‘Paludrine Parade’ · Paludrine Parade Issue No 49: December, 2017, (Summer) Page 4 S...

‘Paludrine Parade’ Official Newsletter of the Royal Australian Army Service Corps

Vietnam Supply Platoons Association

Issue No: 49 Summer

December, 2017

Patron: MAJGEN David McLachlan AO (Rtd). Web Site: http:/raascsupply.asn.au/

Inside this issue: Cover story: Hobart Reunion.

Page 2: Hobart Reunion more photos Page 3: Reunion group photo & Committee & State Reps . Page 4. Secretary & Treas-urer Reports Page 5. AGM Minutes Page 6. HMAS Warramunga drug hauls. Page 7 & 8. Some facts on Agent Orange,

Hobart Reunion a huge Hoot.

Bring On Port Macquarie!!!!

Hey Control, I’ve

got a bunch of old

farts looking for

the nearest loo???

Paludrine Parade Issue No 49: December, 2017, (Summer) Page 2


Executive Office Bearers:

President Graeme Sherriff 0411 797 036 [email protected]

Vice President &

Newsletter Editor

Denny

van Maanenberg

0419 666 860

(03) 5466 7337

[email protected]

Secretary Russ Morison 0408 947 935 [email protected]

Treasurer David Evans 0435 205 999 [email protected]

Membership &

Welfare Manager

Christina Luff

0430 125 195

[email protected]

Public Officer &

Committee Member

Ray Brown

0421 468 352

[email protected]

Regional Executive Members:

North Queensland Tony Simon 0417 740 340 [email protected]

North Brisbane Rep Alan Windle 07 5495 2899 [email protected]

Sth Brisbane, G/Coast Don Noy 0408 775 971 [email protected]

NSW Country Bob Denner 0429 406 535 [email protected]

Sydney Metro Barry Carroll 0409 654 487 [email protected]

South Australia Noel Schluter 0412 624 170 [email protected]

Victoria Tony Galea 0439 388 455 [email protected]

Tasmania Glen Breaden 0438 026 759 [email protected]

Western Australia Graeme Sherriff 0411 797 036 [email protected]

Committee and State Representatives

Happy snap of Vietnam RAASC Supply Platoon

Personnel at the Hobart Reunion, November 2017

mailto:[email protected]








S ecretary’s Report. I am writ-

ing this from Perth on our way to

a family wedding in the UK.

Janice and I wish you a terrific

time together, catching up with your

mates, and of course enjoying all that is

the Apple Isle. Executive The Execu-

tive has been working behind the

scenes, paying the bills, helping Graeme

and the team make this reunion a suc-

cess. To the members of the Executive,

and State Representatives, many thanks

for all your help and support. Special

Thank you’s to: Christina-without her

dedication the rest of us would have to

shoulder much work, Denny for the

great Newsletter and to Graeme who has

almost single handily made this event

possible. About Us. Regrettably the

Western world has found it necessary to

go to war too many times since Viet-

nam, to rid our world of those who hate

our lifestyle. Whilst Billions of dollars

are spent by the govt on veteran ser-

vices, our younger veterans especially

find it hard to settle into civilian life

which is why Associations are so valu-

able with mates who understand, pen-

sions officers who know the ropes far

beyond the average digger's knowledge

and ongoing camaraderie. I wish we

could attract more of those who served

with us. Nonetheless, we value your

membership of our Association. I hope

we will continue to meet whilst we are

able and promote the ties that bind us.

Future Reunions. Our primary busi-

ness is reunions and the Executive looks

forward to your ideas for our next one.

We have a few ideas such as Port Mac-

quarie, Queanbeyan-Canberra, and of

course Adelaide-Glenelg Beach, all at

suitable times of the year. It is your

Reunion, and we are also aware of a

number of couples with caravans etc so

we are interested in places with suitable

parks adjacent to reasonable sized cities

and their attendant attractions. It is not

difficult to organise if we pick a suitable

venue, and with time to plan and a team

to make it happen-exciting Reunion to

look forward to. If you need anything

or have any constructive ideas, we

would love to hear your views. Until

next time,

Russ Morison

Par Oneri-Equal to the Task

2017 Hobart Reunion AGM

Secretary & Treasurer Reports

$4,665.81 (interest of 2.3%) which

matures on 12 December 2017.

Finances from 1 July to 20

October 2017. I have also com-

pleted a statement of our finances

since the end of June 2017 to 20 Oc-

tober 2017, which shows a balance of

receipts after payments of $1,007.39

and, after allowing for expected pay-

ments of the Reunion, a balance in

our working accounts of $1,492.24.

Costs of the Hobart Reunion

2017. In addition, I have produced

a statement of the costs of the Hobart

Reunion based on receipts and ex-

pected payments relating to our reun-

ion. This shows a shortfall in funds

of $838.80 (due to the lower than

expected numbers attending our Re-

union). As we attempt to make our

Reunions self-funded, Graeme has

proposed (and may have already col-

lected) additional contributions from

each member that should offset most

of this shortfall – any balance will be

met by funds from the Association or

other means of fund raising such as

raffles or auction of items.

An Application for a Commu-

nity Grant. has been submitted to

DVA for other costs of the Reunion

totalling $571 (for the plaque, print-

ing and wreaths) which we hope will

be approved by DVA.

The expected balance, after the

Reunion for 2017, in our working

accounts will therefore be $1,492.24

as shown above and we have a

healthy balance especially when tak-

ing into account our Term Deposit of

$4,665.81.

David Evans, Treasurer, RAASC

VSPA, 21 October 2017

T reasurer’s Report.

Thank you to all those who

have continued their member-

ship of our Association and for

your payments of dues (some now have

membership through to 2021) and reun-

ion fees both by direct deposits into our

bank account and through the post to our

Membership Officer, Christina Luff.

Audited Financial Statement for

2015-16. Since our Perth Reunion in

May 2016 the Annual Return for 2015-

16 which included our Audited Financial

Statement for 2015-16 (passed at a Spe-

cial Meeting of the Association) was

lodged with the ACT Government Reg-

istrar for Incorporations on 22 December

2016.

Audited Financial Statement for

2016-17. The latest Audited Financial

Statement for 2016-17 is now complete

and I am presenting it to you at the

AGM today for your consideration and

acceptance. The Financial Statement

shows that our revenue for the year has

increased by $364.28 after expenses, and

our balance of funds in the working ac-

counts* at 30 June 2017 is $6,063.65

(this includes deposits for the Reunion

and from this we need to make payments

for Reunion expenses.)

Once the Financial Statement has

been passed by the members at this

AGM, the Audited Financial Statement

for 2016-17 will be submitted to the

ACT Government Registrar with the

Annual Return for 2017.

*Working Accounts. We cur-

rently have three working accounts

which we operate from. One is with De-

fence Bank and is being run down until

it has a zero balance – we are closing

this account in preference to our West-

pac accounts.

The other two accounts are with

Westpac and include a Cash Account

and a Cheque Account which are linked.

These are the accounts that we operate

with now and they are non-fee accounts

because we are a not-for-profit organisa-

tion. We receive interest on each of

0.1% and 0.3% respectively.

Term Deposit. We also have a

Term Deposit with Defence Bank of

Did you hear about the treasurer

who found an old urn whilst

walking on the beach?

When he rubbed it, out pops a

genie who says he has three

wishes.

The treasurer asks for a

wallet that never runs out of

money. When the genie asks what

else he wishes for, he says;

Two more wallets!!!!!!!


The Meeting opened at 1.10pm.

Present: Marty & Jessica Ansen, John & Kay Barrett, Noel

& Jan Bennett, David & Robyn Evans, Fred & Ann Friske,

John & Margaret Greenhalgh, Peter & Ann Kennedy, Stew-

art & Deb McKay, Barry Mining, Graeme Sherriff, Warren

& Bev South, Ken Taylor, Denny & Jenny van Maanenberg,

Glen Breaden & Loraine Baker (25).

Apologies: David Kneller, Christina Luff, Russ Morison

Previous Minutes: The Minutes of the 2/05/2016 AGM

were read. Moved Deb McKay, Seconded Marty Ansen that

the Minutes be accepted. Carried.

Correspondence: 12/01/2017 from Registrar General ACT

Government, Incorporated Assoc Extract for RAASC VSPA.

4/05/2017 from Defence Bank re term deposit

14/07/2017 from ACT Govt/Business Licensing re sub-

mision required for RAASC VSPA financial review ending

30/6/2017 + information for Associations that conduct

charitable collections.

23/02/2017 email from website designer advising the

amount of the next account would be $170 plus updates

(which later on was $120). Moved John Greenhalgh, Sec-

onded Fred Friske that the correspondence be accepted. Car-

ried.

President’s Report. This was read & Moved by Graeme

Sherriff, Seconded Marty Ansen. Carried. Special thanks

was given to the following people: Denny for the Newslet-

ter, Secretary Russ, Treasurer David, help from Robyn, and

all the Committee.

Secretary’s Report: This was read by Graeme Sherriff in

the absence of Russ Morison. Moved John Greenhalgh,

Seconded Ann Kennedy. Carried.

Treasurer’s Report: The Financial Statement and Audited

Report was presented to the AGM for acceptance &passing

and the Treasurer’s Report was read. Moved by David Ev-

ans, Seconded Denny van Maanenberg. Carried.

Welfare Membership Report: Read by Graeme Sherriff

in the absence of Christina Luff. Moved Warren South, Sec-

onded Fred Friske. Carried.

General Business: Annual Subscription $20 for one year,

$60 for 3 years.

Website: It has been recommended by the Web Master that

we have a Facebook page as this enables priority in website

searches.

Westpac Bank: has given us our accounts with only one

Minutes of the 2017 AGM Reunion taken

Sat 11 November 2017 at Glenorchy RSL TAS

person to sign withdrawals, however it’s best that we have

two people from the committee to sign. Moved Marty An-

sen, Seconded John Greenhalgh. Carried. Action: Treas-

urer to sort this out with Westpac.

Next Reunion: Much discussion took place on the loca-

tion, including that people be able to take their caravans.

Port Macquarie was suggested by Denny van Maanenberg

(April/May 2019) and Maroochydore. by Barry Mining.

Voting by a show of hands took place for: Maroochydore:

Moved Barry Mining, Seconded Ken Taylor. Not Carried.

Port Macquarie: Moved Denny van Maanenberg, Seconded

Ann Kennedy. Carried 23/25 votes. It was requested that

the Reunion take place out of school holidays and a request

from Jessica Ansen preferably not May.

General Business from the Floor: Approval was sought

for a wreath to be laid on behalf of the Association at an-

other ceremony, bearing in mind that the cost would be

born at their own expense. Moved John Greenhalgh, Sec-

onded Jessica Ansen. Carried.

Election of Office Bearers

Functions Officer: John Greenhalgh

Property Officer: Barry Mining

Public Officer: Ray Brown

Membership & Welfare Officer: Christina Luff

Treasurer: David Evans

Secretary: Russ Morison

Vice President: Denny van Maanenberg

President Graeme Sherriff

Newsletter Producer: Denny van Maanenberg

The Regional Reps are all as named in the last Minutes.

The Committee is yet to confirm these. Marty Ansen for-

mally thanked the Committee members for all they had

done over the last 18 months, extending appreciation on

behalf of all members.

Next Annual General Meeting: To be held in 2019 at

Port Macquarie. The Meeting closed at 2pm.

Unveiling of our plaque at the Glenorchy RSL 11 Nov 2017.

Page 6 Paludrine Parade Issue No 49: December, 2017, (Summer)

R oyal Australian

Navy frigate

HMAS Warra-

munga seized

111 kilograms of heroin

valued at $33 million dur-

ing operations in the Ara-

bian Sea on 7 January

2018. This is the third

successful interdiction for

Warramunga in the past

fortnight, taking the ship’s

total seizures to more than

11.5 tonnes of hashish and

180kg of heroin and a total

value of more than $625

million.

The latest operation

was carried out under the

direction of the Combined

Maritime Forces’ (CMF’s)

Australian-led Combined

Task Force 150 (CTF

150), after the suspect vessel was

assessed to be engaged in possible

illegal activity. Commanding Offi-

cer of Warramunga Commander

Dugald Clelland said the ship’s com-

pany was very proud of its contribu-

tion to the mission in recent weeks.

“This seizure was the result of a

complex operation involving thor-

ough analysis of historical informa-

tion, careful surveillance, and hard

work by the boarding party,” Com-

m a n d e r C l e l l a n d s a i d .

Commander CTF 150 Commo-

dore Mal Wise said he was proud of

the efforts of the sailors of CTF 150.

“The hard work and dedication of

HMAS Warramunga’s company has

again been demonstrated by this

seizure of narcotics in the Arabian

Sea,” Commodore Wise said. “The

ongoing success of CTF 150 in inter-

rupting the flow of narcotics in the

Middle East region highlights the

enduring importance of a naval part-

nership like the CMF in promoting

security in international waters.”

After being transferred to War-

ramunga, the narcotics were dis-

posed of at sea. Warramunga is

deployed to the Middle East on Op-

eration Manitou, for the third time,

as part of Joint Task Force 633 and

is on the 66th rotation of an individ-

ual Royal Australian Navy ship in

the region since 1990. Australia’s

commitment to maritime security and

stability in the region, including the

CMF.

B ack in December 2017, War-

ramunga nabs tonnes of

drugs after Christmas

The crew boosted their post-

Christmas by seizing almost 8 tonnes of

hashish and 69kg of heroin from drug

smugglers while conducting maritime

security operations in the Arabian Sea.

The illegal drug haul is the largest

quantity of hashish seized by an Austra-

lian ship on Middle East maritime secu-

rity operations with the overall haul

estimated to be valued at around

AUD$415 million. Commanding Offi-

cer HMAS Warramunga Commander

Dugald Clelland said the operation was

the culmination of months of hard

work by the ship’s company. “The

crew prepared extensively for a task

like this and we were able to em-

ploy our helicopter and boarding

crews to locate and board three

suspect vessels,” Commander

Clelland said. “A thorough search

by the boarding parties uncovered a

large quantity of hashish and her-

oin intended for distribution around

the world.”

Commander of Australian

Forces in the Middle East Major

General John Frewen said the op-

eration was a great credit to the

professionalism, determination and

dedication of the crew and would

contribute to a more secure region.

“These drug seizures support Aus-

tralia’s long-term mission to ensure

maritime security and stability in

the region,” Major General Frewen

said. “This operation will impact

on the flow of narcotics around the

world and the use of drug money to

fund extremist organisations.”

Australian commander of CTF-150

Commodore Mal Wise said the

three-ship haul of narcotics was a

reflection of the capability that

HMAS Warramunga brought to the

operation. “Coordination of this

complex operation at sea demon-

strates the effectiveness of the Com-

bined Maritime Force coalition and

the close cooperation of many or-

ganisations that is required to

achieve success in such a mission,”

Commodore Wise said.

The illegal drugs were trans-

ferred to HMAS Warramunga for

l a t e r d i s p o s a l a t s e a . With thanks to CONTACT Magazine

Drug-bust trifecta for Warramunga

CAPTION: Able Seaman Stephanie Pannell passes a bag of seized narcotics to Leading Seaman James

Walker during an illicit cargo seizure. Photo by Leading Seaman Tom Gibson.

CAPTION: Leading Seaman Clearance Diver Luke Woodcroft from HMAS Warramunga numbers parcels of seized narcotics on the deck of a trafficking vessel.

Photo by Leading Seaman Tom Gibson.


.

T hose responsible for exposing

Vietnamese citizens and US

troops to toxic defoliants kept

silent about known health

implications, a review of documents

finds. US chemical companies that

made Agent Orange and the govern-

ment and military authorities

who ordered its spraying on

Vietnam knew the human

health toll it could take, ac-

cording to official and unof-

ficial documents detailing

the history of the deadly

defoliant.

A review of the docu-

ments related to the use of

Agent Orange – a dioxin-

laden herbicide – in Viet-

nam, including decades-old

declassified papers from the

companies that manufac-

tured it and the government

and military that used it,

provides compelling evi-

dence that those in charge

also concealed evidence of

the devastating effects it

could have on people.

Mum’s the word! A declas-

sified letter by V.K. Rowe at

Dow’s Biochemical Re-

search Library to Biopro-

ducts Manager Ross Milhol-

land dated June 24, 1965

clearly states that the com-

pany knew the dioxin in

their products, including

Agent Orange, could hurt

people. In reference to

2,4,5,-trichlorophenol and

2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , -

tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (components

of Agent Orange), Rowe stated:

“This material is exceptionally toxic; it

has a tremendous potential for produc-

ing chloracne and systemic injury.”

Rowe worried the company would

suffer if word got out. “The whole 2,4,5

-T industry would be hard hit and I

would expect restrictive legislation,

either barring the material or putting

very rigid controls upon it.” So he said

the company should keep quiet about

the toxicity: “There is no reason why

we cannot get this problem under

strict control and thereby hopefully

avoid restrictive legislation ... I trust

you will be very judicious in your use

of this information. It could be quite

embarrassing if it were misinterpreted

or misused ... P.S. Under no circum-

stances may this letter be reproduced,

shown, or sent to anyone outside of

Dow.” Dow played its cards right,

never getting in serious trouble. The

spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam

went on for another six years. Dow

did not return phone calls and emails

requesting comment on the Agent

Orange issue.

‘Undisputed’ In the latest case

of US veterans trying to sue Dow and

Monsanto for their cancers related to

Agent Orange exposure, Supreme

Court Documents related to a petition

for a Writ of Certiorari in Daniel

Raymond Stephenson, et al., petition-

ers, v. Dow Chemical Company,

Monsanto Company, et al., respon-

dents, further implicates the compa-

nies in cover-ups and misin-

formation.

The petitioners state

that the companies knew

their dioxins, such as those

used in Agent Orange, were

harmful and lied about it

while concealing informa-

tion, including the fact that

several factory workers had

fallen sick after exposure to

dioxin. Several key facts

“remain undisputed,” ac-

cording to the document:

“Respondents never shared

the information in their sole

possession about health

risks attributable to dioxin,”

it said. “Respondents used

proprietary, defective manu-

facturing processes that

dangerously contaminated

2,4,5- T with dioxin.” That

is, the chemical companies

could have manufactured

their products without di-

oxin, as other companies had

done, but the process was

slower and more expensive,

so they chose a more dan-

gerous method. The compa-

nies “secretly tested their

products for dioxin and hid

its extreme toxicity from the

military,” according to the

petitioners.

The petitioners stated that the

companies had been hiding informa-

tion during the ongoing court proc-

ess: “Respondents also misrepresent

today’s medical understanding of the

injuries caused by exposure to di-

oxin. Instead of telling this Court that

the NAS/IOM has found that numer-

ous cancers have been related to

exposure to dioxin-contaminated

2,4,5-T (ingredient in Agent Orange)

(Continued on page 8)

Chemical companies and US authorities knew of

the dangers of Agent Orange


they quote a twenty-year-old Second Circuit opinion to

say: ‘Even today, . . . no . . . evidence that Agent Orange

was hazardous to human health.’” The petitioners said

the companies had misrepresented the health effects with

“patently false” assertions that none of their workers had

gotten sick from dioxin poisoning.

Inside job? Though nu-

merous studies have uncontro-

versially demonstrated the dev-

astating effects of dioxin expo-

sure on humans, the companies

that manufactured Agent Orange

have gone out of their way to

offer their own unique perspec-

tive. Through 2004, Dow and

Monsanto funded several

friendly studies by Dr. Alvin L.

Young to show that the exposure

of US ground forces to Agent

Orange should be of minimal

health concern. Young’s schizo-

phrenic reports go back and

forth from saying that dioxins

are not harmful to saying they

are harmful and his largely de-

bunked studies have drawn the

scorn of prominent members of

the scientific community.

“Young is paid by the chemical companies,” Dr.

Wayne Dwernychuk, a retired senior/advisor at Hatfield

Consultants, told Thanh Nien Daily.

“I don’t believe a word he says.” Hatfield Consult-

ants is a research leader in the field of contamination from

dioxin herbicides in Vietnam. Not overly concerned.

Though reports point to the fact that chemical companies

like Dow and Monsanto knowingly hid evidence of dioxin

-related medical problems from the government, the de-

classified 1990 Zumwalt Report suggests that US military

experts knew that Agent Orange was harmful at the time

of its use.

The report quotes a 1988 letter from Dr. James R.

Clary, a former government scientist with the Chemical

Weapons Branch, to Senator Tom Daschle. Dr. Clary was

(Continued from page 7) involved in designing tanks that sprayed herbicides and defo-

liants in Vietnam, according to the report. Clary told

Daschle:

“When we (military scientists) initiated the herbicide pro-

gram in the 1960’s, we were aware of the potential for dam-

age due to dioxin contamination in the herbicide. We were

even aware that the ‘military’ formulation had a higher di-

oxin concentration than the

‘civilian’ version due to the lower

cost and speed of manufacture.

However, because the material

was to be used on the ‘enemy,’

none of us were overly con-

cerned. We never considered a

scenario in which our own per-

sonnel would become contami-

nated with the herbicide. And, if

we had, we would have expected

our own government to give as-

sistance to veterans so contami-

nated.”

Chemical warfare: calling a

spade a spade. Supporters of the

US’s Agent Orange Campaign

prefer to call it an “herbicide pro-

gram” rather than chemical war-

fare. But official documents re-

veal that the US Senate knew its

real name. In US Senate Congres-

sional Records dated August 11, 1969, a table presented to

senators showed that congress clearly classified 2,4-D and

2,4,5-T (main components of Agent Orange) in the Chemical

and Biological Warfare category.

The table also includes Cacodylic Acid, a main compo-

nent of Agent Blue, another chemical sprayed on Vietnam to

kill plants, in the official Chemical and Biological Warfare

category. The table describes it as “an arsenic-base com-

pound... heavy concentrations will cause arsenical poisoning

in humans. Widely used in Vietnam. It is composed of

54.29 percent arsenic.” As Vietnam War Scholar and US

Veteran W.D. Ehrhart put it concisely in a Thanh Nien Daily

interview last week: “It would be hard to describe Agent Or-

ange as anything other than a chemical weapon. Dioxin is a

chemical.” So is arsenic. Reported by Jon Dillingham

Chemical companies and US authorities knew of the dangers of Agent

Orange - continued from page 7.

F or Australian Vietnam veterans, the issue of Agent Orange is made more complex by the fact

that many veterans use the term generically to describe many of the chemicals with which

they may have come in contact in Vietnam. Few Australians actually came into contact with

Agent Orange, but many were affected by exposure to herbicides and pesticides. A Royal

Commission was established in 1983 and admitted the existence of health problems, but found no link

to the use of defoliants in Vietnam. It did, however, acknowledge that certain chemicals may cause

cancer and that a connection to illness in veterans was unlikely but ‘not fanciful’. The VVAA contin-

ued to prosecute its case against Agent Orange and further reports, including a major study published

by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, suggested that veterans’ health was indeed affected by their

war service and that in certain types of cancer, links with exposure to dioxin and other chemicals used

in Vietnam did exist. In cases where exposure to chemicals in Vietnam has led to ill health the Depart-

ment of Veterans’ Affairs provides medical support and compensation. AG

EN

T O

RA

NG

E

ISS

UE

S F

OR

AU

ST

RA

LIA

N

VE

TE

RA

NS

Date post:	09-Aug-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	0 times
Download:	0 times