfor the butter chicken, but was beaten by a great, rhubarb & apple crumble infused with ginger.The range of prizes in the big Royal Flying Doctor raffle was huge, with several prizes worth over $1000.Unfortunately the Cooper’s and Allmand’s missed out on the raffle but, despite both wrecking a $300 tyre,we did enjoy a great weekend thanks to a very well organised MLR.

Peter Allmand

OfTyres - Ed.

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KIDS OF KANPUR

Continued:With lunch over I was ushered into the Tata Bolero by Satyapal, strapped in and with a crunch of gears,Vincent was offweaving in and out the traffic which by now had become the normal for getting aroundand missing the odd cow or two on the road. It wasn’t long before we slowed down and looking out of the

window I could see a large crowd had gathered ofboth children and adults standing in the road. At firstI thought that something must be happening to havesuch a large gathering but then with an almighty“clunk” the penny dropped and I realised that theyhad all congregated to see me. As I got out of thevehicle I was absolutely mobbed by the crowd,especially the kids, just wanting to touch me andshake my hand. I felt as if I was a cross between a

rock star and Royalty and I have never been sohumbled. I didn’t realise that Anjali was in the crowdand only found out later when I saw this photo. She isthe one on the right in the pale yellow top. She wastold to stay at home and wait until we came to see herbut she couldn’t wait and snuck off to see me.

I had no idea, neither what to expect nor what theschool would be like but pictured in my mind’s eyesomething similar to that found in Australia or theU.K. As we went further into the winding alleyswhich were full of shacks, my entourage got biggerand bigger with people coming out of their shacksup to me and placing garlands of flowers aroundmy neck, until we eventually reach a two roombuilding which turned out to be the school. Thelower room was where a family lived and as nofunding was available to rent a building they haddonated the upper room in order that the childrenhad somewhere to go to be taught.

I was introduced to Deepika, their teacher, who alongwith her Sister somehow managed to teach severalclasses on a rota bases with little or no fanaticalassistance. The children all showed me what they hadachieved and asked me to present them with somebasic mathematical questions for them to answer.They then went on to conduct a dancing and singingdisplay and placed more flower garlands around myneck to the point that I could barely lift my head. Theboys belonged to The Tiger Club and the girls theBumblebee Club. I was absolutely amazing to seewhat had been undertaken and how the kids likedevery minute and were so proud in showing me what


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they could do. Children were queuing at the door and looking through the sky-lights to see me.

I could have stayed there for ever but the time was running out and I still had to visit Anjali, the younglady that I sponsor and her family, so it was time to say my goodbyes and move on. I was joined by MrMurthy the CEO of the local World Vision office who kindly accompanied me during my next part of theday to see Anjali. As we went further into the maze of alleyways, more and more people were coming outto welcome me and Mr Murthy told me that I was the first sponsor to have visited this area and I wasbecoming quite an attraction. It wasn’t long before we had arrived only then to have to climb up anextremely steep flight of stairs to a top-floor room where Anjali and her family lived. As I entered theroom, there she was and after waiting nearly ten years our eyes met and despite the fact that she had beentold by her Dad to stay seated, she jumped to her feet and rushed over to me and gave me a hug. Well thatwas it; I just burst into tears as she put yet another garland around my neck and gave me a bracelet. As youcan imagine I had with me many presents for her that I had brought form Australia in a back-pack alongwith a parcel that the girls from Flight Centre had given me for Anjali when they found out why I was

travelling to India. We all sat together and her eyeslit up as she opened her presents especially acuddly Kangaroo. Well I had to promote a bit ofAustralia. The hospitality was some of the best thatI have ever received and her family shared theirfood and drinks with me which I know is a struggleevery day for them to provide such. As all of thepresents were opened the afternoon drew to an endit was time to leave and I asked what was in storefor tomorrow? Shelia, the lady from World Visionwho had collected me from the Hotel in Lucknowwho had also now joined us, said that it wasplanned for me to take Anjali to see the big Jewtomorrow and that I would be collected from theHotel at 9 O’clock by Vincent. Now remembering

that I had a problem with Shelia’s accent mistaking “curd” for “God” I was certain that with Anjali beingHindu, we were not off to see a seven foot tall Rabi, but what on earth were we going to see? All will berevealed in my next episode. We said our goodbyes and Vincent and Satyapal took me to my Hotel whichhad a very strange sign outside on the entrance. Thank goodness I left “Tiddles” and my Kalashnikov athome. As I settled into my room a strong sense ofguilt came over me as my room was bigger than thekid’s school that I had visited and I could sit down inthe restaurant and have any meal that I desiredwhereas the people that had given me such a warmwelcome earlier would tonight be struggling to feedtheir families. After dinner I went up to a roof-top barto have a drink and as I looked over the skyline ofKanpur I couldn’t help thinking ofAnjali and herfamily all jammed into one room. As a tear rolleddown my cheek one of the barmaids came up to meand asked if I was alright? When I told her that I hadcome from Australia to see my sponsored child inKanpur, she said “I’ ll put some Australian music on tocheer you up”. She put the Bee Gees on, so a bit ofBritish Australian music, what could have been better?

To be continued. (Photographs by kind permission ofWorld Vision of India)

Michael.

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Member Profile: John D A Harrison, BM, BEM, F(Hon)IEMSA,F(Hon)SSSI, etcIntroduction/Preamble

I have been persuaded by Garry - our erstwhile Editor of the‘Club magazine to pen a few* words on my life history. So…..from memory here goes! I’m sure you’ll find some of itinteresting!(*Just a word of apology …. I’ve had an adventurous andfulfilling life/career but please bear with me! )My early childhood

I was, (I believe), conceived in the country-NSW town ofBarham, following the marriage between a New Zealand-bornfather, and a Victorian-born, (Bendigo), mother, and came intothis world just across the River Murray in Koondrook, (Victoria),at the Koondrook Bush Nursing Hospital, on 19th January, 1 939.You can do the sums! Following my arrival we, (all) returned toBarham to live before, in November of that year, my fatherenlisted in the AIF for WW2 war service. I guess that eithermakes me a citizen ofNew Zealand, NSW or Victoria?Considering the current debate/debacle with our Canberra‘pollies’ we’ll probably never know unless I consider entering thepolitical fray. I’ ll leave it up to the High Court if/when the timecomes! !

With Dad away on active service with the 2/6th Infantry Battalionduring the war, initially in – (from his MID citation), “fordistinguished services in the Middle-East, (including Egypt, EastAfrica, The Western Desert, The Sudan, Greece, Crete, Syria andTobruk)”, Soon after his departure from Australia both my motherand I returned to live with her family at Bendigo. My brotherarrived in June 1940 in Bendigo, possibly the result of a pre-enlistment leave pass? My only claim to fame in these early yearswas at age 2+ years was winning ” first prize 2 – 3 years” at theBendigo Red Cross Baby Show in April 1 941 . It’s been downhillever since. No longer good looking, suave, well mannered, etc.In the early-1940’s, with the inevitable end of the war in Europein sight the Battalion returned to the Pacific region where the‘Japs’ were making their intentions obvious, with Australia, (and

it’s territories), in their sights, serving with distinction in Papua-New Guinea, and duly recognised with the recommendation byGeneral Blamey for an ‘Immediate Award of the MilitaryMedal, (MM), for courage and gallantry under fire”, andfollowing, or close to the same time, of his investiture atGovernment House in Victoria the family moved, (again) toRichmond, an inner suburb ofMelbourne where we lived in asmall over-the-shop flat on Bridge Road close to my mother’swar-effort employment location.During this time back in Australia, Dad was honoured to beselected to go to London representing the Battalion at the VE-Day, (Victory in Europe), celebrations, which he duly attended,and towards the end of the war in the Pacific we becamequalified for a semi-detached ‘commission’ home at NorthCoburg, an outer, (then), suburb ofMelbourne, overlookingPentridge Gaol, and the Merri (Merri) Creek. When this creekwas in flood, (often), there was no way across to the other sideto my primary school except via the not-so-local sub-divisionroads on higher ground. Much later a foot-bridge was built overthe ‘Creek but it regularly washed over or sometimes awayduring flood events.Primary & Secondary Education

At aged five or six I commenced my primary school educationat the East Coburg Primary School which was a fair walkingdistance from home. My primary education was un-noteworthypunctuated only by regular visits to the head-master’s office! Istill have fond memories of the local grocery shop in the nextstreet where, for a penny, (or two), the shop-keeper - MrMcGrath, would sell us a small brown-paper bag of ‘brokenbiscuits’ , generally broken on the spot by him from one of themany 7-pound tins kept high up on the shelves behind theserving counter. I can’t recollect any of his grocery stock evercoming pre-packaged! . . Perhaps ‘Vegemite’ and some tinnedpreserves were the exception! ! Flour, split-peas and the likewere packaged up by him when time/trade permitted, and thenthere were always the scraps from the marble and cutting wireblock-cheese machine!In our new home my brother and I had the run of the great out-doors. We did all of the usual things kids-on-the-loose woulddo. Out all day exploring the building sites, local stone quarries,(looking for dets’ and unexploded blasting charges), the local –and some not so-local Council tips, the Merri (Merri) Creek,the Pentridge Gaol vegetable gardens where we ‘shopped’ formost of our fresh vegetables, etc. As long as we were homebefore or close to dark no-one worried. We, (our thenneighbourhood gang), often cycled as far afield as the Yan YeanReservoir for a one or two-day camp, sleeping either on theground or in a small ‘pup’ , or ‘hike’ tents. A few deep holes inthe ‘Creek provided the opportunity for local- pattern canoeswhich were made of a sheet of salvaged corrugated iron fromthe tip, rolled up around a home-made keel with bow/sternboards, and sealed with bitumen stolen from the local road/s inhot weather. Invariably they all sank and are probably still in thedepths of the Merri-Merri Creek!We weren’t the most mischievous kids on the block, however -a particular source of amusement (to us) was to retrieve adiscarded suitcase from the tip, - fill it with old clothes and‘hide’ it close to the goal perimeter wall where it would be‘discovered’ by the gaol warders on their rounds. They wouldthen hide in the grass watching this cache of clothes for hours ordays to thwart an expected escape attempt!With a father in the Army, Guy Fawkes Day was a memorableannual event. Whilst the other neighbourhood kids had access tothe same old ‘penny bangers’ we, (through Dad), had access tomilitary training, (Aldershot), grenades! Mrs Dickenson’s letter-box copped the full force of these munitions every year. I still

*B.R.C.B.S.

1ST PRIZE. 2-3 YRS

JOHN DONALD

HARRISON

19’4’41

*Engraving (Bendigo Red Cross Baby Show) onwinning cup


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wonder why she bothered to replace the ‘box in time for 05thNovember, year after year! !In 1949, (or thereabouts), I commenced my Secondary Schooleducation at Preston Technical High School, initially at thePenders Grove Junior Campus at Thornbury), taking the usualtechnical subjects such as Wood-work, Sheet-metal work,Machine-shop, Technical drawing, etc. , and then in Years Twoand Three I continued these subjects at the main campus inPreston proper. During this time my father was RSM ofSchoolCadets in Victoria and would not allow/condone any involvementon my part in the School Cadet, (Army or Air-Force), schemes.Returning to a peace-time role following WW2 he had a “gutful”of “little know-it-all so and so’s! ! ” Instead, I had an early-morning job of delivering the morning newspapers in the Coburg-Moreland-Brunswick area, earning the princely sum of 15/- aweek, (2/6 a day), later increasing to 17/6 a week for being thesenior delivery-boy. The extra 2/6 was for being able to take overother boy’s rounds in case of them calling in sick.When the Korean conflict, (police action), broke out in the early1950’s my father was, (again), serving overseas with the BCOSin Japan, when he was seconded to the reformed 3RAR, (3rdRoyal Australian Regiment), as the inaugural RSM, (RegimentalSergeant-Major), to reinforce/support the existing multi-nationalUN-force already there. When the troop ship arrived at PusonHarbour, due to a ceremonial mix-up, he was the first Australiansoldier ashore. Initially he was greeted/welcomed by theassembled military and diplomatic honchos, assembled bands,national and inter-national press before they, (all), then realizedtheir error. All sorted - the correct person was duly identified andevery-one went back to the start to go through it all again. Alittle-known fact about the first Korean conflict is that the firstAustralian soldier to set foot in Korea was a New Zealander! !All during this time, when Dad was overseas, as the eldest boy ina war-time house-hold, from 1941+ to the early-1950’s I had my‘chores’ to carry out at home – lawn mowing, (with the old pushmower! ), helping Mum with the shopping at the only shoppingstrip some kilometres away on the Melbourne-Sydney Road,which involved a long walk to the shops as she never had adriving licence until very late in her life, and most often then areturn trip with the goods. A heavy load may, (occasionally),deserve a bus trip on the return journey! These shopping andhome chores were in addition to my regular ‘paper rounds. Ithought, (at the time), that things were tough with a fatheroverseas but in retrospect I reckon there must have been manymore families in the ‘same boat! ’Dad did his stint in Korea alongside many of his ex-2/6thcomrades from WW2, particularly Lt Reg’ Saunders – the firstcommissioned Aboriginal officer in the Australian Army. Just afew days short of the significant battle for Kapyong Dad wasrewarded, (??), for his Korean service with a posting to AustraliaHouse in the UK, (London), where he, (and his family), spent thenext three years, recruiting British ex-servicemen into theAustralian Army, to replace those Australian servicemen who hadreturned to ‘civvie’ street following WW2.We travelled to the UK by boat, taking about six weeks on thehigh seas, arriving to a freezing English New Year direct from anAustralian Summer. It was a baptism of fire in reverse, and awhole new experience cycling to/from school from our rental‘digs’ on the outskirts ofCroydon south ofLondon. Here Iattended the Croydon School ofBuilding where I studied subjectssuch as Building design, Brick-work, Wood-work, Plumbing,Foundry, Technical drawing and the usual three R’s. At thisschool I was introduced to Bill S’s ‘Macbeth’ , which was reallyfortunate as it re-appeared twice more on the curriculum atsubsequent schools upon my return to Australia in 1954 and1955. By the third time I had ‘nailed’ it, getting an A+ in the final

exam.My Secondary schooling in the UK was indeed an experience,as being from the antipodes, I never quite got my head aroundnot calling the British “clear cellulose tape” - Durex to thedelight of class-mates, but the exasperation of the teachingstaff! ! This error, despite post-war food rationing, allowed meto dine like a king in the school dining hall for many months!Both my younger brother and I did nothing to dispel theEnglish views ofAustralia of the time – kangaroos hoppingdown Bourke Street, the use of two balls when playing “AussieRules! ” Q How else would a team get such high scores whencompared to soccer?? We were found out eventually whichrequired after-school detention, and many a return journey toour home in the dark! At the local Scout group we managed tobe the inaugural leaders of the Kangaroo Patrol, andencouraged others to join us to the eventual demise of theBadger, Squirrel, and other patrols.Shortly after our arrival in the UK, we were introduced to theentertainment of the era – B+W television. Their programmingfor kids was awful. Glove puppets, and flower-pot men didn’timpress us at all and when a competition to design a kid’sweekly programme was announced to commemorate theplanned inaugural cross-channel broadcasting between theBBC and French television service I just knew I could domuch better. The prize would be a chaperoned weekend trip toParis for the best boy/girl programmes. Naturally I included alot ofAustralian stuff – Chips Rafferty, the outback, bushcamping, the lot! ! To my family’s surprise I took out firstprize, (male), and Rosalind – from Huddersfield took out thefemale equivalent. In due course, following various on-TVinterviews we were confirmed as winners, and after travellingover by train/ferry we got to spend a weekend in Paris beingchauffeured all over the place, and being treated like VIP’severy-where we went. There was even some Australian presscoverage – “local boy makes good in UK! !” Sadly at onlytwelve years of age, and Rosalind a year or two older, nothingcame from this week-end away in Paris together!Returning to Australia in 1954, I slotted back into PrestonTech’ for my final year of secondary education, and aftergraduation went onto Footscray Senior Technical College tostudy Aeronautical Engineering. One, (my first), year was morethan enough for a kid that craved the great outdoors, andtowards the end of the year I applied to the Army for a cadet-ship to the Royal Military College in Canberra. After frontingvarious assessment panels, etc. I was deemed to be “being fartoo practical for an Army Commission!“ Obviously theywanted ‘shouters and screamers’ and not ‘doers! ’ My then-RSM dad, was not surprised having risen through the ranks,detested most officers after many potential escape attemptsfrom Crete to Egypt during WW2, by him and his men hadbeen ‘white anted’ by selfish, incompetent allied and Australianofficers!Employment; (a) Australian Army

In February 1956, at the age of 17-years and 1 -month I enlistedin the Australian Army, as a ‘Corps enlistee for training andservice in the Royal Australian Survey Corps, commencing mysurveying training at Balcombe, following initial recruittraining at 1RTB-Kapooka, close to Wagga Wagga in NSW.Following this military indoctrination – drill, weapons training,minor battle tactics, etc my initial surveying trainingcommenced about May and ran for a full year, seven days aweek, from after-breakfast until late at night carrying out sunand star observations and associated computations for position,latitude, azimuth and the like and most aspects of plane andspheroidal surveying – reconnaissance, line/figure selection,traversing, light-keeping, barometric, level and trigonometric

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heighting, tower-building, etc. We commenced the course withtwenty-seven prospective surveyors and completed the coursewith only nine. The remainder had either quit or were just‘burned out’ with the intensity of the study/work, and were, ontheir request, either transferred to another Army Corps of choice,reverted to training in drafting practices, or became surveyingassistants, (chainmen). One saving grace, (for us), was that wedid have a mid-course break over the Xmas/New Year period(1956/57). The attrition rate for those on courses prior to andafter mine which ran for a full calendar year, (January toDecember), - without a break was much higher.After graduation, in May 1957, as a Surveyor (Topographic),Grade 3, Junior - (for me being under 21 -years of age), the nineof us were offered a posting to one of the four Field SurveySections, (Qld, NSW, SA, or WA), or to the Army SurveyRegiment at Bendigo, (Victoria). With many ofmy relativesresident in Bendigo who could keep an eye on me, and no doubtreport back to my parents, I opted out of that position, and withnews filtering back on the ‘grapevine’ from the QueenslandSection who, at the time, were engaged in a major geodetictriangulation programme, for the Australian Geodetic Network,which necessitated the clearing ofmany jungle hill-tops - oftentaking many days/weeks at a time, that also was rejected whichrequired a quick look at our school atlas which described SouthAustralia as “generally arid, with little or insignificantvegetation”, that seemed to fit the bill of a relatively easy life,five of us opted for SA and were genuinely surprised to begranted our request. The rest went back to their state ofenlistment, (family??).We travelled from Melbourne by over-night train to Adelaide,arriving early the following morning at the Adelaide,(remember??), Railway Station to be greeted by the Section,SQMS, (Section Quarter-Master Sergeant), and in the back of a1 -ton truck, (sitting on our kit), taken to Keswick Barracks to beallocated/accommodated in slightly elevated WW2, (or WW1?)hospital outpatient buildings – timber framed, corrugated iron-clad, close to the suburban Adelaide railway line/s. The Section atthe time was comprised of about a dozen or so staff headed up byan OC, (Major), a junior officer, (or two?), a couple ofWO’s,(Warrant Officers), and the remainder NCO’s, (Non-Commissioned Officers), and Sappers,(us) making in total somedozen and a half in all. We were each allocated a small room withbed, desk and ‘robe in a sub-divided barrack/ward block, whichwas one small luxury after having shared, (two to a room),barracks at Balcombe where we had trained. The SectionDrawing Office, (where the maps were drawn/made), wasanother ward building adjacent to the living quarters with akitchen at one end which was used by the computing staff. Therewas no heating, (or cooling), but at least the computing staff, (aSergeant and a couple of juniors), could fire up the wood-burningcooking stove in winter, burning whatever fuel they couldscrounge around the barracks. The pine T&G floors in thebuilding were paper-thin after many years ofwashing/ scrubbing,and occasionally the legs on the drafting chairs would spearthrough the floor to the ground below, often throwing theoccupant to the floor. These holes in the floor were most oftenfixed with a ‘Masonite’ patch and many blue tacks. Our draftingdesks were just folding camp tables, and our penmanship left alot to be desired in the first few years, but improved withpractice.Interim maps were produced from the stable-based draftingmedium by the dyeline process where the initial map, (for fieldchecking), would be reproduced in B&W to paper by lugging asun-frame with the unexposed paper out into the sunlight for aminute or two before being rushed back inside the office fordeveloping using a beer-bottle full of developing solution to ‘fix’

the image. It was rudimentary – but effective. Fit for purpose! ,but only just! ! There were a few other sheds in various parts ofthe Barracks which were used for other mapping activities –transport office/workshop, template assembly, Multiplexplotting, stores, etc. The OC had an office within a brickbuilding, also separate from all the other wards/sheds, and thelike, including the blacksmith shop.Soon after our arrival in SA we were kitted out with additionalclothing/badges at the Keswick Q-Store – safari suits, tropicalshorts/pyjamas, puttees, etc. and when we questioned as to thereason why so we were informed that the Section had beentasked with a six-year mapping programme in the ‘ top end’ ofthe NT. Talk about jumping from the ‘pan into the fire! ! But theBoss at the time did appreciate our “volunteering“ to assist inthis exercise. One consolation was that – he said “that each fieldtrip would only be carried out only during the NT dry season –and we’re leaving in a matter ofweeks! “ The next few weekswere frenetic – badges to be sewn on the new kit, winteruniforms to be readied for storage, shopping for tropical‘civvies’ , checking out the seamier side/s ofAdelaide, etc.I served in the ‘Corps for over 23 ½-years, working throughoutthe NT’s ‘Top End’ , and most coastal areas/islands from the SWcorner of the Gulf ofCarpentaria to the WA border. Most ofoutback SA, and TPNG between undertaking various trainingand promotion courses, rising through the ranks from a Sapperto Warrant Officer Class 1 . As I’ve already alluded to, my firstmajor field trip was in the Darwin area, updating some oldWW2 mapping, and extending this map coverage south to aboutthe Adelaide River/Pine Creek area. In May 1957 we travelledfrom Adelaide to Darwin by road and rail, taking about twoweeks, and as this was to be the Boss’s last major field trip hewas to be in charge of, he made sure to call into every touristspot on the way. At ‘convoy’ speed it was eventful to say theleast, even if it was limited to 30mph all the way. The convoyconsisted of;Lead vehicle - Boss and off-sider in Dodge ‘van,1 4x4 3-ton ‘Blitz’ -style truck - Stores1 1 -ton 2WD truck - Tucker wagon & water trailer~8-10 ¼-ton 4x4’s - WW2 jeeps each w/stores trailer1 1 -ton 2WD truck – ‘Tail-end-Charlie’ /mechanicOn the morning of departure, after the required early morninglocal press coverage and parade we headed off from Keswick,but due to some navigational issues on the way out ofAdelaideonly got as far as Mambray Creek that day where we camped inthe riverbed beside the highway. At other times along the waywe only covered a short daily distance due to the tourist sitesthat just had to be visited, - Mataranka to the low level atKatherine, and Adelaide River to Berry Springs were two suchshort days drive. There were others, but the whole trip could bethe subject of another story!Initially, once we had arrived in Darwin, things were exciting.With a handful of aerial photographs marked with areas ofinterest marked with wax pencils where we were required towork we were left to our own devices from start to finish. Wehad no radios, and once we had left camp, or Darwin, with ouraxes, survey instruments, and ‘Jeep/trailer, in the first year no-one bothered us and we would only be missed ifwe didn’treturn to base after a planned week or two. As long as oursurveying progress was acceptable by an office, or occasionallyin-field examination of our field books, we were our own boss.We were paid an extra 21 /- a day for victuals and other campingexpenses. On subsequent field trips, 1 958 onwards however wecame under constant supervision either indirectly by radioschedules, or the occasional in-field visit by the Chief Surveyor– if he could find our ‘secret’ camp/s positions ofwhich werejealously guarded. There was always time for some adventure –


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from living off the land, or bartering for ‘hard rations’ from otherDefence establishments. The Darwin River RAAF base/quarrywas always good for tinned tucker or fruit juice, and explosives inexchange for fresh meat, (buffaloe, bush turkey/s, the occasional‘wild’ steer, fish, etc.) Recreationally we were able to fish, shoot,wrestle pigs when it suited us. As long as we managed “a mile aday”, (reconnaissance, line selection, chaining, angular and solarobservations, and calculations), things were sweet! !Things were going well until the end of the 1957 field seasonwhen the Chief Surveyor decided to head up one party with “onelast photo-control traverse”, before packing up and returning toAdelaide. It was in ‘cyclone country’ out from the KoolpinyahHomestead – through some old fallen trees and heavy scrubwhere to get the required line-of-sight was extremely difficult dueto all these fallen timber/trees. There was no vehicle access, andbeing the youngest of the party I was allocated the most arduousof field tasks – that of lead chainman where I was required torecce’ and cut the line, carry the ground-marking materials,waterbag, etc. It was the beginning of the expected ‘wet season’ ,and extremely hot and humid. I wasn’t up to the task continuallyand asked to be rotated through other lighter duties but the WO2-in-charge, a vindictive bastard, would have none of it so it wasback on the axe day after day. In due course I went down withheat exhaustion, and when the job was successfully completed Ihad to be repatriated to the Darwin Hospital where I spent a weekor so hovering between life and ….. The end result was that I lost~80% of sight in one eye, and damaged the other. My career wasat a cross-roads as stereo-vision was a necessary asset if usingaerial photography, or 3-dimensional map plotting.A more junior WO2 at the time was more sympathetic to mydilemma and in counselling me suggested that I now concentrateon my other skills such as astronomy, geodetic observations,survey calculations and the like. At least, despite my reducedvision capabilities, I could still make a worthwhile contribution tothe ‘Corps. At the end of the season most of us returned toAdelaide by air as stores/materials required for subsequent fieldtrips 1958-1961 were stored at Larrakeyah Barracks, or, in thecase of quite a few broken ‘Jeeps’ , etc disposed of locally. Just outof hospital it was one air journey I wasn’t in the least disappointedin. In a DC3 we left Darwin at sunup, arriving in Adelaide wellafter dark stopping off along the way at Katherine, Tennant Creek,Daly Waters, Alice Springs, Oodnadatta, Leigh Creek, PortAugusta, Whyalla and finally Adelaide. There were quite a few‘sick bags’ used along the way that day! ! !Well, - in the first NT field season the Boss had got his wish andwas promoted and moved on, but progress was agonisingly slow,and even slower when it came to be making/drafting the mapsfrom the acquired field data. Our new Boss who arrived aboutmid-year decided the greater part of this holdup was due to theinferior accommodation we had at Keswick Barracks, and thetrying conditions we were working under. Australia – through theNational Mapping Council was ‘screaming’ for map coverageAustralia-wide for urgent/major nation-building projects. So, afterscouting out the various under-utilized buildings at KeswickBarracks with the Garrison Engineer they settled/agreed onconverting the old horse stables from the SA Light Horse, thatwere at the time being used for medical stores, for a completemakeover to a ‘new’ survey building comprising a drafting office,multiplex room with ‘aircon’ , template assembly area,computation room, photo library, associated administrativeoffices, etc. The adjacent old blacksmith’s shop, with somemodifications would suit the transport/ workshop NCO just finetoo. Many tons of concrete were trucked in to level out the oldbrick floors/drains. Floor tiles were installed and with somepartitioning we were soon ensconced in a building that was vastlysuperior to what we initially had. Readers who have visited the

Army Museum at Keswick Barracks have, without knowing it,visited that ‘new’ survey office! !From 1958 onwards, with more advanced technology and itsassociated support requirements, soon put an end to thetraditional small isolated on-the-fly camps, each cooking forone or two personnel daily, and the ‘base camp’ concept wasintroduced and once established in the general area of surveyoperations 2-man survey parties could operate from. Thischange in work procedures and the inevitable introduction offield to Darwin communications, helicopters, better vehicles toreplace the WW2 worn-out ‘Jeeps’ , semi-permanent ablutionfacilities, some hot water through the ‘donkey’ boilers, specialsurvey-equipped aircraft, advanced surveyprocedures/equipment, some low-voltage camp lighting,required these bigger camps, and as a consequence we nowspent much longer periods in the ‘bush’ generally with aplethora of ‘honchos’ and ‘tourists’ who thought they knewbetter than the previous ‘surveyor-in-charge’ (of everything).As one well-seasoned Warrant-Officer once said of these new‘want-to-be-in-charge’ chums – “too much intelligence, nocommonsense! ”Despite all this new technology/support there was still sometime/requirement for adventure – now from abseiling fromhelicopters to clear helipads, clearing heavy timber with excessexplosives, extreme-height tower-building (to allowobservations in flat terrain), in close and way off-shore workfrom small (Zodiacs) to heavy support boats (Landing CraftTank) in areas where there was no land access. The preparationof and tossing out of aircraft palletized fuel to selected DZ’s,and survey sites. Where possible we pushed tracks throughvirgin bush where previously there had been none. Also, duringthis formative period ofmy career I seemed to be constantlyavoiding the suggestion by various bosses I go to Officer CadetSchool at Portsea, or to the School of Survey as an Instructor. Itwas a constant irritation/distraction and no long-term personalplans, (my/our marriage, home-building, etc.), could be madewhen my future was so uncertain, and wholly dependent uponthe mere stroke of the pen by some senior officer.Eventually, following a successful ‘Aerodist’ /Air ProfileRecorder (APR) campaign in the NT during 1967/68 ‘season,during which all existing records for measurements werebroken, I was given the personal ultimatum by the thenDirector ofMilitary Survey of accepting the position ofChiefSurvey Computer in Canberra, or electing discharge.Reluctantly I accepted the job and we all, (wife, kids, andpersonal effects), moved to take up the position in early-1969,

staying for three yearswhere I was intimatelyinvolved in the finalizationof the Royal AustralianSurvey Corps contributionin the finalization of theAustralian GeodeticSurvey, and ultimately theimplementation of theAustralian Map Grid, etc.A promotion came withthis new position, and atage 29-years I wasamongst the youngestWO1 ’s in the AustralianArmy.When a vacancy occurredback in Adelaide Iindicated to thoseconcerned my interest, and

30th Sep, 1 967

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having been selected for the position I surrendered myhouse, and job to another WO2 due for promotion and whowas currently ‘serving’ his time at the School ofMilitary -then at Bonegilla, (Victoria). Back in Adelaide as the thenSSM, (Squadron Sergeant-Major), in the 4th Field SurveySquadron based at Keswick again I found the Squadron wasmidway in building a double-story brand-new brick purpose-built mapping facility building. The Squadron (then) had arevised strength of close to 120 personnel, including cooks,medicos, photo-lithographer, stores-personnel, radiooperators, etc. I now found myself in an administrative role.No more jumping out of helicopters, and working at thesurveying ‘coal face’ , I had an overseeing role only in theSquadron’s surveying tasks, and was now more involved inwet-nursing junior officers, arranging the insertion andsubsequent extraction of the Squadron in Australian andoverseas operations by RAAF aircraft. After training as theSquadron Emplaning Officer at Richmond my job also wasextended to the preparation of air-movement stores andpersonnel training for air-supported survey operations. Witha budget on these major operations ofmany millions $’s wewere still beholding to the usual ‘bean counters’ at HQ butmy interest in surveying remained, and the other ‘bits’ filledin any spare time I had on my hands.Things were looking good, however, there was still thenagging pressure from those at the top to, (so they said), “dotime” at the Survey Regiment or School’ so I started to putout a few ‘feelers’ to secure my continuing employment insurveying in South Australia, but not necessarily in theArmy. I re-commenced surveying part-time studies at TheLevels, gaining exemptions in most subjects because ofmyextensive surveying experience. These exemptions relievedme from attending about 80% of tutorials and lectures, anddidn’t cut into my family and social obligations too much. Ialso became involved in the relevant professionalinstitution/s catering for non-cadastral surveyors, then theAustralian Surveying Association, firstly on the DivisionalCommittee serving in most positions, then on the NationalCouncil in many national roles from Secretary to NationalPresident. In 1979 – the pressure for a transfer was back on.I resisted again but my pleas fell on ‘deaf ears’ , and my 23½-years in the Army came to an end when am opening for aSupervising Surveyor at the SA Department ofMines andEnergy became available, I applied and was successful! ! Nomore six-month field trips, but at least I would be aroundduring the formative periods of our children’s education!Employment (b) SA Public Service

I was in khaki one day, ‘civvies the next’ ! The position Ihad, and inherited dedicated staff that came in my newjob/role was like a breath of fresh air! All were well-educated, enthusiastic, and like myself, their desire to dotheir very best on every task allocated to them wasfantastic! ! No longer did I have wet-nursing duties to juniorofficers, and the requirement to take orders frombureaucratic ‘ ladder-climbers’ . I was,(again), my own boss,with a negotiated budget, and the only ‘downer’ was theantiquity of the inherited survey equipment, when comparedto the Army equipment of the time. A sympathetic, (then),Director-General understood/appreciated the need for precisespatial co-ordination ofmineral deposits for the efficientmanagement of the State’s mineral resources was an addedbonus, and his help/guidance in battling the SA PublicService bureaucracy for a rolling capital-equipmentprogramme was appreciated.Over time we went from shared/hired generally ‘clapped out’vehicles borrowed from the State Fleet, to two new purpose-

fitted-out Survey V8 Land Rover Counties for our exclusiveuse. Each fitted with two additional fuel tanks with fueltransfer pumps, fresh-water tank, electric winch, HF andUHF radios, hard roof rack allowing elevated observations,additional spare wheel/s, rear roof access ladder and rear‘surveyor’ step, etc. they were, now, ‘fit for purpose’ , (forus), and made for a very efficient operation/s inmetropolitan or remote areas of the State. By insisting thateach vehicle had their own ‘budget line’ so I could monitorrunning costs they were the most economical vehicles in theSA Government vehicle fleet. Obviously, there weredetractors in other parts of the Department/Government,who had ‘axes to grind’ but the facts were that we had themost efficient vehicles of their size/capability, and theSAG’s only LandRovers! !The one fly in the ointment in this enterprise was the ‘handbrake’ , (the then Deputy-DG), lurking in the backgroundwho’s idea was that surveying was, with his limitedknowledge of surveying, only a matter of a compass andcloth tape, and any expenditure that took money away fromhis spending on his ‘essential’ overseas trips, geo-picks,tapes and magnetic compasses, was a waste of ‘his’ money.In the coming years when he had unfortunately advanced tothe position of the DG when the initial DG retired we wereto ‘ lock horns’ on these key issues many times! ! Hisreluctance to accept that the introduction of the GPS-systemwas the future, and in his feeble mind “just a passing fancy”placed us poles apart. Suffice to say we parted on that notewith an agreement, (of sorts), that he would not lecture meon surveying, and I wouldn’t lecture him on his geology. Itdidn’t take too long before he reneged on his side of thebargain/agreement, and before long he just couldn’t keep hisnose out of the Surveying Section, (again), - lecturing mystaff on field procedures, standards and techniques.Post Public Service and Private Enterprise

In 1991 , - after twelve years in the SA Public Service, andnumerous discussions about budget/s, personnel/staff,accommodation, etc. our final, (heated), discussion resultedin some name-calling, and our relationship souredsomewhat. I decided I had done all I could do for the MinesDepartment, and it would be better ifwe parted company.An inter-Departmental transfer ofmyself, and all surveystaffwas arranged, between the DG and the State Surveyor-General for this inter-Departmental transfer and for theLands Department to carry out all Mines Department surveywork on a charge-back basis. Accordingly, we allcommenced work with the Lands Department doing thesame work, for the same geological clients/staff, but at avastly increased cost foisted upon all concerned by theLands Department’s larger bureaucratic financial constraintssystem. Enough was enough! ! At aged 52-years, with threeyears to go before I could access my Super’ , I left the SAPublic Service to join the private sector with my owncompany/partnership providing essential additional supportwhen needed to several Adelaide-based surveyingcompanies, and when needed, a free mentoring service foryoung surveyors just out ofUni’ . My reasoning was that“every-one needs a hand up to get started, and theprofession was, and had been good for me, and moneyforgone was of secondary importance” Perhaps, inretrospect, I may/might/could’ve been a good instructor atthe School ofMilitary Survey after all, but, (now), at nearly79-years old and still in ‘stroke-recovery’ mode I’ llprobably never know! ! ! !Now un-employed, and with little income, (at the time),Pamela and I purchased a Discovery 1 from Prestige


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Walkerville – at the top of the hill from our house/home at ValePark from our savings, fitted it out for contract work, and for thenext three years provided, (at varying hourly rates), services tothe resources/mining sector – underground, above ground,exploration, etc. I can honestly say that working from a purpose-built/modified vehicle again, I was as efficient in the field asany other SA surveyor. At times I was inundated with jobs – butonly taking the ones I was genuinely interested in, and passingthe remainder to colleagues in the profession. I even undertook,when requested/approached by my ex-clients in the MinesDepartment, surveys for their various projects at hourly ratesway above I was paid when employed by them! ! ! Theirproblem! ! !When purchasing my/our Discovery at Prestige’ in 1991 I cameacross some literature about the Range Rover Club and joinedalmost immediately. I believe I was almost immediatelyseconded, not that it required too much arm-twisting, onto the‘Club Committee, serving in a number of roles, but particularlyas ‘Club Secretary for many years. I cannot say, hand-on-heart,that it’s always been smooth sailing though! As you can guessI’m most often lead by my ambition to do what’s best for the‘Club, sometimes treading on toes, but in making omelettessome eggs have to be broken! ! My/Our association over theselast twenty-seven years have been really delightful. Years weknow we will treasure for the rest of our lives – we’re sure.Despite moving from Vale Park to Willunga some four-yearsago the trip up to ‘ town’ to ‘Club meetings is still a joy. We getto meet with great friends, and to be able to participate in ‘Cluboutings/events. I do miss full participation at Committee level,but since my ‘stroke in 2016 I felt/feel that partial participationat Committee level is never enough. I’ ll continue doingwhatever I can for the ‘Club though.

Honours and Awards

1962 British Empire Medal for services to mapping theNT over period 1957-1961 . (BEM).

1976 Awarded Senior Member status AustralianSurveying Association. (MASA).

1 976 Awarded Senior Member status Institution ofEngineering and Mining Surveyors – Australia.(MIEMSA).

1 978 Awarded Australian Bravery Medal. (BM).

1 986 Awarded Honorary Fellow status Institution ofEngineering and Mining Surveyors – Australia.(F(Hon)IEMSA).

2004 Admitted as Member Australian Institute ofMineSurveyors. (MAIMS).

2009 Admitted as Honorary Fellow Surveying and SpatialSciences Institute. (F(Hon)SSSI)

….. And in conclusion.Your prompting, Garry to put something on paper about mylife/career is appreciated. I’ve finally made it, and trusting it willbe of interest to other members of the Range Rover – DiscoveryClub of SA.

(John D A Harrison, BM, BEM, etc.)

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CLUB ITEMS FOR SALE

Hats $10 eachBeanies $10 each

Cloth badges $7 each

Car WindowBadges $3 each

or 2 for $5

Key Rings $11 each

Club Mens & Women's Polo Shirts $30 eachClub Polar Fleece pullover (Unisex) $35 eachTo be ordered from the Treasurer with fullpayment.(Sample sizes will be on display at clubmeetings) Tim 0428895482

John Harrison - LibrarianNovember 2017


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80 UHF RADIO CHANNELS – USER GUIDE

Duplex channels – Don’t use unless you want to access a repeater

1 to 8, 41 to 48 Repeater channels, (Duplex with 31 to 38 & 71 to 78)

General chat channels;

9, 1 2 to 17, 1 9 to 21 , 24 to 28, 30, 39, 49 to 60, 64 to 70, 79 and 80

Specific use channels;

5 - Emergency call. (Duplex with channel 35)10 - 4WD Drivers - Convoy, Clubs & National Parks11 and 39 - Call channels (then move to another channel.)1 8 - Caravans& Campers Convoy Channel29 - Pacific H’wy (NSW), Dukes H’wy (Qld) Road Channel40 - Highway channel (Trucks)

Telemetry Channels – Data only. No voice allowed by law

22 and 23, 61 to 63 (reserved)

(The above information was compiled as at September 2011 )


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Range Rover Club EquipmentAt Aldinga Self Storage

Michael Bull 8387 2576 or 0429 022 494

Snatch-strap (ARB) Gazebo (Oz Trail) 3M x 3M

First Aid Kit Air Jack TJM (with compressor & exhaust adaptors)

"Tear-drop" Club Banners Fold-out Photo Display Board

Roll-out Photo Displat Blinds Marquee 6M x 3M ($25 hire fee for non club events)

Display Table Club Square Flag Australia Clean Up Day Box (Gloves etc)

High Lift Jack with Base (TJM) Pacific Wire Rope Pulling Hoist

Satelite Telephone + 12v & 240v Charges ($50 hire fee for non club events:See Equipment Officer for terms and conditions)

Water Bladder + Hose & Connection (Bush Ranger) MAXTRAX 4wd recovery device

Equipment should be returned within one week of the trip ending, or earlier if another hirer iswaiting.Please replace any used items from the first aid kit. A donation for use of equipment will fund thereplacement of items.

ADELAIDE

TYREPOWER

ALL BRANDSOF

TYRES – MAG WHEELSPUNCTURES

BRAKES/BATTERIESSHOCKERS

1300 137 133

8354 4580

Troy McCade


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ALDINGA SELF STORAGE

(Where the club stores its gear!)

-storage units – 3m x 1.5 m up to 6m x 3m.

- dedicated caravan, camper trailers, boat

storage, etc.

- boxes, packaging tapes, padlocks etc.

- 7 days per week access.

- digital security cameras, after hours patrols etc.

10% Discount to Club members on presentation

of their current membership receipt.

- Call 0418 846 782,

- website www.aldingaselfstorage.com.au or

- visit us at 209 Aldinga Beach Rd. Aldinga Beach

SA.

Office opening hours –Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri

9.00am - 5.00pm

Sat mornings 9.00 am till 12 noon.

http://www.aldingaselfstorage.com.au

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www.pcblandrovers.com.au

Documents

Far Ranging - rangeroverclubsa.com.au · Far Ranging November 2017 Promoting the interests of Land Rover Owners: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Freelander ! #% " $ #% " $ !