IMPORTANT
Our Clothing Store is

CLOSED

It is with great sadness we inform you that our Secretary / Marketing Manager
David "Speed" Dwyer has Crossed the Bar on 27 December 2022.
If you have already placed an order it will be filled as soon as possible.

A Brief History of the
HMAS Sydney & VLSVA

The concept of forming such an Association arose out of discussions between the 'founding father' Fred McLeod-Dryden and John Carroll in September 1982. (Read 'Mufti' article dated September 5, 1985)

The Association as such was formed in early 1984. The founding members consisted of Fred McLeod-Dryden, Brian McGurgan, Colin Mackenzie, and John Carroll. Membership has flourished ever since, with the current mailing list reflecting nearly 500 members within Victoria and 'outstations' within Australia, and overseas. With the exception of South Australia and Tasmania, each State has its own active branch or is represented by the HMAS SYDNEY & VLSVA, which is now recognized and registered in the Department of Veterans' Affairs Directory of ex-Service Associations.

Affiliations

The Association also has a 'loose-alliance' with other HMAS Sydney & VLSV Associations in other states and territories which sees us now as a recognized National Organization, acknowledged by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). This recognition was long overdue.

Membership

Our Membership is on a tri-service basis for those with active service, and has been like this from very early days. We represent RAAF Loadmaster personnel from 36 squadron, the CMF Observer group and the Army small ships, all with the same fervour and consideration we give to former members of the RAN. In addition, we include Associate Membership for all ex-service personnel and civilians who wish to take an active interest in the operations and activities of our Association.

Other Involvements

This Association has an ongoing liaison with the Recruit School at HMAS Cerberus, and we sponsor a prize for the 'Instructor of the Year' which is adjudged by internal peer assessment.

This Association has also contributed financially to the Shrine Restoration and the HMAS Cerberus Museum. We are actively involved with the Emden Association in Germany and have kept in touch with them for some considerable time. As a tangible reflection of this liaison this Association has a feature wall in the Sydney-Emden room of the Warrant Officers and Senior Sailors Mess at HMAS Cerberus which depicts the Sydney - Emden action of the 09th of November 1914.

Amalgamation of the HMAS Sydney II Association with this Association was inevitable, if only to assure the ongoing viability of our unique heritage. This painless transition has resulted in a useful partnership with men that can be best described as 'living history'. We can truthfully lay claim to be actively representing sailors who have served in all of the four ships to bear the name Sydney. 'Thorough and Ready' - Aye.

Ongoing Commitments

As yet, HMAS Vampire and HMAS Quickmatch have not received any form of recognition for their trip up the Long Tau Shipping Channel to the port of Saigon in January 1962. This anomaly has been a long-standing one and will require a concerted effort to see recognition finally afforded to those that participated in this deployment.
This ongoing commitment has finally been resolved with a letter from the Manager of the Nominal Rolls Section of DVA stating that those who served on these ships at the time stated will be placed on the Nominal Roll of Vietnam Veterans. It is anticipated that the names will be placed on the web site by August 2007. Click here for a copy of the letter.

Obtaining the full text of Mr. Justice Rapke's report into service conditions, especially those which he experienced when 'serving' aboard HMAS Sydney during his stay aboard this vessel in the late 1960's and again in the early 1970's. So far, the various departments with Navy Office have managed to elude this Association's efforts in this matter. However, we continue to try.
2007 Update: Rapke Report: AKA as the Rapke Inquiry is available on the National Archives of Australia Website. There are in excess of 60 files of which the June-August file(s) are the most relevant and are titled 'HMAS Sydney Segment'. These files are heavily censored (expunged). They may be accessed using the reference number A12433 where indicated, and for convenience they are all digitised so they may be downloaded straight from the National Archives site. They are of limited research value.

In August 2001 the Department of Veterans' Affairs held a meeting in NSW with representatives of the NSW branch of this Association. This was to report on the findings of a Mortality Study carried out by the Department in 1997, relating to toxins and herbicides. Needless to say, the initial data supplied by the DVA may be seen as having serious consequences for all former members of the RAN who served with the RAN Diving Team, HMAS Sydney and her escorts, the so-called 'Gun-line' ships, and 'Helo-flight' Vietnam. This information will be updated from time-to-time, as further reliable and verifiable material becomes available.
2007 Update: The Water contamination issue forms part of the 2005 study into Mortality and Cancer Incidence of Australian Vietnam Veterans. There are three volumes of which the one on 'Cancer Incidence' and the one titled 'The Third Australian Vietnam Veterans Mortality Study' are the most relevant. These may be downloaded from the Department of Veterans' Affairs website, or request copies from either local Federal Members or the DVA. These 3 volumes were only released in January 2007.

The HMAS Sydney & VLSV Association (VIC) has achieved much for its members. However, we need your ongoing support to be able to continue to serve you and yours.

Our History is now in the Australian War Memorial.
The History of the HMAS Sydney & VLSVA and their fight for recognition of war service has been accepted into the AWM's Private Records Collection. The material will be made available to researchers who request to view it in their supervised Reading Room. Accession number is PRO4996.