RAA Liaison Letter 2024 - 2025 Edition

RAA L I A I SON L ETTER 2024 – 2025 E D I T I ON C ANNON BALL S UP PLEMENT 156 standard and many are being refurbished prior to our arrival. Other major advantages are that a resident depot support battery will be established, solely to provide support to School of Artillery courses, and the ranges covering an area of around 600sq kms are literally on the doorstep. Puckapunyal is also home to the best military gymnasium complex, (including indoor and outdoor 50m swimming pools), in the whole of Australia. The planning for the move is being conducted with the upmost professionalism. Monthly information sessions by the CO/CI, the Relocation Officer, the removers, and various organisations from Puckapunyal provide up-to- date facts to servicemen and their families and address any concerns that they may have. A recent series of two day visits were conducted, courtesy of the RAAF, and have successfully enabled those service families who are being relocated to get a first-hand look at the whole Puckapunyal area. With a well-structured programme, Bridges Barracks, a selection of married quarters, schools, community centre, employment agencies, gym and local shopping facilities etc were visited. A majority of those who went on the visits were pleasantly surprised by what they saw and are now looking forward to living and working in the new location. The reason for the relocation of the School of Artillery to Puckapunyal are clearly for professional advancement, to provide better and more effective operationally focused training to the Royal Australian Artillery. The relocation programme will be complete by the middle of Jan 98, the first courses commencing in early Feb 98. With an excellent, new instructional facility to work in and a spacious, modern married quarter (with en-suite bathroom etc) in which to live, service families will soon warm to Puckapunyal and a congenial, secure environment with a strong, tight-knit community atmosphere will quickly be created. Certainly there won't be the Northern Beaches of Sydney just down the road. but the State of Victoria has countless unique attractions of its own with many travelling, sight-seeing, sporting and leisure opportunities to be taken advantage of during the odd weekend off or two. CAN YOU HELP Heath Trophy remain elusive . This was for ‘attendance’ which today can be interpreted as recruiting / retention. The Heath Trophy was won by the 18 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment in 1955-56 and again in 1958-59. The unit was also runner up in 1957-58. The 18 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment again won the trophy in 1961 and it was also won by R Battery in 1963 for the fourth time. Eventually the trophy was given to the Regiment in perpetuity. The trophy stayed with the Regiment until it was disbanded in 1974. The trophy is missing and is possibly either at a 9th Regiment Sydney based battery, School of Artillery or HQ 2 Division. The Chief of Staff at HQ 2nd Division, Colonel D A Smith was contacted on 11th June 2002, but he was not able to find the trophy after a long search. The method of judging the competition was occasionally varied to keep pace with changing military requirements. The honour of winning the Trophy was a spur to improve technical and tactical training and administrative efficiency in the CMF. The Heath Trophy was in the form of a soldier holding an Owen gun ready to fire. It was a very impressive trophy. The competition has now lapsed, and the RC retains ownership of the trophy in perpetuity. Location is unconfirmed If any reader knows the whereabouts of these trophies be part of reinvigorating our heritage and advise HOR staff. Contact Major Gary Down or Major DT (Terry) Brennan.