I suppose my military career started when
I became a cadet at the Brisbane Grammar School I recall
serving as Platoon Sergeant in the Platoon commanded by
Cadet Under Officer John Pearn, now Major General RAAMC,
and currently Honorary Colonel of the Regiment. In my
final year I became a Cadet Under Officer and my platoon
won the inter-platoon competition, but the high point
was doing the jungle warfare indoctrination course at
Canungra. Joining the Queensland University Regiment
seemed like a natural progression.
My first exposure to the Regiment was in
1959 when I heard an address from then Major Peter
Connolly during orientation week. He told us that it
was a chance to serve Queen and Country and a chance to
match oneself against men. Then there was of course the
added bonus of getting paid as well. It struck a chord
with me as I had seriously considered trying out for
entrance to Duntroon but decided against it. QUR
sounded like the next best thing and there was also the
national service obligation to consider.
At the time there was the “old” National
Service scheme in place but it was being wound back and
by then it was selection by lottery which I had been
lucky enough to win. I decided that I would get in
early and have a years training before I was called up.
In fact I would have been the very last intake but it
was cancelled so I never became a “nasho”. However I
certainly met a few along the way.
I was attested in April just in time to
get issued and be ready for the annual camp and bivouac
which was held in the May University holidays at
Greenbank. Starting as a private second class one has
to know ones place and I got off to a rather bad start.
I was due to receive my Queens Scout badge at Government
House on the first day of camp. It was all very sticky
but somehow I got leave and it all fitted in.
Now at the time QUR functioned as a
National Service battalion for the University of
Queensland. National Service men did their three months
continuous training in the Christmas University Holidays
and then served out the balance of their time in QUR
which scheduled all training activities on weekends so
as not to interfere with study time. It was a large
machine with I think around one thousand men and I seem
to recall a couple of female typists. Most of the
Nashos were anything but happy in the service and
weren’t slow to tell you so. I think it is fair to say
that I learnt more about the workings of the army in
that first year than the next ten put together.
I was posted to a platoon in B Company as
I recall it commanded by a LT David White who had a
rather brusque efficient manner, but, ran a good
platoon. He also sported a green commando beret which
impressed me no end. My platoon “buddy” was Tom Fenwick
another volunteer. We knew each other from school which
was good. Tom later reached director general rank in
the public service in the three areas of primary
industries, natural resources and health no doubt helped
along by those formative years in QUR. Our company
commander was a very young looking Major Sam Harrison
later brigadier who later became amongst other things CO
and Hon. Colonel. Our CO was LTCOL. Tom Parslow who was
somewhat a father figure and widely respected. Then of
course there was the ARA Cadre staff most very good and
some mediocre but all doing their job. There seemed to
be an understanding that CMF NCOs could not give an
order to an ARA member of lower rank. This made for
some interesting times and some of the graduates found
ways to give certain ARA members a hard time.
Junior ARA members must have hated being
posted to QUR. However, the RSM and WO1’s were firmly
in control of the situation nearly all of them having
served in World War 2 or Korea. Their combat experience
was invaluable and they were held in high regard. They
realized that some of the future leaders of the services
would pass through their hands and this was their chance
to put their stamp on them.
Now news travels fast in the ranks and
word went around that I was a bloody volunteer. I was
confronted by a delegation of “the men” to ascertain
whether this was in fact true. I can still remember
their incredulous looks. They really thought I must be
insane. They demanded to know whether I was going to be
one of “them” or one of “us”. With great insight I
answered that I was going to be one of us so I was
accepted and allocated a mentor. My immediate army
career was assured.
Camp of 59 was a memorable occasion as
apparently the preceding one had also been. Camp of 58
had been held in the Wiangaree State Forest just south
of the border. I heard many stories related about it
from people like Tom Mathews Peter Scott and John
Caltabiano, All complained loud and long about service
life but secretly I think they enjoyed it. Tom later
joined the regular army as a dentist and then stayed on
in the ARES until he retired. I also heard from Dave
Sallows of the failed air drop because of cloud which
was reported on in the press rather dramatically as
“Troops Starve”. No doubt leaked to the press by some
disgruntled digger.
The camp of 59 was held at Greenbank and
it was initially wet and cold with lots of mud. The
first week was devoted to platoon training and the
second week to battalion exercises. Fortunately because
of my cadet training I had no trouble fitting in. The
platoon training was uneventful but the Battalion
training was rather memorable.
The battalion exercises started off with
a Navigation Exercise which ran from Redbank Plains to
White Rock then back to Greenbank. It was a one day
lead in exercise. We were split up into section
strength and we all went off independently. Now I can
honestly say that our section found and got to the top
of Whites Rock which is more than many others could say
but the last leg back to Greenbank was to prove our
undoing.
It was through undulating featureless
country grassy but at times heavily wooded and for some
obscure reason we got somewhat lost but for that mater
so did nearly all the rest as well. By night fall
hundreds of men were stretched far and wide over the
countryside but by some miracle most sections seemed to
meet up on a dirt road out the back of nowhere. We had
been told that stragglers would be guided home by a
pyrotechnics display and sure enough there it was 2 inch
mortar flares illuminating a faint glow in the
distance. Not a good sight.
Command was established amazingly quickly
and fires built along the road for the men to huddle
between. It was very cold and we only had shirts so we
were roasted on one side and frozen on the other. It
was decided that a recce patrol should be sent out to
size up the situation. It consisted of four of us and
for some reason I found myself on it together with David
Martin who later became a well known general surgeon.
After walking for some time we chanced upon a house and
a slightly startled very nice person let us ring
Greenbank. Unit H.Q. was by this time getting slightly
desperate and a rescue mission was launched immediately.
Soon a number of trucks and MAJ Sam
Harrison arrived on the scene. MAJ Harrison set off
along the road firing blanks in the air to attract lost
souls. Transport back to camp
was aboard a semi trailer and a number of
Ford CL’s. I have never seen such loaded vehicles but
no one was complaining. It was back to camp in the
early hours of the morning cold, hungry and tired for a
short sleep then up early for the battalion tactical
exercise. It was not a moment of great glory but it was
a good recovery and a lot of lessons learnt. A letter
appeared in Semper Floreat soon after, written by some
student sympathetic to the communist cause pointing out
how incompetent the Australian Army was and how it would
never have happened in Mother Russia. It was after all
the height of the cold war.
The three day tactical exercise was as
usual the high point of the camp. It involved a
battalion move up into the Spring Mountain area
tactically along a road by foot and as we started off
our platoon was in the lead. Our first contact took
place at a creek crossing not far from Greenbank camp.
The plan was to mount a platoon attack and it was
necessary for the Bren group to race across a convenient
log across the creek to give covering fire. According
to Murphy’s Law the inevitable happened and the Bren
group and the gun disappeared off the log and into the
water. Fortunately the enemy melted away but the
company commander was not impressed.
Following the excitement there was a long
hard slog up into the hills along the road. We were no
longer in the lead so there was no more excitement for
us. It was cold and one of the warrant officers had
Korean style warm head gear on. A jeep came past
carrying the senior Major Peter Connolly who was 2IC he
was in the habit of wearing a sheep skin jacket on
manoeuvres. He called out to the WO2 ”which Q store did
you get that hat from sarmajor” To which he replied:
“The same bloody Q store you got that jacket from Sir”
The jeep drove on.
By late afternoon we reached our
objective and our company defensive position was on top
of a steep ridge which was frequently attacked by
enthusiastic gents in black berets throwing thunder
flashes and firing blanks. Thunder flashes were one
third of a stick of gelignite and were reputed to be
able to completely demolish a slouch hat. They also
kept you awake. Now being somewhat cheesed off by all
this someone decided to put out a standing patrol to
give us some warning. It was close country and some how
or other they found themselves behind an enemy attack.
This was an interesting tactical dilemma. An
enterprising private by the name of John Lockwood who
later became a member of State Parliament for Toowoomba,
and his patrol, decided on the daring move of capturing
the enemy platoon commander whom he approached from
behind. In the fog of war and the exchange that
followed the said officer accidentally sustained a wound
with brass fragments from a blank fired by persons
unknown. This necessitated a casualty evacuation and it
certainly did abort that attack. We learnt from that
exercise that the old brass blanks could be quite
dangerous. It was all a little sobering.
On that exercise we were being supplied
with fresh rations delivered in hot boxes from Greenbank
which was very nice and it would appear that to relieve
the boredom the transport section had a competition to
see who could do the trip in a jeep with trailer in the
fastest time. The inevitable happened and a trailer
turned over which led to some hungry and very
disgruntled diggers that evening.
Life in a National Service Battalion was
never dull. QUR contained a great number of very
unwilling very talented soldiers and this made for some
very interesting inter reaction. There was one private
in our platoon called Brad Harvey who after the
Wiangaree camp adopted the title of “jungle fighter
Harvey”. The mind boggles at the story behind that
one. At roll call every morning he would answer
Private Harvey National Serviceman, so many days hours,
minutes and seconds to go. He usually raised a bit of a
laugh. One day someone I think it may have been Brad,
went AWOL, apparently he had an important party to go to
in Brisbane. He turned up later and was duly charged
with being AWOL. Apparently in his defence he said: -
“Well it was all your fault Sir, you told us that if
ever we got lost we should follow running water to the
sea and that’s just what I did and I ended up in
Brisbane. I got back as soon as I could”. Apparently
it didn’t work.
There was one national serviceman whose
name I won’t’ mention although I don’t think he would
mind who would have broken any good NCOs heart. His
slouch hat could only be described as decrepit and worn
at a peculiar angle. His uniform was permanently
dishevelled and in disrepair and as a long distance
runner he walked with a slow loping gait dragging his
303 along by the foresight with the butt on the ground,
at least when the RSM wasn’t around. Fines did little
in these cases and it was not uncommon for a National
Serviceman to lose most of his pay in fines.
A memorable occasion for me occurred on
the last day of camp when I was unexpectedly summonsed
to the kitchen area to help clean out the grease traps.
Well it was quite an experience as I had never even seen
a grease trap before. Some poor unfortunate ARA NCO and
myself set to it. I can still remember the rather
overpowering smell. At first I thought it must have
been some form of punishment but it transpires that they
couldn’t get a nasho to do it so they appointed a
volunteer. It was a good character building experience.
Life after the 59 camp was fairly routine
training to confront the Russians somewhere in the
Middle East sometime. There was however the exception
of the very proud occasion of the presentation of the
Queen’s and Regimental colours to the unit. Now for a
lad who had at one stage aspired to go to Duntroon I
actually didn’t mind a bit of drill and enjoyed the
spectacle of a good parade and was looking forward to
the big occasion. Nearly all training time was devoted
to drill and parade preparation overseen by a determined
RSM WO1 Farrelly. Even the Nashos were grudgingly
getting into the spirit of things.
Not long before the big day I was told to
report to the Company Commander who told me that I had
been picked to look after a microphone on the day and
therefore I would not be marching. It appeared that the
microphone had to be carried on and off the athletics
oval which was where the parade was being held and the
word was that Headquarters was worried that a Nasho
might stuff it up on purpose so it was not on account of
my drill after all.
Well I managed the microphone OK and as
my duties included standing nearby the dais I had much
the same view as the reviewing officer. It was a great
spectacle and a magic moment for me that I still
remember clearly to this day. The Nashos did the
Regiment proud that day as usual helped on by RSM
Farrelly who deserved a great deal of the credit.
I know that many of the National Service
men were proud of that moment also. Particularly
impressive was the march past in slow time always a
tricky exercise particularly on grass. I was
disappointed at not being with my platoon but, I did
later get to troop the colours twice and once in the
colour party itself but there was never quite the
atmosphere of that first occasion.
On one occasion when we were to troop the
colours on the university athletics oval I think it may
have been the following year the heavens opened up and
the spectacle had to be cancelled so soldiers, visitors
and dignitaries all gathered in the depot for tea and
sandwiches. After an interval the CO wished to address
the crowd and I was told to get everyone’s attention
which was no easy matter as the noise level from the
chatter was quite high so I had to turn the volume up on
the parade ground voice and yelled “Quiet the CO wishes
to speak” I may have overdone it a bit and the confined
space did magnify things a little. Anyway it had a
slightly stunning effect. I think Chancellors etc
weren’t used to being spoken to like that so the CO had
to issue a bit of an apology. It will probably be the
only time in my life that I shall be able to tell that
August crowd to be quiet.
At the end of camp 59 COL Parslow had
foreshadowed the end of National Service “unless we get
another scare” and he was correct. The National Service
scheme was stopped at the end of 59 and the Regiment was
restructured as an Officer Training school to produce
CMF officers. However the scares kept coming including
the “Cuban Missile Crisis” This change to the unit was
to have a profound effect on my army career. MAJ P
Connolly was promoted to LTCOL and was posted as CO.
Now being a volunteer and having shown
some interest I had been offered the chance of doing the
corporals course in the August University holidays of
59. It was a great opportunity. It was a two weeks
course run by the ARA Cadre staff at the Regiment. Tom
Fenwick was there along with Ron Schultz. I seem to
remember that Ron got a special commendation for one of
his lesson plans on “Train Fire” which was then a fairly
new concept, but as he pointed out it was already being
used by the Russians.
I later ran into Ron again when I was
seconded to 144 Parachute Field Ambulance at Chelsea
Barracks London, whilst I was working and studying in
the U.K. Ron was living permanently in London and had
joined the Territorial Army (equivalent to our ARES) He
was by then a Coy Commander with a parachute battalion
part of the Territorial Parachute Brigade to which I
was attached. Ron was well liked and respected and was
a fine officer. I think he had a streak of the old
pirate in him somewhere.
Anyway I enjoyed the course greatly and
looking back I realize what a high standard it was. We
were lucky to have those ARA WO’s they had all seen
active service either in WW2 or in Korea and they had a
certain way about them. I remember asking one of them
one day what it was like to be under fire so he brought
in some photos of himself as a young soldier in action
in New Guinea. They had been taken by the news
correspondent I suppose and the expressions on people’s
faces showed a high degree of attention the job in hand
which was firing a mortar. I passed along with most of
us and was duly given two stripes.
In early 60 I was summoned to the CO’s
office. COL Connolly asked me if I would forego the
officer training course to join the instructional team
that was being formed. It would delay my commission but
he pointed out that the experience would make me a
better officer. He proved to be correct on both counts.
In short order I was promoted to
Temporary Sergeant then Temporary WO2 as an instructor.
I enjoyed my time with the instructional wing greatly.
A high standard was set for instruction and I learnt a
great deal particularly how to talk and teach skills
that have served me well through life. I recall the
names of two other instructors one was David Horan and
the other was John Taske who later became an RAAMC
Colonel and amongst other things climbed Mt Everest. He
is currently an anaesthetist in Brisbane. My duties lay
in the area of small arms and drill. I still remember
with pride a commendation given to the CO by some
members of the old army instruction team from WW2 who
were visiting the unit and watching our bayonet training
lesson.
Around this time khaki uniforms were dyed
green. Some came out a little patchy. We were also
issued with the new SLR. The word was that we were the
first CMF unit to get it in Queensland and we were asked
to test them out so along with the ARA cadre staff we
took our SLR’s and a great pile of filled magazines out
to the Redbank range and shot sequences until we had all
had enough. It was a great weapon but it was less
robust than the 303.
When I came off the range I couldn’t hear
properly for days. It transpired that the SLR was
louder and had a higher frequency. Unfortunately my
ears were very sensitive and suffered some damage.
Later of course personnel were required to wear ear
protection, but, ear protection was not in vogue in
those days. This was to be the beginning of the end of
my infantry career. Further ear damage eventually forced
me to change corps, but, before that I had the privilege
of teaching many recruits how to handle weapons and the
parade ground.
One of the most formative experiences at
this time was many happy hours spent in the Sergeant’s
mess. I learnt to drink rum and coke which is one of my
favourite drinks to this day. Many a good song was sung
in the evenings and I learnt the words to quite a few.
Dave Sallows seemed to have an inexhaustible
repertoire. Friends were made that I still see
occasionally today such as Bill Kidston who went to 2/14th
QMI. I hope this spirit still lives on. Even in the
mess one could learn a point or two. I remember on one
occasion mouthing off with the ignorance of youth about
infantry and air power being all that was needed. I was
quietly taken aside by one of the ARA WO’s who patiently
explained to me the trinity of infantry, artillery and
armour.
The sergeants mess was in fact a bit of a
home from home and many a cool beer or crisp rum and
coke were drunk there with the likes of Pat O’Keefe who
became a long serving member of the ARES. I do recall
one older larrikin type who had served in Korea and was
posted as bar steward. He obviously enjoyed drink
himself often on our shout. I recall one day him
recounting his experiences fighting the Chinese in
Korea. Apparently one fired wildly at anything coming
up the rather steep hill and rolled as many grenades
down as possible. Fortunately it seemed the ammo supply
was not a problem. Not all stewards were necessarily
completely honest and on one camp at Wacol so much meat
was going missing from our rations that something had to
be done. A covert guard was placed around the rations
store and when the unit ambulance was being loaded up in
the dead of night the perpetrators were caught and
charged. It is an unfortunate fact that there is always
an element around willing to steal from their mates.
From time to time plots were hatched in
the sergeant’s mess and perhaps one of the most
disastrous was when the sergeants after a formal dinner
decided to smarten up the drivers for some reason or
another. Anyway it was decided to hose them out by
suddenly opening the doors at both ends of their Nissen
hut and cleaning the place with fire hoses. In
retrospect it was not a smart or good thing to do but
this was somehow lost in the haze of sergeants mess
camaraderie. During the melee I was knocked off the
stair head first into a rose bush and in my blues as
well. They bore a small tear from then on. Being
rather tangled I was slow to get away and I was the only
one caught by the duty officer and piquet. Everyone
else had fled. The result was not good for me
particularly being a warrant officer. I was duly
paraded before the CO the following morning.
Now COL Connelly may have run a tight
ship but he was a fair man who obviously had a good
understanding of affairs at the lower end of the
regiment and the workings of the sergeant’s mess.
Anyway fortunately for me he informed the duty officer
that he was sure it was all a misunderstanding and that
no damage had been done and that N.C.O’s sometimes did
go a little raucous and that was the end of the matter.
This came as a great surprise to the duty officer and
myself and of course it was a matter of great relief.
The duty officer concerned was a Duntroon
graduate studying at U.Q. and was of course only doing
his job. No doubt he went onto bigger and better
things. There was another Duntroon officer attached
also a LT Bardy. He was a fine officer and universally
liked. He was posted to Vietnam and was working with
the Mountanyard hill people. Tragically he was killed
whilst being inserted by helicopter. His fiancé who I
had met was understandably distraught and down on the
army and there was a sense of great loss amongst us.
They were so suited to each other. I have never
forgotten her grief.
It brought home to me the serious side
of the business.
The other plot worth mentioning was
officially sanctioned and originated in the officer’s
mess. It occurred when after trooping the colours at
Wacol the colours were being marched back along a road
flanked by tennis courts on which some off duty ARA
personnel were playing. Unfortunately they did not stop
playing or acknowledge the colours which caused a high
degree of angst in the unit. It was decided that the
pay back would take the form of depositing a decomposing
horse which had been noted by the transport platoon onto
their tennis court. This was a combined Officer NCO
effort that restored the honour of the unit.
Anzac days were always big at the
Regiment. We used to mount guard on the memorial on top
of the hill in the park at Toowong. Not far from where
the present memorial is and on at least one occasion I
had the honour of being in the catafalque party. I
remember hearing one emotional speech given by an ex
RAAF type recounting how his mates went up in Wirraways
against Jap Zeros in New Guinea to an almost certain
death. There was a message there. The afternoon and
evening was a joint “party” with the Toowong RSL held at
the Regiment and extending well into the night at a time
when Anzac days were ‘dry’ for the public. The whole
depot was full in more than one way and the grassy strip
behind the depot was apparently well used at least
according to the CO who chanced to spring a few couples
there. One got the feeling that he may have wished he
was a 20 year old again.
Around this time camps were being held at
Wacol and students were graduating and being
commissioned. We had some help from the ARA but most of
the instruction we did ourselves. In 1960 I seem to
recall a recruit one Dennis Luttrell who was to become
one of the regiments most illustrious members reaching
the rank of Major General and amongst other things HON
COL of the Regiment. There was a time when the
majority of senior ARES officers in Queensland had
passed through QUR, and of course many officers went on
to fill important positions in the fabric of society
such as Justice George Fryberg .
As a WO2 instructor I did not find myself
having to administer discipline in the same way as a
Company Sarmajor and I can say I never charged a soldier
in my entire career. There was always other ways of
doing things, however, there was one occasion that was
quite testing. I was duty NCO one evening in Wacol when
we were collocated with an ARA construction squadron of
engineers recently returned from building bridges in
PNG. Most were awaiting discharge. Engineers are
renowned for being tough and liking a drink and they
were apparently making too much noise, so the duty
officer sent me over to shut them up. In I walked and
in my best parade ground voice yelled QUIET… . There
was a stunned silence. I don’t think they could believe
that an ARES 20 years something youth would tell them
what to do. They looked at me then ignored me and went
back to it perhaps a little quieter. Well I had done my
job and the duty officer was obviously not keen to try
his luck. The joys of being an NCO.
LTCOL Connolly was promoted and moved
on. He gave quite an emotional farewell speech in which
he told us that there were many types of commands in the
army but none were like commanding a Battalion or
Regiment. COL Connolly was followed by LTCOL Springhall.
Springy was a soldier’s soldier. He had seen action as
a commando in World War 11 I think in Timor. He was a
good Commanding Officer and the Unit prospered under his
leadership. We were all saddened by his later passing
away. I had left the unit before Major Sam Harrison
became C.O. under his command the unit continued to grow
in stature and importance. He was of course later to
become Brigadier Commander of 7 Brigaide, senior ARES
officer in Queensland and later Honorary Colonel of the
Regiment amongst other appointments.
After four years of service with QUR. I
had to leave because of gunfire induced hearing
problems, but I could not tell anyone as I was afraid I
might be discharged from the ARES on medical grounds.
Some people I feel were surprised by my unexpected
transfer but of course I was the loser as I never got to
serve on in QUR and assume a more senior position. It
was a difficult time for me. However, I did serve on
in the ARES in both dental and medical corps and had
many happy and some character building experiences.
I transferred out of the Regiment in 1963
to the RAADC. In due course I became OC of 1 and 15
Dental Units. Following this I was seconded to 144
Parachute Field Ambulance at Chelsea Barracks London.
It did prove to be on of the highlights of my ARES
career. On return to Australia I served with CSTU and
the 41 Dental Training Unit in Sydney. On return to
Brisbane I transferred to the RAAMC and was posted to 2
Field Hospital commanded by the then LTCOL Pearn. I
served as his 2IC and training officer. They were good
times. At one stage we looked like being deployed to
Afghanistan as the Russians were becoming a threat
there. Following that I served as SO2 health on HQ
Div. It was a good and meaningful experience. On my
promotion to LTCOL I was posted as SO1 Health 1 M.D.
It was all immensely satisfying but it
couldn’t compare with those years in QUR. Service in
QUR was a very formative part of my life and I look back
on it with great affection.
1. Including the current CO how many CO’s have
commanded the Regiment?
2. How many Honorary Colonels have there been?
3. What is the first name of the current CO?
4. How many female CO has there been?
5. Who is the current Honorary Colonel?
6. How many officers from QUR achieved the rank of
Major General? Name them.
7. What is the combination of the lock on the CO’s
door?
8. What is the colour of the floor in the drill hall
at the depot?
9. Name five ex members of QUR who achieved a high
status in the legal profession.
10. In what year was the unveiling of a sculpture of
the Regimental Badge conducted in the Great Court of
the University?
11. How many times has the unit been flooded?
12. Who was the first President of QURA?
13. What is the name of the Vice President of QURA?
14. On what date was the inaugural meeting of QURA?
15. Who was the first treasurer of QURA?
16. What is the web address of the QURA website?
17. What is the cost of a Regimental tie?
18. What are main colours of two Regimental ties?
19. Have you purchased a set of QURA cufflinks yet?
20. In what year were the first colours presented?
21. In what year was the current depot first opened?
22. To which Battalion was the first A Company QUR
attached to for training and administration?
In what
year?
Who was the CO QUR for this attachment?
23. Name one RSM of QUR.
24. What is the colour of the “real” lanyard for QUR?
25. Name the first female to be commissioned in QUR.?
Soon after another female
was accepted into Portsea to begin a military
career. Who was that member?
26. What was the name of the soldier of QUR, whose
mother was the lord Mayor of Brisbane at the same
rime?
27. Where did the wood come from for the
construction of the “Standfast Club”?
28. Name one cook from QUR?
29. Whilst carrying the Chief Clerks stationery
cabinets to camp,
which officer driver smashed
the truck into a bridge thereby destroying the
cabinets?
30. In what year was the first soldier commissioned
in QUR?
31. What missiles were used in the battles between
the Officer’s Mess and Sergeant’s Mess in Camp Kerr,
Tin Can Bay?
32. What was the name of the social functions which
were run in the RQMS’s little compound in Tin Can
Bay?
33. What is meant by the term ‘tent running’?
34. What was the name of the vehicle used by QUR
that could be driven backwards whilst changing
gears?
35. When QUR members were permitted to wear the high
sided black boots (without gaiters)
one officer had his boots
painted with two white lines on them.
What was his name and what
were the boots called?
36. What is the first name of the famous Sergeant in
Jacka VC Company QUR.
37. What is the last name of the current chaplain
for QUR?
38. How many wheels did the Unimog have?
39. Have you purchased a QUR tie yet? If not, why
not?
40. Name two RMOs who served in QUR.
41. Who designed the badge for QUR ?
42. What is the officially recognized birthday for
QUR?
43. How many “life memberships have been awarded in
QURA.
44. What was the name of the QUR newsletter normally
released in camp.?
45. Name four COc of QUR whose last name began with
the letter “B”.
46. What was the name of the original colour of the
anklets worn with the boots AB?
47. Name two members of QUR who were elected into
Government (either state of federal) .
48. In what year were the new colours presented to
QUR?
49. What was the calibre of the Owen?
50. How many members were commissioned in 1968
through QUR?
Press
here
for the answers
*****************************
QUR Graduates
