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John Goodchap visited Portsea on ANZAC Day and took time to have a look around. Earlier we raised the project that Parks Victoria was undertaking to establish a camping area in the vicinity of Jarman Oval.

This link provides an overview of the project – Parks Victoria

Work has now commenced and the following photographs provide an insight to location and progress. John advises that Parks Victoria staff advise that Stage 1 completion is planned for late September this year. This Stage will involve the creation of 34 camping sites with permanent tents on wooden platforms. There will be a mix of two and four person tents.

This last photo show how close to the bay sites will be – located off to the right of the track. This is looking towards the picnic area along Coles Track and the bay. (Check out Google Maps for a street view.) Jarman Oval is off to the left of the photo. See the location map above or the Parks Victoria site for more detail on the actual camp sites.

Today, John Goodchap from the Class of June 1974 was up and about early to visit the site for a personal Dawn Service. He said it was quite moving being the only person there in the pre-dawn light.

John added a single rose to the wreath provided by the Rye RSL.

He then used the car radio to broadcast The Last Post as played on ABC radio.

John then visited the site later in the morning to lay a wreath on behalf of his graduating class. Thank you Class of June 1974.

He took the following photos for reflection. If you look closely you can see a flypast as specks in the sky.

This is a time when we remember those who made the supreme sacrifice. We also pause to remember friends we served with over the years.

Services are held around the country and with the help of the Rye RSL our statue at Portsea is prepared for the day. A thank you to Frank and John for their efforts in ensuring all is well for services.

Planning a get together for your class?

We’ve now added a page to allow classes to publish reunion information on the website. Just provide us with the details using the webmaster@ocsportsea.org email address and we’ll do the rest.

The link appears under the Topical Topics Main Menu item.

NOTICE:

The Numbered Series has been sold out.

We have established a wait List at this site. Please complete your information here – Wait List Site

OCS Medallion

The OCS Alumni is offering a limited edition of fifty numbered medallions for purchase. There is a purchase limit of one per graduate for this limited edition numbered medallion.

NOTE: This is a direct offer from the OCS Alumni and not through the Military Shop as previously planned. This offer is being managed on a cost neutral basis i.e. recovery of costs associated with production, packaging and handling.

Sale of this limited edition will commence at 8:00 am (Brisbane time) on Saturday, 12 February 2022.

Orders will be taken online using the Try Booking website – https://www.trybooking.com/BXIHA – using this link. Payment is only available using credit card.

To purchase your medallion, click on the link above and follow the prompts. You should ensure that you have your credit card details ready.

When selecting the number of your medallion, you should select from the available seat numbers. When you hover your mouse over the seats, you will see a number (e.g. A21) which means this is medallion number 21. Select the seat and move on to complete your purchase.

Design

These medallions have been designed by past graduate Robin McBride (Jun 68) over the last two years and will be available for purchase online.

The medallion arrives in a specially designed blue leatherette presentation box which has gold coloured printing showing the years of operation (52/85) and the OCS badge. The medallion is 50mm gold coloured with the OCS badge on the front and a sandblasted engraving of the Portsea peninsular on the obverse.

The medallion number is shown in the rectangle below the peninsular on the obverse side.

Cost

The cost of this magnificent memorial medallion is $77.50 including posting and handling.

Wait List

A wait list has been established to satisfy future orders should there be sufficient interest. Please register using the above link. Future releases will be not be numbered.

We will only manufacture more medallions if we receive in excess of 50 on the Wait List. You will be advised if we have sufficient to create a second unnumbered run.

SPECIAL NOTE: The Wait List will remain open until 21 February to allow orders to be placed.

 

The attached article from the Herald Sun of 29th December will be of interest to many I am sure.

Please note that the area being referred to is not the Parade Ground but the area near Jarman Oval.

Read the full article here – The Herald Sun 29 Dec 21

And here is an update – 22 February 2022:

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month marks the moment the guns fell silent on the Western Front after the bloodshed of World War I. Over the past century, this moment has been adopted across the globe as a time to remember those who served and sacrificed in all wars and conflicts.

This will be the first Remembrance Day that the statue has been in location.

Our friends at the Rye RSL have made the journey to lay a wreath. Thank you to John Wilson and the team at Rye RSL who monitor the site.

A recent article in the Peninsula Essence provided some historical information on the Point Nepean Quarantine Station and was based on content provided by Ossie Kleinig (Dec 57) amongst others.

The addition of the new statue features in the article.

You can visit the Peninsula Essence website here or read the article in this extract.

Enjoy!

The statue concept origianlly developed by the late Bob de Haas has beeen implemented. The feedback the Alumni has received has been extremely positive.

We have been advised that there have been many visits to the site and we have received considerable positive feedback. Most recently, we have been advised that the local community is responding quite positively to the construction of the statue.

We would love to hear the thoughts of those who have visited the site. If you have visited, please use the Comments section to provide us some feedback on your experience.

The Memorial Statue Project has now been completed. Well done to all involved. Ossie Kleinig (Dec 57) has compiled his last report that provides the current situation in relation to the project.

Thank you Ossie for all your efforts and for being the driving force behind the project.

You can read that report here.