I’ve taken the liberty of pasting the text of an email from Duncan McInnes below, although you’ve probably already received it directly.

“I do hope this email finds you well and continuing to enjoy life now in your late-60’s !! Best wishes for your year ahead.

Callo, thanks again for use of your email broadcast list.

This year marks the fifth and final year of our Class Bursary with The Podmore Foundation.We are providing our annual Bursary for the five years only; 2013-2017. Almost at the summit now !!

I thank those who have already given generously to our Bursary Fund.

I particularly invite those who have not participated to date. This will be your final opportunity. I encourage you to join with your classmates to strive for better things in our Australian society.

Your help is welcomed to the worthy cause of providing educational opportunities for our Australian Indigenous youth. No better way to show that you mean it –  than to do it!!

Our bursary recipient, Aubrey Faull from the NSW Central Coast, is in Year 12 at St Ignatius College in Sydney this year.  As a young promising student, away from his home, we aim to provide him with the opportunity of our Bursary. 

Please make your contribution for 2017 to our Bursary Fund by 31 March.

Donations are fully tax-deductible.

Please pay your pledged annual donation amount. If you have forgotten that amount, contact me and I will gladly remind you. You may wish to make a one-time donation for effective tax-planning. Tax Receipts are issued promptly by The Podmore Foundation.

Simplest way is via EFT to:

BSB: 803205           (Defence Bank)

Account: 20752413  (The Podmore Foundation Ancillary Fund)

Reference: RMC 72 + your name

or by Cheque made payable to:

The Podmore Foundation Ancillary Fund and mailed to:

    The Treasurer

    The Podmore Foundation

    PO Box 771

    MAROUBRA NSW 2035

More information about The Podmore Foundation at www.podmorefoundation.org.au “

I’ve received an email message on my home email address purportedly from ‘Chris Jones’. It seems to be a fairly obvious spam, as it asks you to open a link, and the actual email address is not Chris’ usual one. The kicker was that it wasn’t signed by Jabber!

If I’m wrong, my apologies – but I think its spam. Please pass this on as widely as you can.

Joan and I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We look forward to seeing many of you in Auckland in December

Chaps,
I’ve been incommunicado for a while, my hotmail account got overtaken by viruses, Russian trolls etc and so I dropped off the Snippets distribution list about 2 years ago.

However nothing much has changed in the interim, still spending about 3 months a year in 2 week stints in PNG with Niugini Oil Company (for my sins) . The rest of the time I split between Chiangmai and Phuket in Thailand. I spent a month in the UK in May ,wandering around drinking Guinness and looking at all the other elderly tourists.

The reunion in Auckland sounds good so I might actually make an effort to get over there.

Could someone (I presume it’s still Callo) please send me a few back editions of Snippets.

If anyone is foolish enough to venture to PNG or Thailand let me know ,there is always a bed and a cold beer on hand.

A few photos just uploaded courtesy of TC. Posted in 1969, 1970 and 1971, but not sure that I’ve got the years right!

Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends in Christchurch. Best wishes for as speedy and smooth recovery as is possible.

You’ve probably noticed that there is a photo Gallery on the new webpage – recently with the four years 1969 – 1972 added as sub Galleries.  Please – send me photos to populate the Gallery. More than a couple at a time will probably crash my system, so if you have lots to share, if possible put them on a CD or USB and send them to me at 4 Capel Place, Fisher, ACT, 2611.

Appreciation in advance.

Taken from Canberra Refugee Support webpage:

The 2016 Canberra Refugee Support Fundraising Dinner was held at The Hellenic Club in Phillip on Thursday 20 October. Once again, the Hellenic Club provided a terrific venue, with efficient and courteous service and delicious food. This is more than a club: worth making the effort to visit.

The evening started with a formal farewell to the President of Canberra Refugee Support, Geoff McPherson, AM, who stepped down in September after 15 years in the role. The current President, Doug Hynd, also a long term member of CRS, read out excerpts from letters from Senator Katy Gallagher and Thomas Albrecht, Regional Representative of the UNHCR, recognising and praising his significant contribution to the settlement of refugees and asylum seekers in Canberra. Cathy Ragless, the Director of Companion House, talked of her relationship with Geoff as they worked together to achieve common goals. She wryly noted that they had different approaches initially that developed into a constructive working relationship, but stressed his ‘vision’ that has resulted in several significant programs: amongst them the Calvary Hospital Mentoring program, the annual CRS Scholarships presentation and, probably most significant, the Asylum Seeker Access Card, which has allowed new arrivals in our community to obtain appropriate services with a minimum of fuss. Appropriately, given his role in having this card approved by a sympathetic ACT government, Nick Manikis, from the ACT Government’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, presented Geoff with a framed certificate of appreciation from the Department, and spoke of his long, fruitful association with Geoff. He echoed the thoughts of many in the audience when he spoke of the way Geoff was able to get agreement, often without you realising that you’d agreed to him! The unwavering support through all these years of Geoff’s wife Elizabeth, and his family, was also recognised. Geoff responded briefly and acknowledged the unwavering support of the members of the CRS organisation, the other support groups in the territory, the ACT government and importantly, the people of Canberra. He also thanked Elizabeth and his family and for their support, that enabled him to be there when asylum seekers and refugees need a neighbourly hand.

A lovely finale was the performance of two rappa songs by his grandchildren with lyrics echoing the plight and hopes of asylum seekers and refugees.

Doug Hynd announced that in recognition of Geoff’s contribution over more than 15 years to recognise and support refugees in Canberra that the annual scholarship presentation was to be renamed ‘The Geoff McPherson CRS Scholarship Presentation’.

Added note: As well as his recent appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia, Geoff was also named as Canberra Citizen of the Year in 2004 for his unstinting work supporting asylum seekers and refugees.

This website has been added as a link on the Duntroon Society’s webpage at http://www.dunsoc.com

What’s the first thing you’re told by the old hands in the Army? DON’T VOLUNTEER FOR ANYTHING!!

Well, I have, so herewith this website. If it doesn’t work, it can easily be taken down. But if you have things to offer, we can build this into a record of our time at RMC – and of the many things that our mates have achieved since graduation.

This is at the moment a basic site, but there is potential for development. I’ll be adding a ‘Snippets’ page soon, that will be password protected.