Possum Droppings No13

161 Recce Assoc NAB – 8 McGregor Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350.
Email - < lavery19@tpg.com.au > or Ph – 07 4633 4888

Welcome to another edition of Possum Droppings from the National Administrative Body (NAB) of the 161 Recce Association.

It is that time of the year again and Christmas is upon us. A time for families to get together, spend too much money, eat and drink too much and spend the rest of the New Year loosing what we put on.

On 21 November 2007, the 5th Aviation Regiment was presented with its Guidon in Townsville and in mid 2008 a Guidon will be presented to the 1st Aviation Regiment in Darwin.

2008 marks the 40th Anniversary of the formation of the Australian Army Avn Corps. The Corps Birthday Dinner will be held in Darwin on the first Friday in July. I will be attending and a point to note is that of the first Senior NCO’s accepted into the Corps, I am the only one still living, trivia but interesting. Time in Darwin will be short as my wife and I go around the World for six weeks leaving on 8 Jul 08.

For those who do not know, approval has been given to form a 6th Army Aviation Regiment. It will comprise 171 Sqn and 173 Sqn and be located in Holsworthy and Oakey. When dates and details are available I will keep you informed.

For those who do not know AAAVN now has one Major General and three extra Brigadiers in addition to the 16th Aviation Brigade Commander. And not on the pleasant side, it is a shame to see 5 Base Workshop Battalion disappear. Can you imagine civvies going bush in support of our aircraft.

Time is catching up with us and Possum 45 is just around the corner. I have done a preliminary Recce of the Sunshine Coast which is very suitable and have volunteers to get it off the ground however, we should not overlook Townsville, which, I believe would have another advantage. That is Regimental support and interaction which would allow our members to see how things are in present times within Army Aviation. I am waiting on the return of Brig Bartels from O/S to discuss what support can be given. Any input from those residing in Townsville would be appreciated.

I must thank Len Avery for the still enormous support he is giving to 161 NAB. His efforts are greatly appreciated.

Good Morning to all who surface early and read their daily mail and newspaper, may you thoroughly enjoy this edition’s read. To those like myself, who for various reasons do not become coherent until late in the day and/or only look at their mail occasionally, I encourage you to read this edition of Possum Droppings as soon as possible. Thanks to the continuous and ongoing work by Len, this edition is a very informative and up to date package.

I cannot express in words my appreciation to Len for all the work he does, which certainly makes my position as Secretary very, very easy. Thank You Len.

Russ, as Len has highlighted within the main body of this edition of Possum Droppings, has done and continues to do a marvellous job of improving and expanding the 161 Web Site. Well done Russ, may your satisfaction in a job be ever increasing and may you continue to receive, along with mine, many messages of Thanks.

I thank the Members of our Association, both close friends and those other members who contacted myself and my wife Sandra on the recent loss of our youngest son Michael. For those, who like myself in the past, do not know how, or may be embarrassed to contact those suffering and share words of encouragement or just general chat, I assure you any contact and chat is very uplifting and helpful. Therefore, I encourage you to please go for it and share with us details of any of our members who are hurting. Len does a fantastic job of keeping the ears of our members to the ground and passing on all information received. I most certainly, and hope you also, appreciate his sensitivity in such messages and communications.

Lest We Forget.

Regrettably as time marches on so do a number of our members and the past 12 months has been no exception with the passing of three more of our members. On behalf of the Association we extend the condolences of all members of 161 to the families and friends of the following members:

DAVIS, Peter Charles - RAEME. Peter served with the Flight from 20 May 1970 until 14 January 1971 as the Sergeant Instrument Fitter. Peter was born on 24 February 1940 and passed away on 13 October 2007.

DOBROWOLSKI, Stanislaus - AACC. Stan served with the Flight from 23 August 1967 until 20 August 1968 as one of our cooks. Stan was born on 23 May 1946 and passed away on 26 March 2007.

SCROGGIE, Thomas Edward - RAEME. Tom served with the Flight from 12 September 1967 until 02 March 1968 as an Instrument Fitter. Tom was born on 18 June 1945 and passed away on 24 November 2007.

Also during the past 12 months we received notification, from the Next of Kin of two of our members, that the following members had passed away;

GRIMMER, Reginald George. Reg served with the Flight from 01 October 1971 until 21 December 1971 as the Sergeant Cook. Reg was born on 27 January 1930 and passed away on 27 November 2006. Prior to being posted to 161 (Indep) Recce Flt Reg served with HQ 1 Coy RAASC and HQ 5 Coy RAASC from 14 January 1971 until 30 September 1971.

LOCKWOOD, Desmond Luis. Des served with the Flight from 17 April 1970 until 10 September 1970 as a Corporal Fireman. Des was born on 08 January 1933 and passed away on 30 August 2002. Des’s posting to the Flight was his second posting to Vietnam after having previously been posted to HQ1ALSG from 13 November 1967 until 15 October 1968.

On 19 October 2007, Sergeant Ian Edward Phillips – RAEME passed away. Ian was born on 16 June 1953 and he served with 161 Recce Sqn at Holsworthy in 1984 and 1985 as an Airframe Fitter. Ian also served with 162 Recce Sqn and 5 Avn Regt in Townsville prior to taking discharge.

One of our primary tasks as an Association is to preserve a lasting memory of those members of 161 Recce Flight and 161 Recce Sqn who are deceased. We achieve this objective in a number of ways including posting details on a memorial page on our 161 Recce Assoc Web Site under the title of ‘In Memoriam’.

In recent times we have further enhanced the 161 ‘In Memoriam Page’ with the inclusion of a photo of those members who are deceased. Unfortunately there are a few members on the ‘In Memoriam Page’ who we do not have a photo for so if you can provide a suitable photo or a better photo of anyone who is on the page we would be very grateful.

We are aware that there are a number of our members who are not travelling very well at the moment and we wish them a speedy recovery. Although we do not wish to intrude on your privacy, we would appreciate it if you would let us know if you are not in good health or ask a family member to let us know and keep us informed of your well being.

161 Communication Network and Web Site.

We continue to take great pride in the fact that we have established a strong network which allows us to communicate with a large number of our members through both email and our 161 Possum Web Site. We currently have over 350 members on email, including a number of our family members. The network which we have established allows us to distribute information of interest and provide assistance to our members where required.

If you are on email and you are not in contact with Len Avery please send him an email at:

Our 161 Recce Assoc Web Site is now being managed by Russ Graham and we are very grateful for the excellent work Russ is doing in expanding and amending the web site.

We have recently added a new page to our web site which is designed to promote the Museum of Australian Army Flying (MAAF).

If you haven’t visited our web site in recent times we invite you to do so by logging onto:

We encourage you to maintain a close watch on our Web Site and we welcome any assistance you can provide in expanding the content and accuracy of our 161 Web Site.

In our previous Newsletter we advised that we as the 161 Recce Assoc were applying for the Army Combat Badge (ACB) for all members of 161 Recce Flt and 161 (Indep) Recce Flt, who had qualifying service in accordance, with Defence Instruction (ARMY), Pers 8/2006 dated 05 October 2006.

We are pleased to advise that our application for the ACB was approved without any amendment.

Our application for the ACB was submitted through the Commander and RSM of the HQ Army Aviation Centre at Oakey. We are very grateful for the assistance we received from the HQ Army Aviation Centre.

The application which we submitted also included the names of all members of the Flight who are known to be deceased therefore we as an Association have the responsibility of issuing the ACB’s to the Next of Kin or family of those deceased members.

In addition to applying for the ACB for all Army personnel who were posted to or attached to 161 Recce Flight or 161 (Indep) Recce Flt we included a special request for the issue of the ACB to those RAAF members who were posted to or attached to the Flight for the qualifying period. We are pleased to advise that this part of our application was also approved and therefore all RAAF members of 161 Recce Flight, with qualifying service, are entitled to receive and wear the ACB.

We have received all of the standard size ACB’s however, we are still waiting delivery of the miniature ACB’s. All members who were discharged as either a Senior NCO or an Officer are entitled to receive both the standard size and the miniature size ACB.

** Please Note - As of the end of November 2007 we have distributed a total of 230 ACB’s to those members of the Flight who are eligible to receive the ACB.

The distribution of the ACB’s is an on going project and the plan is if we do not receive the miniature ACB’s before the end of January 2008 we will begin the progress of distributing the standard size badges to all members so that you have the badges in time for ANZAC Day.

We are aware that some of our 161 members have received their Army Combat Badge for service with another qualifying unit and/or through applying for the issue of the badge personally. If you have already received your ACB through a source other than the 161 Recce Assoc please let Len Avery know because each member is only entitled to be issued with one ACB.

Before we can post your ACB to you we need to confirm that we have your correct address and your rank status at date of discharge. If you have not advised Len Avery of your current address or your rank status at date of discharge please do so as soon as possible.

** Please note – A notification of address and rank status form is attached to this newsletter if required.

The ACB is awarded to any member of the Australian Regular Army (ARA) or Army Reserve (all elements) on Continuous Full-time Service or other Reserve member in exceptional circumstances, for service in warlike operations or situations.

The ACB does not replace the Infantry Combat Badge and if you have both badges only one badge can be worn at any one time.

The purpose of the ACB is to recognise any member of the Army who was force assigned to an infantry, armour, artillery, aviation or combat engineer based combat team/battle group, or similar unit/sub-unit, and who has served for a specified period of time on warlike operations.

The badge, finished in burnished bronze, is in the form of two crossed swords surrounded by a laurel wreath. It is approximately 30 mm wide and fixed to the uniform by means of pins and clutch grips. A miniature of the badge is worn on mess dress.

The award of the ACB is retrospective to Malaya 1948 and in accordance with the Defence Instruction all members of 161 Recce Flt and 161 (Indep) Recce Flt, who were posted to or attached to the Flight for a minimum of 90 days are entitled to receive the ACB.

The ACB is a dress embellishment not an award and therefore falls outside the Honours and Awards System. Due to the fact that internal Army resources are insufficient to ensure distribution to all past members through formal Army channels the 161 Recce Assoc is responsible for the distribution of the ACB to all personnel who were posted or attached to the Recce Flight for a minimum of 90 days.

If you have any questions regarding the ACB please contact Len Avery or refer to the Notice Board on our 161 Recce Assoc Web Site for access to a copy of the Defence Instruction relating to the ACB.

For those who may not be aware, all members of 161 Recce Flt and 161 (Indep) Recce Flt are entitled to a minimum of three medals for their service in Vietnam and those medals are:

For those members who served in Vietnam for a minimum of six months you are also entitled to the South Vietnam Campaign Medal.

If you were posted to 161 Recce Flt, as part of the 1 RAR Group based at Bien Hoa in 1965-66, you are also entitled to the United States Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC). For those members who have not received their MUC please contact Len Avery.

The 161 Recce Assoc has made a commitment to ensure that all members of 161 Recce Flt receive both their MUC and a copy of the MUC Certificate, which the 161 Recce Assoc has organised through the 1 RAR Association.

** Please Note – For those members who have not applied for or who may have lost their medals we can provide details and assistance with application forms and medal entitlements.

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has published a ‘new’ Vietnam Veteran’s Nominal Roll and it is readily accessible on the internet by logging onto the following web site address:

We have identified a considerable number of errors on the Nominal Roll regarding dates and details of those members posted to 161 Recce Flt and 161 (Indep) Recce Flt. Considering all the work that Frank Benfield and Len Avery did to amend the records for the members of 161 on the original Vietnam Veteran’s Nominal it is very disappointing to find that there are so many errors in the ‘new’ Nominal Roll.

We would suggest that all members check the new Vietnam Veteran’s Nominal Roll and take action and submit an amendment to correct any anomalies you may find relating to your service in Vietnam.

Part of the new Nominal Roll is the provision of a ‘Certificate of Service’ for each person on the nominal roll however, you may encounter some problems downloading and printing the Certificate of Service.

We have downloaded a blank certificate and we can organise the printing of a Certificate of Service for your service in Vietnam.

If you would like a copy of the ‘Certificate of Service - Vietnam’ please contact Len Avery and after confirming your service details and dates in country we will post you a copy of the certificate at a minimal cost.

One of our ongoing projects is the development of a Pictorial Collection covering all aspects of 161 Recce Flt’s deployment to Vietnam and at this point in time we have in excess of 4000 images saved to CD with numerous slides and photos that have yet to be scanned and added to the collection.

If you have any slides or photos of your time in Vietnam please contact Len Avery and discuss the best way in which we can obtain access to your images so that we can add them to the collection.

We have the resources to scan and burn images to CD. This is an ongoing project however, if you would like a CD of images covering the period that you were in country contact Len Avery and he will organise something with you.

As part of the expansion of our 161 Web Site we have included a ‘Photo Gallery’ so if you log onto our 161 Web Site you will find some of the excellent images that we have in our 161 Pictorial Collection.

In addition to the Pictorial Collection we are keen to convert any Super Eight footage to DVD so if you have any Super Eight or Video footage taken in Vietnam please contact Len Avery.

Book – Possums and Bird Dogs.

You may recall that back in August 2006, Peter Nolan, who served with 161 (Indep) Recce Flt in 1967/68, launched his book ‘Possums and Bird Dogs’. The book launch was conducted at the Museum of Australian Army Flying at Oakey and it was a huge success.

The book provides a great insight into the history of 161 Recce Flt in Vietnam along with a nominal roll of those members posted to the Flight. A good selection of photos covering the period that the Flight was in Vietnam is also included in the book.

We still have available soft cover editions of the book through our 161 Recce Assoc PX for $30 plus postage. Anyone wishing to purchase a copy of the book, please contact Len Avery.

161 Recce Sqn News.

As previously advised 161 Recce Sqn have moved into new purpose built facilities at Robertson Barracks in Darwin and is now co-located with 162 Recce Sqn, from Townsville, and HQ 1st Avn Regt from Oakey.

Unfortunately due to the extended delay with the introduction into service of the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter (ARH) Tiger, 161 Recce Sqn has been basically ‘non operational’ throughout 2007 although the Squadron pilots and maintenance personnel have been very busy learning to fly and maintain the ARH Tiger.

At this point in time it is anticipated that 161 Recce Sqn will receive some if not all of their ARH Tiger’s prior to July 2008.

The new Possum Master for 161 Recce Sqn will be Major David Lynch who is currently undergoing pilot training on the ARH Tiger at Oakey.

For those current and past members of 161 Recce Sqn we have included a page on our 161 Web Site specifically for the Squadron and we invite you to visit the web site and assist with the expansion of the Squadron History and the Photo Gallery.

Please note, all current and past members of 161 Recce Sqn are most welcome to join the 161 Recce Association and we strongly encourage you to do so.

Possum PX

Our 161 Possum PX remains open for business however we only hold a limited quantity of items in stock. If you would like to purchase anything from our PX, please contact Len Avery. DO NOT send any money with your order, an invoice will be posted with the items and will include postage.

For those who are not aware we have included a separate page on our 161 Web Site to promote the Museum of Australian Army Flying (MAAF) at Oakey and we invite you to not only visit the MAAF Page but also if the opportunity presents itself make the effort to visit the museum if you are passing through the Darling Downs area in the future.

Brian Reardon is still the curator of the museum while Barry Skinner is the Administrative Manager. Both Brian and Barry are 161 members as are Bob Turl, Bob Bell and Noel Hickey (161 Sqn) who provide very valuable service on a voluntary basis working on maintenance and historical preservation projects within the museum.

Membership to the museum is open to all members of 161 Recce Flt and 161 Recce Sqn and we would encourage you to become a member and support the museum wherever possible. A membership form for the museum is available on the MAAF Page on our 161 Web Site.

161 Recce Flt is very well featured within the museum by all five aircraft that we flew in Vietnam including the Bird Dog Bunny II. We also have a number of displays within the museum including a dedicated display case within the memorabilia room.

As space and facilities become available within the museum we hope to be able to display more of our 161 Recce Flt memorabilia and history at the museum.

You can access the MAAF Web Page by logging onto the 161 Recce Assoc Web Site at:

< www.161recceflt.org.au > or by logging onto the Army Web Site at:

< www.army.gov.au > and going to the History Section and then to the museums page.

Australian Army Aviation Association & FOURAYS.

A reminder that “FOURAYS” is the journal of the Australian Army Aviation Association (AAAA.), published twice yearly. Ordinary Membership or Life Subscription to AAAA is open to all personnel who served with 161 Recce Flt or 161 Recce Sqn.

**PLEASE NOTE: Membership of 161 Recce Association does not include membership of AAAA.

The AAAA website is operational and can be accessed by logging onto: < http://www.fourays.org/ >.

It is hoped that this newsletter finds you and your family in good health and we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy 2008.

Phone – 07 4633 4888 or Email at < lavery19@tpg.com.au >.

Address – 8 McGregor Street, Toowoomba QLD 4350.

161 Web Site - < www.161recceflt.org.au >.

All personnel who have served with 161 Recce Flt in Vietnam or 161 Recce Sqn are automatically considered a member of the 161 Recce Association.

Irrespective as to whether you are financial with the 161 Recce Assoc or not if we are contact with you via email and/or snail mail we will maintain a link with you unless requested not to do so.

The 161 Recce Assoc has Branches or ‘Points of Contact’ in all States and Territories so if you need assistance or information regarding membership of the 161 Recce Assoc please contact your nearest Branch or the National Administrative Body (NAB).

Membership fees are due as of 01 January of each year. Membership Fees through the NAB are $10:00 per year and you if you prefer you can pay in advance, eg. $100 for 10 years.

Membership Fees at Branch level may vary to that at NAB so please contact your local 161 Recce Assoc Branch regarding membership or alternatively contact Len Avery at:

Attached please find a 161 Recce Association Membership Form which you can use to initiate or renew your membership with the 161 Recce Assoc. Please send your completed Membership Form to your closest Association Branch, or to the NAB at the addresses provided.

· All members who served with or were attached to the Recce Flt in Vietnam, and

· Any person who is serving in, or who has served in, the Australian Defence Forces, or a friendly Allied country, in any unit whose role is or may have been similar to that of 161 Recce Flt.

The following members are our points of contact within the 161 Recce Association;

Surname………………………………….Christian Name………………………………………

Address………………………………………………………………………………………………

Town/City………………………..State…………Post Code……….Country...……………….

Ph (h)…………………….Ph (w)……………………Mobile No…………….……………………

FAX No……………………….Email Address………………………………………………….….

Regimental No……………………Rank (at Discharge)……………….Corps……….…………

Date of Discharge………………..Unit (at discharge)…………………………………...………

161 Recce Flt……………………………………………………...

Other Units (Name and Date)……………….……………………………………………………….

Duration of Membership: Yearly: Yes/No………or …….Long Term……….years

Date of Membership payment……………………Amount Paid………………….

Branch Membership paid to.…………………………………………………..…….

Receipt No…………….Received by…………………….Date……………….…….

For those 161 Recce Flt members who are entitled to receive the Army Combat Bade (ACB) before we can post the ACB to you we need to confirm your postal address and establish what your rank status was at date of discharge.

If you have not received your ACB please complete the form below and post it to Len Avery at:

CONTACT DETAILS
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Name ……………………………………………………………………

Address ……………………………………………………………………

Town ……………………………………………………………………

Email Address ……………………………………………………………..

Rank at Date of Discharge …………………………………………………..