ARRIVAL.
For many of us arriving at Leeuwin after our first experience of air travel, we
where soon brought back to earth with Divisional Staff yelling in our faces. My next
impression is what had I got myself into.
The next morning as I strolled down to
breakfast, wondering who the 'new grub' was that everybody else kept referring to.
I also remember seeing two Docky Coppers in their weird summer uniform, trying to
work out who they where. I then remember laughing to myself when I saw two JR's in
baggy long shorts (now weirdly back in fashion) berets and white belts.
I was sprung
laughing by that small Seamanship School Petty Officer, who seemed to have a black
beard that covered his whole face. He explained to me 'politely' that I would be
wearing that uniform shortly, if I survived!
ROOM MATES.
I had noticed a long haired red head at the airport and this turned out to be my
first room mate Gunther Glasenner.
I had a bad start to Leeuwin with Rick Hammerich
yelling at us. I had been trying to explain to Gunther that the names on the locker
doors must match the bunk. He was under the impression that we had a choice.
We
became good mates and on winter leave we had a few beers together in Melbourne.
Although he made enough noise for the whole cabin with the quiet Rob Gordon and even
quieter Steve Gill, my last cabin at Leeuwin (Mick Sanders, Nev Rooney and John Schot)
I was the only one not to get commissioned! Probably a good thing!
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WEEK ONE
The next few days where a blur of haircuts, uniforms, yelling, yet more yelling and
watching the different state contingents arrive. From memory the Tasmanians where the
last lot to arrive as us 'old hands' of a few days checked them out.
The other memory
that keeps coming back to me was the craze in D Block of the first few weeks of turning
bunks upside down and replacing the mattress on top. The owner who then dived onto
his bunk then crashed onto the deck. I remember my bunk one day balancing on the
window ledge.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Prior to arriving at Leeuwin and believing the recruiter, I was under the
impression that we would be doing seamanship every day, out on small boats,
rifle range every other week and not much school.
The reality was school and more
school, and a lot stricter than my previous school.
Somehow I scraped into class
Bravo, enjoyed doing Coastal Navigation, physics to me was some form of black art.
Maths was another problem class although I was fascinated by the instructor who was
a former Olympic or Commonwealth games wrestler with his oversize shoulders. He also
has a interesting style of marching with a sword!
PT seemed to be our weekly torture
session. Seamanship School was always interesting, especially Frank Bennett telling
the instructor's how things where done at Naval Cadets.
One day, later in the year,
I remember we had all lashed Frank to the large rope that went across the parade
ground at seamanship school.
Another day at rifle drill, it was raining, so the GI
pulled a .50 cal Browning apart. We all watched intently, then he asked who could
ride a bike. Off course Frank answered and got the job of putting it back together
again.
PARADE GROUND
With divisions I volunteered/got selected to be marker which suited me. I didn't
have to do eyes right!
The first three months we marched as a mob, then we graduated
to SLR modified .303's. Some of those old .303's would be worth a small fortune now.
Then after mid winter leave we graduated to the big league when we where deemed
worthy enough to march with SLR's and stab ourselves in the armpit with!! Also
our first Divisions when we hadn't been told about advance in review?
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SHORE LEAVE
Finally the day came when we where allowed out on leave.
My best memory is
the girls of Perth, having money in my pocket and trying to stay out of fights
from the civvies.
I eventually spent my leave in Perth, friends of my mothers
were caretakers of the Young Australia League building, next door to the main
Perth Fire Brigade building. I used to be able to get into the Friday night
dances for free.
I also had my stash of civvie clothes there, but was always
S... scared of getting caught out of uniform.
MEMORIES
But fond memories of the interesting food slopped out to us, the interesting
personalities in other divisions (especially Rhodes Howden), the usually crap
Friday night movies in the drill hall, being made to sing if the PO projectionist
was running late, being made to watch the whole movie by the same PO!
The endless
dry heat of Perth and sand everywhere!
Playing footy against the SAS, where I took my best ever mark, which I enjoyed
for a split second before being smashed to the ground.
Another fond memory was
being in the Basketball team for Morrow, when we used to train against a girl's
team on a Wednesday night and have about 100 plus spectators watching us.
Unfortunately the girls where a few years older than us and lived in some
secret female boarding house.
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MARKS
But for those of us in Morrow the best of Leeuwin was beating our neighbour's
down the hill Marks Division.
No matter how knackered we were when coming back
up to D Block, we always put on a show for our friends in C Block.
The 'Doo Dah'
song always put a smile on our faces! Or that night we had been made to double
around the parade ground, again. Somebody from Marks must have mouthed off to us,
they all got sent out the opposite way to us without turning the lights on. As we
ran through them we added a few more laps to our punishment.
I enjoyed my time at Leeuwin, well towards the end anyway.
I had never been
fitter than I was at Leeuwin.
I made some wonderful friendships and was one of the
reasons to extract my digit and get the reunions underway. I would like to close
by saying what a wonderful job Steve Bennetts and Chris Parr have done with our 46th website.
Yes it is our website so please contribute something towards it and I look
forward to seeing you in Perth next year.
Steve 'Dolly' Gray