Association Newsletter Aug. 2018

ARMI NIUS

NEWSLETTER OF THE PIB NGIB HQ PIR ASSOC.
August 2018

PATRON: Major General B. W. (Hori) Howard AO MC ESM (Ret’d.)

NAMING OF THE SGT FRANK WUST BRIDGE

Our Association, and specifically Secretary Kev Horton and Vice-President Greg Ivey, have assisted the Qld Government to honour our founding President, Frank Wust, through the naming of a major bridge at Caboolture, Qld.
Frank not only served with the Papuan Infantry Battalion and the New Guinea Infantry Battalions during World War 2 but also was an active and well-known member of the Caboolture district.
Set our below are photos of the Bridge naming ceremony held on Thursday 21 June 2018 and the speech given by Kev for our Association.

Kev Horton speaks at the bridge naming.

KEV HORTON’S SPEECH AT THE BRIDGE NAMING

The Honourable Mark Ryan MLA, the Honourable Simone Wilson MLA
Leah Mackenzie, District Director, Qld Dept. of Transport & Main Roads
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Wust Family
PIB-PIR Association members
Friends
The late Sgt Frank Wust was an iconic Aussie in many ways. He was quietly spoken but stood up for what he believed in, had an understated, wicked sense of humour, a deep sense of pride in having worn the Australian Army Uniform – especially his old ‘slouch hat’ – raised a wonderful family with his wife Shirley in Caboolture and was the sort of bloke you were proud to call your mate.
He served his country well during WWII spending most of his time in various theatres of war in Papua New Guinea including Finschhafen, Wau, Bulolo Valley, Markham Valley, Bougainville, Ramu River and New Britain. Frank volunteered to fight alongside, and took leadership positions with, the indigenous soldiers of the Papuan Infantry Battalion and later the New Guinea Infantry Battalions. These were not the well-known ‘fuzzy wuzzy angels’ but were the 3850 barefoot Papua New Guinea jungle fighters who fought alongside about 500 Australians mostly in dangerous ‘behind the lines’ roles. After the War, Frank took advantage of every opportunity to increase awareness of the vital role played by these battalions of indigenous PNG soldiers in the successful defence of PNG.
Our Association is made up of ex-Servicemen including a few remaining WWII Veterans who served in the PIB or NGIB and others, including National Servicemen, who served in PNG as part of the Pacific Islands Regiment after WWII, leading up to PNG Independence in 1975. For several of our members, our first contact with Frank was in about 2004 when he invited us to march with him behind the PIB NGIB Banner on ANZAC Day in Brisbane. Frank’s welcoming nature and our shared experience of working side by side with PNG soldiers enabled a special bond to develop between us. With the demise of the Sydney-based PIR Association and falling numbers of WWII PNG veterans, a new Qld-based Association combined the two groups in 2007.
Frank became the inaugural President of the combined Associations in 2007 and continued in this role until his passing in 2014. He represented us on many occasions including Kokoda Day and Remembrance Day Services. He was held in high regard by all who met him from the former Governor-General to school children whom he addressed on many occasions. We were fortunate to have marched side by side with him on ANZAC Day in Brisbane for many years as he proudly led us in front of the Banner you see here behind me, with his sons Ian and Noel as flag bearers and family members in support.
Several years ago it was brought to my attention that the family had been approached about the possibility of this bridge being named in Frank’s honour but the idea appeared to have been shelved. Our Association believed that there was no person more deserving of local recognition in perpetuity than Sgt Frank Wust, so with the backing of our members and the Wust family, the idea was reignited.
An initial letter to the Moreton Shire Mayor Alan Sutherland, about 3 years ago has led me, as Secretary and a great admirer of Frank, to embark on a long and at times frustrating journey through various levels of red tape. The faint light at the end of the tunnel has reached the end of the bridge – culminating in today’s naming ceremony. Seeing the pride and joy on the faces of the Wust family here today has made it all worthwhile.
There are many people to thank for their assistance. Letters of support were received from the Caboolture-Morayfield RSL Sub-Branch, the Caboolture Historical Society, the Kabi Kabi Traditional Owners (special thanks to Kerry Neill from Nambour) and Local Councillor- Adrian Raedel. Advice was forthcoming from all three State Government Members of Parliament whose electorates adjoin the Kilcoy bypass. Since obtaining initial approval from Neil Scales, the Director-General of Transport & Main Roads, special thanks go to Andrea Turner and her assistant, Rhiannon Simms for helping organize this event. I contacted Andrea so many times I’m sure she thought I was stalking her. Thank you Leah Mackenzie for capably chairing this event today. Many thanks also to Greg Raedel for his assistance with the marquee, chairs and PA from the Historical Society and thanks to Mark Perkins of the Caboolture Show Society, represented here today by Past President Roger Dunstan, for allowing us to use this venue. To the Honourable Mark Ryan – thanks for making time in your busy schedule to officiate at this ceremony.
My final thanks go to the Vice –President of our Association, Greg Ivey, who took over some last-minute organization, meetings, sending e-mails etc. so that I would not miss out on my 15th consecutive annual fishing week with my mates from the Kingaroy Lions Club last week. Thanks Greg – the crabs were tasty and the fish were biting.
In having this bridge named to honour him, Frank joins Lt General Alan Boase, whom the local RSL Sub-Branch advocated to have Boase Park, just up the road in Elimbah, so named.
To conclude, like his daughter Trish, I wonder how Frank would have reacted to this honour. He liked to keep things ‘low key.’ When he was awarded Honorary Life Membership and a framed Certificate from our Association on Kokoda Day, 2014, the occasion was quite emotional for him, and some present shed a tear or two, but all was put in perspective by Frank’s quiet aside to his daughter, “Ah well, another bloody nail in the wall”, followed by a shared chuckle. It was this sort of understated comment which helped endear Frank to all who knew him.
“Well Frank – you’ll need a couple of damned big nails to hang this one on the wall!”

ASSOCIATION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Following the Bridge ceremony, members of the Association assembled at the Caboolture RSL for the AGM. There was an excellent attendance at this meeting and all formalities were completed under the guiding hand of our president, Major Don Graham.
All positions in the Association were filled and set out below are the office bearers for the coming year, 2018-19:

Patron: Major General Brian Howard
President: Don Graham
Vice President: Greg Ivey
Secretary: Kev Horton
Treasurer: Frankie McLean
Assistant Secretary: Greg Farr
Brisbane Rep: Phil Adam
Interstate Reps: Gary Screen (NSW), Graeme Johnson (WA)
History Officer: Peter Jesser
Newsletter Editor: Ian Ogston
Membership Coordinator: Kevin Smith
Website Managers: Kevin Smith and Frank Cordingley
Medals Officer: Russ Wade

We welcome especially, Frankie Mclean who has taken on the considerable role of Treasurer. We wish her well in this and thank her for accepting this responsibility. Frankie is the daughter of the late Lt. Fred Lucas (PIB).
We also thank Kev Horton who has carried the responsibility of both the Secretary’s and Treasurer’s roles for many years.

KOKODA COMMEMORATION, BROADBEACH, QLD

By Greg Ivey
Our Association was again pleased to participate in this annual Gold Coast service, this year organised by a new team of former Servicemen in cooperation with the Gold Coast City Council. There were some traditional and several new elements in the 2018 Service which was held in excellent weather at the Rotary Kokoda Memorial Wall on the 8th August.
Two highlights of the Service were a message of support from the current Governor-General (General, the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK, MC) and the keynote address by Papuan author, Mr Lahui Ako. This was the first keynote address by a Papuan citizen and, to mark the occasion, Lahui was presented after the service with a Certificate of Honorary Membership of our Association.
Students and staff of The Southport School again played a prominent role in this Kokoda Service.
Terry Edwinsmith has thoughtfully supplied a set of pictures taken at this event and some of these are set out below.