Naval Tankermen Association

Dont forget if you cant find what your looking for drop by the WELFARE page for ex service information.

Members are reminded that Membership Fee's are due April 25th each year  

Help keep our Association steaming ahead  

                July 4th 17:30

TThe NATIONAL MALAYA & BORNEO VETERANS ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA INC.

NOMINAL ROLL SUBMISSION POST WW2 MALAYA, MALAYSIA, BORNEO, UBON

FAR EAST STRATEGIC RESERVE – ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

HMAS SYDNEY en route to Malaysia   South China Sea, May/June 1964

Before HMAS Sydney became known as the Vung Tau Ferry, troops from 111 LAA Bty RAA and 21 Construction Sqn RAE were the first to be transported by sea to Sabah and the Malayan peninsular in response to the request from Tunku Abdul Rahman to help with the defence of Malaysia against the threats by Indonesia. The Sydney also carried Iroquois helicopters for the RAAF at Butterworth and ammunition and stores for approximately 3 months for the Army units on board. The vehicles and 12 Guns of 111 LAA Bty RAA are those visible on the deck in the above photo.                                        The escort ships were HMAS YARRA and HMAS PARRAMATTA.

HMA Ships of the FESR in alphabetical order:  

                                                                PARRAMATTA       QUADRANT      QUEENBOROUGH    QUIBERON      QUICKMATCH       SNIPE       STUART        SUPPLY      SWAN      

                                                                 SYDNEY **  (Troop Transport)        TEAL       TOBRUK      VAMPIRE        WARRAMUNGA          YARRA         VENDETTA       VOYAGER   

               June 14  21:30

To all those ex crew members of HMAS Supply who have contributed to our submission cause we say thanks a lot for your generosity

it will enable us to persue our goal and complete what we started out to do, and that is to gain recognition for those of us who participated in the

Protest Deployment at Mururoa Atoll during the French Atomic tests July 1973.

Keep up the good work men, any and all contributions no matter how small will help

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             June 4  20:45

             June 2 20:56

Hello there I'm looking for any of my old shipmates who served aboard HMAS Supply during 1983

Please contact Daryl Walley  darylw2@optusnet.com.au  ex:  ABMTP3 

  Mururoa Atoll 

Service Submission

For those of us who served aboard HMAS SUPPPLY during the 1973 Mururoa Atoll deployment please click on the Bomb Cloud below

to read all about it. We need everyone's support for this to work so if you know of a 73 crew member and his contact details please drop me an email asap. 

Mururoa Submission

       March 31st 21:42

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          March 22nd 2150

        March 4th 22:35

For those of you wanting more information about your Military Superannuation click on the following URL to find out more.

http://www.qmig.net/milsuper

           Feb 18th 22:35

If any one could please help contact the following former SYDNEY sailor, he would be very greatful.

ORD/RP, KENNETH ARTHUR JAMES, R106041, H.M.A.S. SYDNEY, Oct 1969 - Aug 1970.

If any one can help would they please contact:

Neville Cunningham:
20 Phillipe Dve St Albans Park,Vic 3219 or Tel: (03)  5248 4835,  Mobile 0438 162280.

Regards
David (Speed) Dwyer
H.M.A.S. SYDNEY & VLSVA
Hon Sec VICTORIA
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Products and Services Available to Defence Personnel The Australian Defence Organisation has numerous suppliers of products and services at concession rates, available to serving and retired ADF members, Service Pensioners, serving Defence civilians and Defence contractors. This brochure offers an outline of these. WebPages and Links Information about these products and services is available on the DPSA web site on both the DEFWEB and Internet. a. DEFWEB – visit ( http://defweb.cbr.defence.gov.au/dpsa/ ) b. INTERNET - visit ( http://www.defence.gov.au/dpe/dpsa/)

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          Jan 29th 2015:

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         Jan 20th 20:45

        Jan 16th 22:20

Gentlemen for those of you who need assistance with Ambulance Services please download the Veterans Ambulance Services file by clicking on the link below

VeteransAmbulance.pdf

        Jan 13th 2010

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        Dec 15th 18:00

        Dec 13th 20:35

" Now Hear This "

The latest meeting of the Naval Tankermen Association was held at the Tamworth RSL on November 21st which was attended by a lively bunch of 'Old Sailors'

You might wonder why I say OLD Sailors, well one of our lot is in his early 60's and doing pretty good for himself these days even though he has just bought himself a brand new Ford XR6

Seriously though the meeting was well attended and the following people are your new committee.

President: R.W. 'Bubbles' Currin, Secretary / Treasurer: Ken Witchard, Senior Vice President: Gavin Andersen,

The committee also includes a new position of  Social Officer and the member elected to this position is Ray Bridge.

The Social Officer's duties will encompass those of the previous Special Projects Officer.

Tankermen Committee and Friends Tamworth 2009

At the meeting planning was commenced for a Reunion to be held in Sydney on the October long weekend 2010 and it was the unanimous decision of everyone present that it be held at the Rooty Hill RSL complex pending a final committee decision once availability of accommodation and venue was completed so for those of you out there interested in attending please stay tuned to this page.

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         Dec 8th 20:55

DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE

MSPA 420/09 Tuesday, 8 December 2009

CONVERSION OF HMAS SUCCESS TO INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION COMPLIANCE

Yesterday, 7 December 2009, Defence released a Request for Tender for
modification of the Royal Australian Navy tanker HMAS Success to achieve
International Maritime Organisation compliance. The conversion involves the
installation of a second hull internal to the ship which will reduce the
risk of cargo spillage in the event of a serious incident. It is intended
that potential contractors selected in an Invitation to Register Interest,
conducted in early 2009, may respond and contribute to this project.

The complex modifications will be undertaken to ensure the operational
flexibility of the ship will not be impeded and world's best practice for
the protection of the marine environment is achieved. Success will continue
to provide valuable national and overseas service to the nation in an era
when more stringent regulations for prevention of marine pollution have been
introduced by the International Maritime Organisation.

The Royal Australian Navy is committed to exemplary environmental
stewardship and will have a fully compliant double hull tanker fleet when
HMAS Success re-enters service after this conversion in 2011. HMAS Sirius
was commissioned in 2006 as the Navy's first double hulled tanker.

Potential contractors for this conversion include both Australian and
overseas ship yards, and in some cases Australian and overseas companies are
planning to enter into a partnership.

This decision reflects the ongoing Defence commitment to compliance with all
applicable civilian regulations, high standards of organisational governance
and best practice of corporate and international citizenship.

Media contact:
Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
 

      Nov 16th 21:55

                Nov 16th 21:32

Check out this interesting link about our old ship. rfa-tide-austral-ships-details

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Also here's some interesting information about another ship we all know. 

rfa-appleleaf-3

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               Nov 11th 2009

             Nov 8th 21:40

Re: TPI train travel entitlement  

The Queensland Government recently announced new fares for the TransLink network effective 4 January 2010. The fare change will help TransLink to continue to operate cost-effectively, and will be invested in improving public transport in South East Queensland.

 As part of these changes, paper tickets will be removed from sale in December 2010.

 Please be assured that TPI entitlements remain unchanged and the current travel permit and voucher process is still valid until December 2010.

 We will contact you regarding any change to the current process as soon as a decision is made.

 For more information on TransLink’s current ticketing options please visit www.translink.com.au or call TransLink on 13 12 30 anytime.

            Nov 8th 21:20

        Sep 12 18:30 09

                                                                                                          HMAS Anzac/Tobruk Association

      May 26th 21:12

            May 13th 17:45

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     Jan 28th 21:55  09

Vietnam War Resources

For those of you who were there this site is quiet interesting maybe it might help someone looking for information.

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/fac/Thomas.Pilsch/Vietnam.html

            Jan 20th 19:25 09

If anyone visiting this page knows the whereabouts of any ex JR's from the Walton / Collins 36th Div HMAS Leeuwin 71/72 please drop me a line and let me know.

We have a web page attached here with a list of some of the names and email info so check it out maybe someone knows the location of more of us. All information can be sent to the webmaster at witchweb@iinet.net.au

Many thanks for any help

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            Jan 13th 1630

Navy asbestos puts thousands at Risk
Ben Doherty
January 7, 2009  Sydney Morning Herald

AUSTRALIAN sailors are being exposed to deadly asbestos fibres because the navy continues to use illegal asbestos-contaminated parts, years after they were outlawed.

Thousands of sailors and civilian contractors are likely to have come into contact with the potentially lethal carcinogen, a report seen by defence chiefs says, and the Defence Force could face fines of more than $100 million for breaches of work safety laws.  And that figure could be millions of dollars higher if sailors, as predicted, contract lung cancer or other diseases as a result of their exposure.

A risk assessment report prepared by the defence contractor SYPAQ Systems, obtained under freedom-of-information laws, found "thousands of personnel" could have been exposed to chrysotile asbestos, a known cancer-causing agent.  "The risk to the safety of personnel … is significant and must be addressed … The likelihood that [exposures to asbestos] will occur is almost certain and the consequences are potentially catastrophic," the report said.

Reports show nearly 250,000 parts held in naval stores are suspected of containing asbestos. And hundreds of those parts, including gaskets, hoses, even compressed asbestos sheeting, are still being issued to naval ships and bases in breach of state and federal laws.  "It can be assumed there have been over 350 issues of 775 asbestos items to operational units and ship repair organisations since 31 December 2003 (when asbestos use was prohibited)," the SYPAQ report found.

A spokesman said defence did not accept SYPAQ's finding that "thousands" had been exposed and said the potential fines figure of $100 million was "purely speculative". He conceded, though, that asbestos parts were issued in breach of bans.  A furious Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, condemned the ADF's handling of its asbestos problem, calling it unacceptable.  "We wouldn't let a major company get away with it and we should be just as tough on ourselves. I expect defence to change its culture of endless exemptions and waivers," he said.  Attempts to speak to SYPAQ Systems, the author of the report, were unsuccessful.

The navy first conceded sailors' lives were being endangered in May, when it issued an all-ship-all-shore warning identifying a fraction of the contaminated items still in use.  "To date 45 items have been confirmed as containing asbestos. All units, ships and establishments are to check if stockholdings are held for the items listed below … The asbestos eradication program is ongoing and there is likely to be additional candidates identified," the Defence Materiel Organisation alert warned.

The use of and importation of asbestos-containing materials was made illegal in 2001 in Australia, with the prohibition coming into force on January 1, 2004.  But the Defence Force won an exemption to continue using chrysotile asbestos parts until 2007, on two strict provisos: that the parts were "mission-critical" and no non-asbestos replacements could be found.  In December that exemption was controversially extended again until 2010 by the Government's safety and compensation council, despite fierce expert opposition, and even grave reservations from within defence.

Mal Pearce, the director-general of defence's occupational health, safety and compensation branch, raised concerns that defence was not trying hard enough to rid itself of the deadly substance.  "The commission had for some years been very flexible with defence, during which time defence had given repeated assurances that it would fix the problem of chrysotile eradication … Some commissioners pointed out that a national prohibition on asbestos had existed since 2001."

It is likely that all the navy's use of asbestos parts falls outside the Defence Force exemption, and is illegal.  Only 318 asbestos items were approved for defence use last December, and that number has since been reduced to 209. Approved are a number of spare parts for the Caribou transport aircraft, F-111 strike bomber, and Mk127 Lead-in Fighter fleets, and a small number of gaskets for ground equipment and vehicles.

The SYPAQ Systems report found that the issue of "several hundred confirmed asbestos items" to operational naval units was "in direct contravention of state and federal laws".

Defence could face fines in the order of $115 million if found guilty of breaching the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act by exposing employees to serious harm or death, the report said.

As well, civilians and defence employees who develop lung cancer or other diseases could sue for damages and compensation. The average claim is estimated at $360,000.


Blue water and white death from asbestos
Ben Doherty
January 7, 2009

An audit of the Royal Australian Navy's stores has uncovered a potentially lethal problem.  Set among the gum trees and grass at Moorebank, the Australian Defence Force's massive main storage facility in Sydney's south-west, Shed 34 appears like any other.  Low-slung and long, the corrugated iron warehouse sits near the boundary of the sprawling site, unmarked save for a painted black number, and unremarkable.  Inside stand row upon row of dusty prefab storage units, 20 bays deep and seven high, hundreds of metres of dark grey shelves labelled by number and lit under harsh fluorescent lights.

But Shed 34 is not like others at Moorebank.  It has become the epicentre of defence's bungling efforts to rid itself of asbestos.  On its shelves sit thousands of items - gaskets, hoses, sheeting, packing material - which contain the deadly carcinogen, tagged with orange warning labels and wrapped in plastic.

Shed 34 is where asbestos-contaminated material, items that have been prohibited in Australia for nearly seven years, are finally being quarantined, as defence, and the navy in particular, finally begins to uncover the extent of its problems, the health risk its inaction has exposed its members to, and the legal liability it has created for itself.

It started innocuously, even innocently, enough.  In 2007, a gasket marked "Danger-Asbestos" was found in a "shit-hot locker" on board a navy warship.  A shit-hot locker, in the slang of naval engineers, is a collection of odd spare parts for the countless repair jobs which emerge on board any working ship. The parts tend to be odds and ends, gaskets, seals, and washers, suitable for scores of purposes. Shit-hot lockers are not strictly "accounted" and parts in them can often languish for years.

It was not a major issue. The part was not used, it was not decayed. But it should not have been there, because the use of asbestos-containing materials was outlawed in Australia in 2001, with their outright prohibition coming into effect in 2004.  Given its widespread use of asbestos parts, the ADF was granted a three-year exemption to 2007 to phase them out.  That exemption was controversially extended last year to 2010, but Comcare's safety, rehabilitation and compensation commission permitted the use of only 318 items, since reduced to 209.

So the navy, realising the sensitivity of a non-exempt asbestos item on board a ship, commissioned an audit, ostensibly to check similar oversights had not, or could not, occur elsewhere, and to confirm its asbestos eradication program had found all the asbestos parts and removed them from circulation.

Defence handed the contract for the audit to a trusted contractor, SYPAQ Systems, which last year ran scores of outsourced projects for defence. But even SYPAQ's initial cursory examination of the navy's stores records uncovered a serious, and potentially lethal, problem.

The navy has two primary databases for its stores, the Standard Defence Supply System, SDSS, and the Central Catalogue of Inventory, CENCAT.  A perfunctory examination of these - as simple as typing "asbestos" into the database search engine - uncovered 1699 items which did, or were strongly suspected of, containing asbestos.

Many of them were still on the shelves at naval stores around the country; many were still being issued to ships.  Worse still, many of them were "mixed stock". The navy had ordered in non-asbestos replacements for an asbestos part, for example a gasket, but then simply thrown the old and new in together.  For those, there was no way, short of an expensive and time-consuming test on each item, to know which were asbestos and which were not.

The navy's own knowledge of its asbestos holdings is dangerously shambolic. Files obtained by the Herald include briefings from naval chiefs claiming the service was free of asbestos, which are then directly contradicted, by the same officer, just days later.  These problems are confirmed by the LSA-N asbestos register, the navy's own effort to keep tabs on its asbestos parts, which is, at best, out-of-date, at worst, hopelessly compromised.

The navy is still struggling to define the size of its problem.  SYPAQ found 235,725 items in naval stores catalogues were suspected of containing asbestos. None has been classified as "mission-critical", that is, their withdrawal would ground equipment and jeopardise a mission being undertaken.  As each of SYPAQ's regular progress reports was sent to defence, it came with the warning that the task, and defence's problem, was far greater than originally anticipated.

Emails marked high priority flew around the ADF, meetings were hastily arranged and held, but instead of the scope of the project being expanded, its goals were contracted. SYPAQ Systems would provide defence with three lists: one, of items which contain asbestos; two, of items which do not contain asbestos; and three, of items suspected of containing asbestos.  And all discovered asbestos items were to be sent to Shed 34 at Moorebank, the navy conceding more items were likely to be found as investigations progressed.

The final risk assessment report by SYPAQ Systems, issued to defence chiefs in May, is a damning indictment of the navy's efforts to rid itself of asbestos since its universal prohibition was first announced in 2001.  It found several thousand asbestos parts "still active in inventory and on the shelf ready for issue".  "Since the full ban came into effect on 31 December, 2003, several hundred confirmed asbestos items have been issued to operational units in direct contravention of state and federal laws.  "Potentially thousands of defence personnel and defence contractors have been exposed to asbestos without their knowledge as a result of asbestos-containing items remaining in inventory."

SYPAQ Systems found that even when asbestos items were identified by the navy, they were left in circulation.  "The activity undertaken to remove asbestos items from inventory has been running for over six years and many of the same items identified in the early reviews have still not been removed."

The report said thousands of personnel had probably been exposed to asbestos, and that the navy's legal liability could run above $100 million.  "Whilst the risk to the safety of personnel posed by hazards going forward is significant and must be addressed, the cost risk to the organisation posed by the legal repercussions of actions to date requires significant and immediate attention. The likelihood that they will occur is almost certain and the consequences are potentially catastrophic from a financial perspective."

A defence spokesman rejected the report's most critical findings, saying: "Defence considers the [asbestos] parts were handled safely by a relatively small number of personnel.  "Defence has been working to eradicate asbestos-containing items from its extensive inventory prior to prohibition to the present day. Defence has comprehensive incident reporting and health management arrangements for anyone who thinks they may have been exposed."

But the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, who first accused the Defence Force of lethargy in its efforts to remove asbestos in 2007 when he was in opposition, said despite the massive cost of ridding the ADF of asbestos, its continued use was unacceptable.  "I do not accept the position that was put to me by defence upon coming to Government that the total removal of asbestos from defence equipment could take several decades," he said.

Mr Fitzgibbon has told defence no further asbestos exemptions would be supported and has ordered a survey of all equipment and buildings.  "The continued exposure of people to asbestos is something that is no longer accepted by the Australian community, nor this Government, and I expect defence to change its culture of endless exemptions and waivers."

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       July 20th 21:15

Aims: The aim is to create a web-based Service & Ex-Service Personnel Reunion Database
with the goal of achieving the following:

1. Minimise the level of isolation currently experienced by ex-service
    personnel.

2. Act as a central communication source for Defence Force Reunions and
all current service personnel and ex-service personnel.

3. Assist with the organisation of reunions and other social
    activities, including the distribution of reunion calendars.

4. Assist disabled personnel, widows and /or widowers.

5. Provide a 1300 telephone service for all personnel

6. Provide a platform for Networking and catching up with friends

 If you wish your name to be added to the database please complete
 
the form attached.     Navy       Army       Air Force       Send to a friend


 If you require assistance  Phone: Sharon Johnson 1300 797 577 Or print and post to:

SALT Reunion Central
PO Box 445 
Maroochydore Qld 4558  

             June 3 21:30