The Naval Association of Australia is committed to four important principles:
Care (i.e. the welfare of our members), Commemoration, Camaraderie, and we assist our local naval Cadet units.
Care (i.e. the welfare of our members), Commemoration, Camaraderie, and we assist our local naval Cadet units.
Care: We endeavour to visit any of our members/family who might be in hospital, or disadvantaged locally, and use our network to provide support to those who might be in hospital further afield. The Fraser Coast Sub-Section has now established a Wellbeing and Advocacy Service with a small team of accredited advocates. Our team supports the needs of former Naval personnel and their families with advice on access to services or assistance with DVA pension or compensation claims. If you want to know more about this service please contact our President Peter McDermott on 0409 260 255 or email president@naafc.onmicrosoft.com
Commemoration: The Fraser Coast Sub-Section continues to commemorate significant events in the history of the Royal Australian Navy. Recent events have included small ceremonies at Freedom Park. We are looking forward commemorating the Naval Association’s Centenary year in 1920.
Did you know that naval men were the first Australians to see active service when Australia became a nation on the 1st of January 1901? Australian Colonial Naval Brigades were serving in China with an international contingent sent in response to the Boxer Rebellion. While they had been away the colonies from which they sailed only nine months before had become a federal commonwealth and these active servicemen were the first who could call themselves Australians. Photo: HMCS Protector’s Chief Gunner Edwin Argent with Protector’s gunners. The crew of Protector received the China War Medal 1900 in recognition of their service.
Camaraderie: We hold several social events for our members and our social calendar can be found on our Subsection page on the Naval Association website of via this link. https://navalassoc.org.au/sub-sections/qld/fraser-coast or on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/naafrasercoast.
Cadets: TS Krait has settled in its new location with the Hervey Bay TAFE. TS Krait is focussed on increasing the number of cadets on its books and provide unique opportunities for local youth to experience aspects of life in the Royal Australian Navy.
Membership
Membership of the Naval Association is open to former or serving naval personnel of Commonwealth Forces and Australia’s Allies and the declared partners thereof. Former Australian Army and RAAF personnel who have been posted to HMA Ships and Establishments are also eligible to join. We also have a level of membership open to people who wish to support the association who do not meet the full membership criteria.
The Fraser Coast Sub-Section continue to meet at the Hervey RSL Boardroom, nominally on the 2nd Sunday of the month (Except January). Application for membership is invited; please contact Peter McDermott on 0409 260 255, email president@naafc.onmicrosoft.com, or
Greg McHugh on 0428 696 848, or email secretary@naafc.onmicrosoft.com
The Sub-section AGM was held on the 11th February, with the following executive members elected;
- President: Peter McDermott
- Vice president: Marty Price
- Secretary: Greg McHugh (JP Qual)
- Treasurer: Steve Zahra
- Committee Member for Wellbeing: Michael Casely
The Fraser Coast Sub-section continue to meet at the Hervey RSL Boardroom on the 2nd Sunday of the month (Except January). Application for membership is invited; please contact Peter McDermott on 0409 260 255, or email pmcd@southernphone.com.au
Contribution by Peter McDermott
February 2019
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Members of the Fraser Coast Naval Association commemorating the 55th anniversary of the loss of HMAS Voyager (II) at Freedom Park on Sunday 10 February 2019.
On the night of Monday 10 February 1964, HMAS Melbourne was engaged in night flying exercises. Voyager‘s role was that of plane guard. Since both ships had just completed refits, this was the first time they had been involved in close quarters manoeuvring for almost six months. Both the carrier and destroyer were ‘darkened’ with only navigational/operational lighting in use.
At approximately 20:56, some twenty miles south east of Jervis Bay, the two ships were in collision. The impact was devastating for Voyager and she broke in two.
The forward section sank soon afterwards and the after section about three hours later. The disaster resulted in the loss of 82 lives (14 officers, including the commanding officer, 67 sailors and one civilian dockyard employee). There were 232 survivors. Melbourne was damaged but sustained no casualties.
The wreck of HMAS Voyager lies some 600 fathoms deep, twenty nautical miles off Cape Perpendicular on a bearing of 120 degrees.
