Navy Victoria Network December 2012 News

News & Articles of Interest

28 Dec 2012	HMAS Toowoomba deploys for the Middle East The Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Toowoomba set sail today for a six-month deployment to the Middle East after an emotional farewell from her home port of Fleet Base West in Western Australia. Navy’s Commander Australian Surface Forces, Commodore Jonathan Mead, and the Senator for Western Australia, Senator Louise Pratt, joined Defence family members for the departure ceremony, giving the crew of Toowoomba a formal send off. More.....
22 Dec 2012	Celebrating Christmas on deployment This Christmas, there will be more than 3300 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed on operations around the world and away from their families and loved ones. They will get a small taste of home by marking the occasion with traditional lunches and games of cricket and other activities in the spirit of the season. More.....
21 Dec 2012	Leaked Defence White Paper a Smokescreen for Broken Surplus Promise Today’s leaking of the 2013 Defence White Paper raises more questions than it answers, not least of all that it was leaked by the Government on the same day it scrapped its budget surplus promise. Shadow Minister for Defence Science, Technology and Personnel, Stuart Robert, said the Government had sunk to a new low when it came to the management and stewardship of the nation’s national security. More.....
21 Dec 2012	EDITORIAL: Defence Minister declares war on the services by Peter Westmore News Weekly, December 8, 2012 At a time when Australia’s defence forces are being stretched to breaking point by savage budget cuts, the increased problems of border security, delays to vital defence acquisitions and the growth of military forces in other parts of our region, the Defence Minister Stephen Smith has again taken the axe to his own department. More.....
21 Dec 2012	ADF participation in Mardi Gras Australian Defence Force members will march in uniform at the Sydney Mardi Gras in 2013. Defence personnel have participated in the Mardi Gras since 2008 but the volunteer contingent of soldiers, sailors and airmen and airwomen will march as a formed body for the first time in the Mardi Gras parade on 2 March 2013. More.....
21 Dec 2012	Sailor held over Darwin weapons theft A 26-year-old sailor has been remanded in custody on charges stemming from the robbery of weapons from a navy patrol boat in Darwin late last month. Leading Seaman Matthew Evans appeared in Darwin Magistrates Court on Friday charged with aggravated robbery and two counts of possessing prohibited firearms. More.....
21 Dec 2012	Darwin weapons theft update The Northern Territory Police have announced they have arrested and charged a person in relation to the theft of weapons from a patrol boat which occurred on 30 November 2012 at HMAS Coonawarra. Defence can confirm that this person is a serving Navy member. The Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs AO CSC has made the following statement, “As I have said on a number of occasions this is a very serious matter and Navy does not tolerate any form of criminal behaviour. I am pleased that we have seen further progress on this case following the early success of the NT Police when they arrested a man for possession of the weapons. Navy will continue to assist in any way possible with the investigation.” In accordance with normal Defence procedures administrative action has been initiated against the member. Defence will not make any further comment on this matter as it is now before the court.
20 Dec 2012	View our December newsletter. NOTE from Webmaster: If you are a member and haven't received your December newsletter by email, the email address you supplied on joining is incorrect. To correct this, please email the and he will copy and amend your address.
20 Dec 2012	SIXTH ANNUAL MARITIME AFFAIRS - ESSAY COMPETITION 2013 The Navy League of Australia is holding a fifth maritime essay competition and invites entries on either of the following topics: * 20th Century Naval History * Modern Maritime Warfare * Australia's Commercial Maritime Industries More.....
20 Dec 2012	NCCV Newsletter Click here to view the Naval Commemoration Committee of Victoria's December newsletter 'Rogue's Yarn'.
20 Dec 2012	Chinese Navy and Royal Australian Navy share counter-piracy lessons Chinese and Australian naval officers shared their experiences in the conduct of counter-piracy operations in the Middle East Area of Operations at a roundtable meeting today. More.....
20 Dec 2012	Tribunal report advises against changes to medals for Gulf War medics An independent Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal has recommended against changing medallic recognition for Task Group Medical Support Element One during the 1990-91 Gulf War. The Government has accepted the findings. The Tribunal found service with Task Group Medical Support Element One was recognised with the Australian Service Medal with Clasp ‘KUWAIT’. Eligible members are also approved to wear the emblem of the United States Navy Unit Commendation. The Tribunal’s full report is available www.defence-honours-tribunal.gov.au. More information on Defence honours and awards is available at www.defence.gov.au/medals.
19 Dec 2012	A new study shows the Collins class submarines could remain in service until 2038. View the video of Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs interview with Sky News Political Editor David Speers.
19 Dec 2012	Strong Bond with Stirling Captain Angela Bond became the first female Commanding Officer of HMAS Stirling this week, during a low-key, wharf-side ceremony at the Royal Australian Navy’s Western Australian base. After a successful two year stint at the helm, Captain Brett Wolski handed Command of Australia’s largest operational naval base to Captain Bond, who has had a long affiliation with Stirling. More.....
19 Dec 2012	FUNDING BOOST TO HONOUR AUSTRALIA’S FINEST The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, today announced Australian Government funding for 76 projects across the country honouring Australia’s long and proud service history. “A total of $181,126 will go towards projects recognising the contribution of Australian servicemen and women as part of the Saluting Their Service grants program,” Mr Snowdon said. “Saluting Their Service helps local communities to show their appreciation for those who have helped shape our nation through their brave actions in wars, conflicts and peace operations.” More.....
19 Dec 2012	FUNDING INJECTION FOR 49 VETERAN PROJECTS Australian veterans are set to benefit from 49 new health and wellbeing initiatives funded by the Australian Government, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, announced today. Mr Snowdon said the projects would be funded under the Veteran & Community Grants program which provides support for ex-service and community organisations. “Funding worth $470,818 will help deliver projects that enrich the lives of Australian veterans, war widows, widowers and their families,” he said. More.....
18 Dec 2012	Navy League of Australia (Victoria Division) December Newsletter
17 Dec 2012	Australia welcomes Chinese Navy ships Three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy ships arrive in Sydney tomorrow as part of a four day port visit. The ships Yi Yang, Chang Zhou and Qian Dao Hu are returning to China from counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. More.....
17 Dec 2012	725 SQUADRON RE-COMMISSIONING In 2013 the RAN will begin taking delivery of 24 Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’ naval combat helicopters. The Romeos will be operated by 725 Squadron, which is due to re-commission in early 2015. More.....
17 Dec 2012	SUPPORT FOR VETERANS DURING THE FESTIVE SEASON Christmas can be a time for family and celebrations for some, but can also be a time of reflection and loneliness for others, and it’s important to remember that help is available. More.....
13 Dec 2012	HMA Ships Balikpapan and Betano decommissioned Darwin Navy personnel and dignitaries, including Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Tim Barrett AM, CSC, RAN RAN , The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Darwin Ms Katrina Fong Lim, Federal Member for Solomon Mrs Natasha Griggs MP all recently gathered at HMAS Coonawarra to farewell to two old friends, Balikpapan Class Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) ships HMAS Balikpapan and HMAS Betano. More.....
13 Dec 2012	Speech to the 2012 Galle Dialogue Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, Chief of Navy Australia The Role of Navies in Collective Prosperity Foreign Minister Professor Peiris, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa, Chief of the Defence Staff, Service Chiefs, in particular my counterpart Vice Admiral Colombage, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, Excellencies, heads of delegations, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen – Good morning. More.....
12 Dec 2012	ADF members on Border Protection operations honoured A group of Defence personnel have become the first to be awarded the Operational Service Medal for their service on Border Protection operations with Operation RESOLUTE. The Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, Warren Snowdon, and the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, attended the presentation ceremony held at HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin. More.....
12 Dec 2012	Naval Historical Society - President's Musings - December 2012 Our 'End of year' get together at the Waverley RSL was an outstanding success. We numbered 45 this year which is the 'best ever'. Capt Kath Richards RAN was a very entertaining Speaker, the meal was excellent, and we caught up with some 'old friends' in to the bargain. More.....
12 Dec 2012	Collins Class Service Life Evaluation Program Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the completion of the study into the service life of the Collins Class Submarines. More.....
12 Dec 2012	Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the Government has received the Future Submarine Industry Skills Plan. More.....
12 Dec 2012	Release of Final Report of Coles Review into Submarine Sustainment The Government today released the Final Report of the Coles Review into Submarine Sustainment. The sustainment of the Collins Class submarine fleet is an essential part of Australia’s national security. It is a complex task that has proven very challenging since the first Collins Class submarine, HMAS Collins, was commissioned in July 1996. The sixth and last of the Collins Class, HMAS Rankin, was commissioned in March 2003. More.....
12 Dec 2012	Future submarine Land Based Test Site to be based in Adelaide Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced that a new facility for testing submarine systems, including propulsion, energy and integration technology, would be based in Adelaide. More.....
11 Dec 2012	Statement on Gallipoli 2015 Commemorations “I announced in September of this year that following extensive discussions with Turkey and our New Zealand counterparts, the Australian and New Zealand governments were proposing a ballot allocation for places to the Gallipoli 2015 Dawn Service,” Mr Snowdon said. “We have a long-standing and warm relationship with Turkey, and appreciate its ongoing co-operation and support in allowing us to hold commemorations on its soil.” More.....
11 Dec 2012	Support to Honour our Boer War Soldiers A proposed memorial to honour the service and sacrifice of Australians who fought in the Boer War is a step closer to reality today, after being granted Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status by the Australian Taxation Office. More.....
11 Dec 2012	Supporting a Lasting Tribute to our Peacekeepers The Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project (APMP) has been granted Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status by the Australian Tax Office, which means donations towards the construction of the memorial will be tax deductible. More.....
11 Dec 2012	HMAS Wewak decommissioned Navy personnel and dignitaries today gathered at HMAS Cairns to farewell an old friend, Balikpapan Class Landing Craft Heavy (LCH), HMAS Wewak. The ship is being decommissioned after almost 40 years of service moving large amounts of cargo, personnel and equipment from larger ships to shore. More.....
09 Dec 2012	ADF Pay & Allowances as of 8th November 2012. Click here.....
09 Dec 2012	Defence Widows Support Group (DWSG) A reminder in the lead up to Christmas! Please support the work of the Defence Widows Support Group by placing an order for the wonderfully written book of stories titled: ‘Here, There & Away’; Voices of the Families of Those Who Served’. The book represents a unique collection of heart-warming and entertaining stories from the families of ex-servicemen across the three branches of the Australian Defence Force. More.....
06 Dec 2012	Federal Government Apologises to Captain John Stevenson The Federal Government has apologised to the captain of HMAS Melbourne for being made the scapegoat for one of Australia's most devastating naval disasters. In June 1969, 74 American navy personnel died when the USS Frank E Evans collided with the Australian aircraft carrier during exercises off the coast of the Philippines. Although blameless, the commander of HMAS Melbourne, John Stevenson, was made the scapegoat for the accident. More..... Read the letter.....
06 Dec 2012	A Golden Parade for HMAS Waterhen HMAS Waterhen celebrated its golden anniversary today with a ‘Freedom of Entry’ parade through the Municipality of North Sydney. The parade of 200 Officers and Sailors, accompanied by the Royal Australian Navy Band, exercised Waterhen’s rite marching down Miller Street, North Sydney with ‘swords drawn, bayonets fixed, band playing and colours flying.’ More.....
05 Dec 2012	Defence’s identification, search and seizure measures Defence has today introduced new security arrangements at Defence bases. The new arrangements involve random searches of vehicles and persons visiting Defence bases. More.....
05 Dec 2012	Australian Navy Foundation Day - 2013 "Creswel Oration 2013" - Friday 1st March 2013 The Royal Australian Naval College - Vice Admiral Creswell's Vision & Legacy Presented by Vice Admiral Peter Jones AO DSC RAN RAN - Chief Capability Development Group Book early!! Click here for full details.....
04 Dec 2012	International efforts keep piracy down but trade routes still at risk The Director of Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf region says international efforts have led to a fall in piracy attacks against merchant shipping and local fishing dhows but the risk to trade remains high. More.....
04 Dec 2012	FM CN AUSTRALIA SUBJ: PROJECT DEMETER RENAMING OF SUPPLY COMMUNITY, BRANCH, PQS AND CATEGORIES UPDATE 1. PROJECT DEMETER IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES BEING CONDUCTED, INCLUDING THE RIZZO REFORM PROGRAM, PROJECTS NEPTUNE AND MERCURY AND THE BROADER STRATEGIC REFORM PROGRAM (SRP), THAT ARE SHAPING THE RAN FOR THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE AS ARTICULATED IN THE 2009 DEFENCE WHITE PAPER, FORCE 2030. More.....
03 Dec 2012	Minister for Defence – Doorstop – BAE Systems TRANSCRIPT: DOORSTOP – BAE SYSTEMS DATE: 3 DECEMBER 2012 TOPICS: Landing Helicopter Dock, Air Warfare Destroyer; HMAS Coonawarra. More.....
03 Dec 2012	Learning lessons from peacekeeping and disaster response operations Parliamentary Secretary for Defence, the Hon. Mike Kelly AM MP, today said that we should not underestimate the importance of lessons learned from recent peacekeeping operations and disaster responses in order to improve our response to tomorrow’s challenges, both in Australia and around the world. More.....
03 Dec 2012	Landing helicopter dock progress Minister for Defence Stephen Smith, Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare and Attorney General and Member for Gellibrand Nicola Roxon today visited the BAE Systems dockyard in Williamstown, Melbourne, to view progress on the construction of Australia’s largest ever warship. More.....
03 Dec 2012	Minister for Defence visits LHD The Minister for defence Stephen Smith, CDF General David Hurley and our Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs visited LHD01 at BAE's Williamstown dockyard in Melbourne today. Defence Materiel Minister Jason Clare and local member, Attorney General Nicola Roxon also took the opportunity to see for themselves the progress being made. The Bridge Block is now up and all agreed Navy's largest ever ship is looking more impressive by the day. View the video.....
03 Dec 2012	VVCS - CONFIDENTIALITY OF VVCS COUNSELLING RECORDS It is understood that there was information on the confidentiality of VVCS psych records was on Facebook (have not seen it personally) however received the attached document titled VVCS Confidentiality Psych Records – Initial Correspondence via the e-mail system. The matter was brought to the attention of VVCS by VVAA Vic (and a number of other concerned ESO’s and individuals) with a response received today – see attached document titled VVCS – Confidentiality of VVCS Records – Response from DVA. Peter Bright Secretary Victorian State Branch (VVAA) VVCS Confidential Psych Records - Initial Correspondence VVCS - Confidentiality of VVCS Records - Response from DVA
01 Dec 2012	Update – HMAS Coonawarra incident Defence is aware that Northern Territory Police have arrested an individual in relation to the assault and theft at HMAS Coonawarra on Friday morning. The weapons stolen from the Navy vessel have also been recovered. Defence continues to assist the Northern Territory Police and the Australian Federal Police with the investigation. Further enquiries regarding specific aspects of this investigation should be directed to Northern Territory Police.
01 Dec 2012	DFWA Monthly Update #277 dated November 2012
01 Dec 2012	Coalition efforts keep piracy down but trade routes still at risk The Director of Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf region says coalition efforts have led to a fall in piracy attacks against merchant shipping and local fishing dhows but the risk to trade remains high. The International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre reported just one attempted attack by Somali pirates from July 2012 to September 2012, compared with 36 incidents in the same three month period last year. More.....
01 Dec 2012	V8 star joins Team Navy as an honorary officer Ford Performance Racing Development Series driver Chaz Mostert has added another achievement to his list of career highlights, with the 20 year old today named as an honorary officer in the Royal Australian Navy. More.....
01 Dec 2012	More carer’s leave for ADF members ADF members will receive an additional five days of carer’s leave each year, as part of Defence’s commitment to giving members more flexibility in meeting their family commitments. More.....
01 Dec 2012	Popcorn chaos as kids crew submarine HMAS Dechaineux welcomed 20 honorary crew members onboard on November 9, when the Submarine’s regular Sailors and Officers invited their children to a unique sleep-over. Members of the ‘junior Ship’s Company’ arrived onboard at 1630 for a safety brief and were presented with personalised ball-caps to mark the occasion. More.....

Anzac Centenary Events
2014 - 2018

The Anzac Centenary (2014 – 2018) will shine a spotlight on the commitment and sacrifice of those who served in the First World War.

Across Victoria, there will be a number of commemorative events marking key dates throughout the Centenary.

OCTOBER 2015

ANZAC Naval Commemorative Ball - 17 October 2015
The Naval Commemorative Committee Victoria, invite all serving ADF personnel, Australian and Allied Veterans along with family and friends, to attend the ANZAC Naval Commemorative Ball on Saturday 17 October 2015 at (New Venue) The Atrium, Flemington Racecourse, 448 Epsom Rd, Flemington (10 Minutes from the CBD). Dance to the Music of the RAN Dance Band. The Ball is open to all serving and former members of the ADF, NZDF, Reserves, Cadets, families, friends, Police, Emergency Services, our Allies and the General Public.
Full details at: http://www.anzacball2015.org/p2 and http://www.anzacball2015.org/p6

Navy Ball Flyer.....
Navy Ball Information page.....
Navy Ball Booking Form.....

Should you wish to register an event, go to the Anzac Centenary website.

News & Articles of Interest

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Anzac Centenary Events 2014 - 2018

Anzac Centenary Events
2014 - 2018