Category: General Musings

History Under the Hammer. I have been busy with the Brisbane Legacy Auction that we run every year to raise funds to support the widows and children of deceased Australian war veterans. Following is an extract from Brisbane Legacy’s E-news.

Imagine owning your own piece of military history – a 400-year-old Samurai sword, rare uniforms, Nazi books and equipment or Army, Naval and Airforce memorabilia, from pre-Federation to today’s Defence Force.

All that and more is on offer at Brisbane Legacy’s Militaria Auction on the 2nd of April.

Having grown to become Queensland’s premier Militaria Auction, the event is expected to bring hundreds of Militaria enthusiasts and collectors from all over Queensland and other states around Australia, some as far as Adelaide.

Brisbane Legacy Researcher for the auctions, Mr Kevin Gillett, says the Auctions attract a wide variety of collectors and an even greater variety of memorabilia.

“Collectors regularly travel from as far as Northern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria to attend the event. At the Auction in October last year we had a whole family travel across from Perth just to extend their collection of rare WW1 and WW2 Medals�

“This year we’ve received a very diverse array of over 400 items. We have a collection of over 20 Japanese swords, over 20 shell cases from WW1 to Vietnam, a 1938 copy of Mein Kampf, rare uniforms including an Australian WW2 AWAS uniform and a NSW Pre-Federation Military Forces uniform and even Nazi dinnerware�

Also at the Auction is a Militaria stall selling a huge variety of bargain priced memorabilia.

“The stall runs on Saturday and Sunday and contains over 1000 items. Lots of Military training pamphlets, books, uniforms and other memorabilia is available for direct sale at bargain prices�

The popularity of the auction helps raise over $20,000 for the widows and children of Legacy.

If you are interested in attending the Auction there is a viewing on Saturday April 1st from 10am to 2pm.

The Auction itself starts at 10am on Sunday with viewing available from 8:30am.

If you would like more information on the Militaria Auction, would like to volunteer to help at the Auction or would like to be e-mailed a catalogue E-Mail here or contact Legacy on 1800 534 229(freecall) for more details.

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Not only am I the ‘Researcher’ but I manage the database, function as date entry bloke and produce the website. A usual I am also running behind time but by late this evening I will have the website up and running. After, say 1800hrs AEST, visit here for a full catalogue. If you are into owning very old and significant pieces of Australia’s (and sometimes, our enemies) military history then do visit.

Regular readers would be well aware of my military background and thus would not be surpised that I support Legacy. I consider it a sacred trust to help widows and children of our fallen servicemen but in the world of volunteer workers too few answer the call. If you are of the more community spirited type of person, not necessarily ex military, but would like to help others then email me or leave a comment. We are currently restricted to one auction year due to lack of support. I am looking for MS Access managers, data entry help, and volunteers to help catalogue, identify, value and tag items for next years auction. (or another auction later this year if I actually get volunteers) The peak period lasts for about two weeks prior to the Auction day.

Swamp me with offers of support….NOW

I’ve been waiting for someone to have sufficient bad manners to compare Larry with Katrina – didn’t take too long. Over at LP Kate raises the issue thus giving readers a platform to vent their spleen against Bush. It’s all about Aid to the Civil Power. In a national disaster the authorities from the local government up have to request help from the Federal government before the Military etc can be deployed. In Queensland’s case the Mayor at Innisfail and the Premier of Queensland were obviously well versed in the procedure and acted accordingly. In Katrina’s case the Mayor and Governer seemed to be ideological incompetants and procrastinated over decisions. There are other obvious differences; the first being the relative sizes of Larry and Katrina and Innisfail and New Orleans. Still, gives them a chance to put down on Bush again. Ian Gerard, in the Australian sees the glass half empty as he finds problems in the relief work;

In a sign that the relief effort is struggling to cope with Cyclone Larry’s aftermath, the most powerful cyclone to hit the Queensland coast in more than 80 years, tempers flared as a large crowd waited in torrential rain.

And John Howard was jeered at first but later earnt applause;

John Howard was initially jeered in Innisfail when he arrived yesterday, but was later cheered when he announced $10,000 tax-free grants for small businesses and $200,000 low-interest loans to allow local businesses and farmers whose crops were wiped out to rebuild.

Yeah…right. Waiting in the relief queue outside the Innisfail courthouse yesterday was Shiralee Hazel;

She expressed the frustration of many: “Effing do something now. That is my message for them. Get off their fat arses and do something.”

They are off their fat arses, Shiralee. The Disaster Coordination Centre in Brisbane was functioning days before Larry hit Innisfail; the military were on standby at Lavarack Barracks waiting for road access before they despatched hundreds of trucks all loaded with gear ready to help. The Army doesn’t load these trucks post the event -they were loading while the North was getting flattened. Green painted water purifcation and desalination plant are in situ now as are kitchens to help feed the locals who have lost their kitchens. The Army Blackhawkes have been there helping and the RAAF have been doing photo runs with F11s to asses the damage further out. RAAF Hercules aircraft from Sydney have flown in hundreds of tarps and other supplies. The Power authorities had vehicles load with sufficient cabling to recable complete towns and generators to power up water and sewerage pumping stations prior to the full disclosure of the damage. They left Brisbane as soons as roads were opened. Power and Telstra crews were in working on the afternoon of the day of the disaster. State Emergency Services local crews were working that day as well helping other locals as they tried to make sense of their lives and hundreds of volunteer crews are heading to the area and a lot are already there. I listened to radio yesterday and the day before and noted the admirable work being done by dozens of agencies as the announcer spoke to them all. He was actually in situ and interviewed soldiers as the headed North from Townsville. It was all good and as it should be. Everyone he spoke to just wanted to get there and help restore people’s lives. I have empathy for Shiralee but the fact that she was in a queue the day after Larry struck fully expecting to get a cash handout suggests to me that the public servants were off their arses as well. Personally, I think Ian Gerard has denigrated the work of everyone involved by quoting some stressed out woman in a queue. Maybe, just maybe, he could go further afield and talk to the majority of locals who are thankfull for any help they are getting. Of course, while all this is going on the rain continues to bucket down flooding access roads and communities and slowing a lot of relief work but you can see on TV that the Australians who are there to help are not stopped by this – they continue to strive. When the news of the disaster struck I was instantly over the Commonwealth Games and looked for full-on TV coverage of the relief work. Not to be; Australians are suffering and we sit and watch pampered athletes win gold and subsequent lucrative endoresments. The heroes are up in Innisfail working in appalling conditions, often on a voluntary status (no financial reward), against nature at her worst only to be told to get off their respective arses.

Just in from the ADF Media Centre.  Brisbane media report Queensland requested Federal aid at 1400 hrs yesterday. As everyone knows, including the media rabble involved in Katrina in New Orleans, Federal governments cannot react to emercencies until officially requested to do so by State authorities. Thus; Defence has reacted swiftly to requests for support from the Queensland Government as part of the Commonwealth Disaster Plan in the aftermath of Cyclone Larry. The ADF has mounted Operation Larry Assist, which is commanded by Brigadier Michael Slater, the Commander of 3 Brigade based in Townsville, to coordinate ADF assistance. The ADF has provided the following support after receiving requests from Emergency Management Australia (EMA): * Brigadier Slater completed a low-level aerial reconnaissance of the affected area in a Navy Seahawk helicopter on Monday afternoon. * Late Monday evening Brigadier Slater deployed a Combat Service Support Team via road to the Innisfail Show Grounds. The team consists of the following:

o  A Field Kitchen with fresh rations to sustain 200 people for 24 hours.

o 10 Unimog trucks with 9000 litres of water and ration packs.

o 60 tarpaulins for emergency shelter.

o 5 person Primary Healthcare Team.

o Water Storage Capability.

o Environmental Health Officers.

* Early this morning Brigadier Slater deployed an Engineer Group with a water purification unit capable of producing 7500 litres per hour, and an Infantry Company of around 100 personnel to provide general assistance. * An Air Force C-130 Hercules will transport tarpaulins and other stores provided by the NSW State Emergency Service and private sources from RAAF Base Richmond to Innisfail later today. * A Sea King and one Seahawk helicopter will deploy to Townsville from the Nowra Naval Air Station later today. * Further support, under consideration by EMA, that may be requested from the ADF includes:

o Provision of food and water.

o Provision of shower facilities at the three evacuation sites.

o Provision of bedding for up to 500 people within the shire. The ADF has a Navy Seahawk helicopter and Army Blackhawk helicopter standing by in the local area to continue to provide support. 

o Additional Air Force Hercules and Caribou aircraft and Navy landing craft are also available for tasking on request.

The ADF has considerable experience and expertise in providing humanitarian assistance to post disaster recovery support both in Australia and abroad. Damm right it has and we should be thankful but peope like Bryan Law in Townsville will most probably still complain about the noise of the choppers on the way to Innisfail.

Go to Cyclone Larry: The Aftermath for on-the-spot reporting.

The leader actually says “Charles may not be King: PM” but as he didn’t say anything of the sort I must attribute the opinion to the journalist Maria Hawthorne.

“I do not believe this country would become a republic while the Queen is on the throne, beyond that I don’t know,” Mr Howard told the BBC. “I’m not saying it would or it wouldn’t. What I am saying, however, is that it’s going to be very hard to find a system which delivers such a stable structure as the present one.”

No, he didn’t say it there. In fact he’s suggesting that as it’ll be hard to find a better system then it most probably wont change and you could take his words as suggesting Charles will be king. Asked whether he thought Prince Charles would become king of Australia, Mr Howard said that was a matter for the Australian people.

“If the Australian people want to change the system they will,” he told ITV. “But if they don’t, they won’t … I am not going to hazard a guess either way.”

I think he said he wasn’t going to hazard a guess as to whether Australians will change the system. No. Still hasn’t said Charles may not be king. Definitely the Journalists own opinion.

Leunig’s childhood “Linus” blanket, the duck, gets top billing at the opening of the Commonwealth Games.  To pay back the nations conservatives and Jews for rediculing Michael and his anti-Jewish/Bush/Howard cartoons Brack has awarded him an audience of three billion or so people. I witnessed the duck and paused to see what they were on about.  When I realized who they were canonizing I went back to the study to catch up on Legacy work for the imminent auction.  I went past the TV later on the way for more caffiene and they’re still rattling on about the duck. Serves us right.