13/9/07 Trevor Symes
Trevor is the Vice President/Secretary of Box Hill RSL in Melbourne. We are waiting to hear if he can attend.
10-9-07 Paul Jennings
Paul is living and working in Nowra, NSW. He is hoping to attend and we await his email details.
8/9/07 Phillip Aitken
Phillip is living in Richmond, Melbourne... and can probably attend the reunion.
5/9/07 Tom Hamilton
Heard from Fergal that Tom is travelling around Australia ("on the wallaby track")
If anyone knows his mobile or email address please let me know.
6/9/07 Vale: David Took
In trying to track down David Took, I have just learned from the Law Institute of Victoria, that David passed away
in December 2004. Farewell Tookie!
28/8/07 Errol Henderson Hi, Leigh Wheatley gave me the info re this reunion. My contact email is hendersonej@optusnet.com.au . At this stage it seems unlikely that I can attend as I am working as an actor in Sydney these days and am in a play that runs until 24th November. I still might see if it is possible to fly down Sunday morning and catch the BBQ or whatever that is planned for that morning.
Bill Allison (2 Commerce Course) I was a member of the RAAF staff and re-mustered to the Officer Cadet programme at Frognall in 1966 as commerce student. I failed my course but instead of returning to the regular RAAF preferred to be discharged. I worked with an accountancy firm for 2 years and then for a stainless steel company for 18 years. Leaving this company a failed venture in 1987/8 led me to establish our own company in 1989. We have built a successful small business importing and distributing adhesive temporary protective film for use in a variety of industries and are enjoying the fruits of our labour. I met and married the most influential and important person in my life in 1974. We have 3 children of whom we are very proud. I look forward to meeting friends from the past in November.
Paul Wright I have been based in sunnier Perth since leaving the RAAF in "sunny" Melbourne in January 1978. I now work as Senior Communications Consultant at Perth, Main Roads Western Australia after a fairly hectic career in TV, Railways, State Emergency Service and Western Australia Police. Its been a fun career run, and I look forward to chewing the cud about it over a drink or two in Melbourne in November.
Catch as many as I can over that weekend. Thanks again for the opportunity to catch up.
Andy Esler - I stayed in the RAAF until 88. Leaving as a WGCDR. My posting included Frognall (MTU), Support Command, RAAF Amberly and Darwin and considerable time in various locations in Defence Canberra, including DMO. My last posting was a CO of RAAFTUS - the old MTU relocated to Sydney. I left the RAAF in 88 to become a Defence public servant managing a couple of big defence communications projects. I left Defence in 92 to move to Department of Finance to set up the whole of government telecommunications arrangement and subsequently the Office of Government IT. In 97 I disagreed strongly with the government policy on IT outsourcing and was made redundant. I then joined a Sydney based ICT solution provider the Senior Project Manager in their Canberra Office and have been with them since, managing ICT infrastructure projects, mostly within the Defence and Government arena. My wife (Bev), was a communications operator at Frognal (MTU). We have three boys all working in the ICT industry but no grandkids yet (that we know of). My Frognal legecy is two crook knees and a bad back.
We need some
photos here....
15/8/07 Leigh (Bush) Wheatley practices to be an Australian idle. Bushy is alive and well and living in Adelaide working for Australia Post.
Barney Knight (12 Course) and the lovely Gail at McLud's 60th.
After graduating from Frognall I spent the next 15 or so years with Ronnie RAAF at Williamtown (Mirage avionics & simulators), Canberra (DefAir) on Avionics Equipment, RAF Cranwell in the UK (18 mths) studying Aerosystems Engineering, Willytown again (Guided Weapons), Amberley (F111 & Chinook avionics/F111 Simulator) and finally in Canberra again (Air Force Office) upgrading/implementing computer systems (FRS/MAARS/CAMM) and then developing operational computing requirements for command & control systems. While in Canberra I completed part-time post-grad studies in computing which complemented my work and enabled me to move into civvie street to work as a systems consultant. I've been doing that for over 20 years now. These days I am with a multi-national company, still working full time, and specialise in ICT security consulting work.
Over the years I continued playing rugby, mainly as a breakaway/lock, sustaining no serious injuries except for one collarbone dislocation. Though the numerous black eyes I presented at work on Monday mornings provided many curious comments, till I finally retired from the game at age 36. So I took up squash instead which I enjoyed for many more years. In 1970 I married Gail Ritchie, the Education Assistant from DCS Library and we have two daughters. One works in disability support and is a retired rugby union player while our youngest is a glass artist currently in the US studying for a Masters in Fine Art. In my spare time I'm owner-building a passive solar designed house in the bush just over the ACT border. We intend to be off grid and power our house using photovoltaics and wind power. If any of you remember the MGB, to my great regret I sold it when Gail became pregnant. I bought another one years later but it's still mostly in boxes waiting for my retirement. If you want to see the real thing, check out Herbert's MGB - it's an immaculate renovation.
Rod McLeod pretending to be a rock star (at 60!) I bought my way out of Frognall and in January 1970 joined Vickers Ruwolt. In Adelaide, I worked for Chrysler, and formed "Mobius Band". I joined ICI Tioxide in Tasmania in 1981 and played jazz and pop in a trio. Ran a project in ICI's Italian factory for three years in the 80's, then back to Tassie and worked through the Training, Personnel, IT and Finance departments. Then to London head office in 1992 in Mergers and Acquisitions. Then six years based in Kuala Lumpur doing joint venture deals in China, Japan, India, Korea, Taiwan and Indonesia. Returned to Oz in 1999 to manage an environmental remediation project back in Burnie. Booted out of ICI in 2005. Still playing in Mobius and The Ladzabak bands when people can afford us.
5/9/07 Fergal Fleming We found Fergal living and working in NT. He is planning to come down for the reunion.
"A 2006 photo of marg and myself on a Honda postie (donated from Australia) at Ibulanku, a remote village in Uganda where we do a lot of voluntary work."
19/10/07 Paul Johnson
Just back from USA to news of the election on 24 November. Regret that this kicks me into touch for the reunion - my son is running in the local electorate and I am committed to assist. Howard has pissed me off on this one! Please pass my regards to everyone - I am very disappointed I cannot attend. Regards Paul
Fergal writes... Hi All, I will probably miss the Oxford, though I will try. If I make it to the Oxford, I will look for a noisy group of over imbibers. I fly in from Darwin at 9.30pm and am not sure where I am staying yet (I am attending a FECCA AGM (fed of ethnic community councils) on the Saturday morning, and they are booking my accommodation. I also have an exec meeting with them on Sunday morning, so I will have to be reasonably well behaved on the Saturday night! I notice it is a dinner dance - my partner, Marg, cannot come and the answer to anyone who asks me for a dance is NO.
Re the Novotel - some of you may remember the watering hole "Hotel Australia" (or similar) - the Novotel is where that pub used to be.
Life is hotting up here, not just the weather. I am involved in the Fed gov intervention in Aboriginal remote communities and Indigenous people are now starting to more strongly question the gov's motives and methods, which is good. We are a democracy. Cheers
30/10/07 Roger Hurley "When I left the airforce I returned to Sydney and caught up with that old comrade in arms Paul Walsh(Walshy).We spent many days water skiing,kiteflying behind the skiboat and 4 wheel driving whilst finishing off our Engineering degrees at NSW Institute of Technology now the University of Technology.Never a thought to do anything else but engineering even though when I went to Frognall I had no idea what an Engineer was or did. I am now a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers Australia and a Director of an Engineering consultancy involved in the design of Building Services and Environmentally Sustainable Design. I was responsible for the design of Grosvenor Place in Sydney and more recently 1 Richard Johnson Square which we are aiming to be a "Carbon Neutral" Building.
My romantic life was messy having married at 19, just after leaving the RAAF, and twice after that, all lasting no more than two years.However, finally met the love of my life, Tinker,with whom I have been with for the last 18 years.
Through the reunion I have made contact again with a good mate Paul Jennings(Jenno) who is also coming to the reunion. He tells me he was best man at my first wedding,which I can't remember( A seniors thing!)
Looking forward to meeting up with the other Frognall Fusiliers all of whom I hope lasted longer than the two years that I was there.( There's that time period again!!!!)"
2/11/07 Phillip Aitken writes.... Hi Rod, sorry I haven't got back to you early, but little Johnny H has thrown a spanner in the works with his election and I can not make it to the dinner. Best Regards, Phillip
14/11/07 Maurice Critchley (2 Commerce Course) Now based in Eritrea, Maurice is the Chief Administrative Officer for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Seen here attending a cocktail party with the Indian Army Force Commander, Maj Gen Mohammad Taisir Masadeh.
Maurice writes.... Hopefully I will be there. Things seem calm and I have bought a ticket to arrive in Sydney next Tuesday and will come to Mlbourne on Friday and then depart on Sunday. Unfortunately Sharyn won't be coming, as she will be in Brisbane for her parents wedding anniversary. I am quite excited about coming. Fortunately things are calm here, so I can get away. It is tense but calm. There will be some diplomatic efforts for a while and hopefully that will resolve the issue, but the leaders of both countries are very antagonistic towards each other, so there is not a lot of goodwill there. Hope you are well, Maurice"
14/11/07 Larry (Ox) Moses ... is attending the reunion on both Friday and Saturday Nights.
