2/3 AHS Centaur Association Inc

Brisbane, QLD.

The Service will be held at the Australian Catholic University, 1100 Nudgee Rd, Banyo, with morning tea to follow. Take the main entrance off Nudgee Road which is very close to an entry/exit point of the freeway. The chapel is site 201. General parking is to the left of the main access road. A map of the layout can be found at https:// http://www.acu.edu.au/locations/brisbane/brisbane-campus-map

Sunday 14 May 2023, 10 am for 10.30 am.

Enquires: admin@centaurnursesfund.org.au

Caloundra, QLD.

Sunday 14th May at 11am.  Enquiries: Caloundra RSL Sub-Branch President, Heather Christie, telephone (07) 5438 5800.

AWM Canberra.

AWM Canberra – Sunday 14 May at 4.45pm.  The Centaur casualty to be honoured is Pte Clem Lynne, 2/12th Field Ambulance.

Dapto-Port Kembla, NSW.

Sunday 7 May at 11am.  Note changed date and time.

Due to the uncertainty in these COVID times, Centaur Commemorations this year will be affected by whatever restrictions are in force on the date proposed. Some plan to go ahead as normal, some will be adapted to the prevailing conditions and some will be cancelled for this year altogether. If you hope to attend any that are advertised below, please contact the organisers nearer to the time.

Brisbane, Qld.
Friday 14 May 2021, 10 am for 10.30 am

Please note change of location.

The Service will be held at the Australian Catholic University, 1100 Nudgee Rd, Banyo, with morning tea to follow. Take the main entrance off Nudgee Road which is very close to an entry/exit point of the freeway. The chapel is site 201. General parking is to the left of the main access road. A map of the layout can be found at

https:// http://www.acu.edu.au/locations/brisbane/brisbane-campus-map

Enquires: contact the Secretary, Georgina Blomfield 0411695317, or email: admin@centaurnursesfund.org.au

Canberra, ACT.
Friday 14 May 2021 at 4.45pm.

Please note change of time.

The Last Post Ceremony is ticketed due to COVID-19 and tickets for the Centaur Last Post Ceremony are available now via the Memorial’s website (awm.gov.au).

Ticket entry begins at 4.20pm with the ceremony beginning at 4.45pm. The ACT Government requires visitors to check in using the Check in CBR app. If you don’t have the app or a smart phone, staff can assist on entry. For those unable to attend personally, the ceremony can be viewed by live stream on

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKmio2JTTLpxC3gniK1f2IA

The Centaur casualty to be commemorated will be Pte Brian Burrett, Ship’s Medical Staff.

Melbourne, Vic.
Sunday 16 May, 2021. Shrine of Remembrance.

A special for this year will be a guided tour of the Imagining Centaur Exhibition at the
Shrine of Remembrance before the Centaur Last Post Service.

Program:

2.30pm. Guided tour. Meet at the Visitors Centre.

3.30pm. Afternoon tea.

4.45pm. Last Post Centaur Service. Assemble at the Forecourt at 4.30 for a 4.45 start time.

The Shrine is located on Birdwood Avenue and St Kilda Road, 1.3km from Flinders Street Railway Station. You can walk or take a tram from the city. Take any southbound tram from Federation Square (except Route 1) to Stop 19, the Shrine of Remembrance.

Please RSVP to the Secretary if you will be attending and whether you wish to lay a wreath. jthomas44@bigpond.com or tel: 02 6564 8400 (answering machine)

For any questions or assistance on the day please contact our Melbourne Representative, Tom Evans, on Mobile 0438 123 265.

Macksville, NSW.

Unfortunately there will be no Centaur Commemorations in Macksville this year.
Hopefully they will be resumed in 2022. Readers may wish to make their own commemorations at the War Memorial in River Street.

Caloundra, Qld.

Friday 14 May 2021 at 11am.

At the Memorial in Centaur Park.

Morning tea after the Service at Caloundra RSL. Anyone wishing to lay a wreath please see RSL Sub-Branch President and Service Chair, Heather Christie, before the Service begins. Enquiries: Caloundra Sub-Branch President, Heather Christie, tel: (07) 5438 5800.

Dapto, NSW.

Dapto-Port Kembla RSL sub-Branch plans to hold a small service with only a few people attending as they did last year.

Concord, Sydney. NSW.

Centaur Commemorative Services at Concord ceased in 2019. Because of COVID there was no Service last year. The Association is in consultation with the chaplains at Concord Hospital with a view to reviving the Centaur Commemorations in the chapel in the future. Such a Service would be organised by the Association and be smaller and more intimate than those previously conducted by the hospital. We hope to have news for you later in the year for a revived Service in 2022.

Centaur Primary School, Banora Point, NSW. Friday 14 May 2021.

Because of the uncertainty of the times Centaur Primary School will hold their commemorations at the school. COVID restrictions at the time of planning would have made a return of the whole school to the Memorial at Point Danger prohibitive. The Service will be limited to students, parents and a few invited guests.

Point Danger, NSW. Friday 14 May, 2021, 10am

The Grubmier (Robert Grainger MN) and Gilbert (Ptes Alan and Fred Fortier 2/12th FA) families invite readers to meet them at the Memorial for an informal commemoration. There is no program planned, just a meeting of like-minded people who wish to remember and pay homage to those who served on the Centaur. Afterwards it is proposed to repair to the nearby café for refreshments and fellowship.

Thursday October 22, 2020, 12pm

Melbourne’s Shrine of Rememberance’s newest exhibition, Dean Bowen’s Imagining Centaur, centres on a series of beautiful, thought-provoking works of art created in response to the tragic sinking of the 2/3 Australian Hospital Ship Centaur on 14 May 1943.

Join the exhibition’s co-curators, Dr Madonna Grehan and Neil Sharkey, in conversation as they discuss the historical significance of Centaur’s sinking and their role in bringing this unique exhibition to life. The discussion will be hosted live on Facebook so you can join in with your own questions. A recording of the conversation will be released later on YouTube.

Facebook event link

Shrine of Remembrance link

Due to the coronavirus 19 social restrictions currently in place in Australia, we are commemorating the 2/3 AHS Centaur on the 14^th May 2020 virtually.

Today we remember, we are separated, but we are very much together.

We remember with deep sadness and much affection those close to us that we knew only briefly or never got to meet.

Our 268 husbands, wives, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends dedicated to helping others with injuries and pain, whose lives were brutally cut short by the inexplicable actions of a Japanese submarine commander on 14^th May 1943.

We also remember those who survived but have lived with the trauma ever since, as well as our Centaur nurses in this International Year of the Nurse.

Lest we forget.

Richard Jones, President 2/3 AHS Centaur Association 

In remembrance, below are some photographs of the victims of the Centaur (whose descendants are on the 2/3 AHS Centaur Association Inc. committee):

Pam Gilbert with her parents on Cronulla beach in 1943 just before the Centaur sailed. Pam’s father was Pte Fred Lewis Fortier 2/12th Field Ambulance, she also lost her uncle Pte Alan D (Bub) Fortier.

Major Keith Jones (on the left), father of Richard Jones at a family gathering with his siblings, two days before Centaur sailed. Major Gordon Jones (on the right), a doctor with the 2/12 Field Ambulance, died a few days later when Centaur was sunk by the Japanese submarine off Moreton Island. Both Keith and Gordon were destined for the Atherton Tablelands, a staging post, prior to travelling later to Papua New Guinea. Keith learnt about the sinking of Centaur while on the train travelling north from Sydney.

Captain Bernie Hindmarsh, Ships Medical Staff, father of Jan Thomas, on Saturday 8 May at Circular Quay with his wife Alma during his last leave.  Alma noted on the back of the photo that ‘Bernie spent his last leave breathing down the necks of the Navy for more life rafts’. It was a short turn-around leave for the staff of the Centaur, and she travelled to Sydney to be with him.  The children were left at home.

Pte Michael O’Brien (father of Patricia O’Brien) in Darwin in 1942. They were standing in cattle trucks from Alice Springs to Darwin late 1942. From there he had leave in Melbourne, then train to Sydney to board the Centaur. The Centaur kept close to the coast, as the 2/12th Field Ambulance were going to the Tropical Medical Centre just north of Cairns for training on their way to New Guinea. Otherwise all ships going north were sent way out to sea so the threat of submarines was reduced.

Pte John Hoare, brother of Doug Hoare.

The family photo of Pte Jack Forrest, uncle of Michael Forrest from Charleville in Queensland. The photo shows Jack in the back row, in a white suit, with the family he left behind;  his parents (Michael’s grandparents), six brothers and two sisters.

Please find below a “Tribute to Victims” AHS Centaur film:

 

‘Let us remember the Centaur, a vessel of mercy on the turbulent waters of a world at war’

 

 

Brisbane, Queensland

Monday 14 May 2018, 10am for 10.30.  At St Andrew’s Anglican Church Lutwyche. Refreshments will be served following the Service.

Tuesday 24 April, Nurses’ Candlelight Vigil, Anzac Square.

Saturday 12 May, 75th Anniversary Memorial Dinner, United Services Club, Brisbane.

Enquires: contact the Secretary, Ms Sue De Vries, PO Box 1233, Indooroopilly Qld 4068, or email: admin@centaurnursesfund.org.au

Caloundra, Queensland 

Monday 14 May 2018 at 11am.  At the Memorial in Centaur Park. Anyone wishing to lay a wreath please see the Secretary, Dick Alchin, before the Service begins. Morning tea after the Service at Caloundra RSL. Enquiries: Caloundra RSL Centaur Commemoration Committee, telephone (07) 5438 5800.

Point Danger, Queensland

Monday 14 May 2018 at 10am.  At the Memorial (weather permitting, otherwise in the assembly hall, Centaur Primary School, Eucalyptus Drive, Banora Point). The Service is conducted by the school students. Refreshments following the Service. Enquiries to Centaur Primary School (07) 5524 9655.

*Special for 75th Anniversary* Bundaberg, Queensland

Monday 14 May 2018 at 9.30am.  At the War Nurses Memorial Park, cnr Burbong & Takalvan Sts Bundaberg, opposite Bundaberg Base Hospital. If you wish to lay a wreath please advise details by 4 May. Bundaberg & District Ex-Servicwomen’s Assn bundy.eswa@gmail.com PO Box 397 Bundaberg Qld 4570 Ph 07 4159 4134 (secretary) or 07 4157 4621 (president).

Melbourne, Victoria

Sunday 20 May 2018 at 9.00am.  In the ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, 300 Waterdale Road, Heidelberg West. Entry via Gate 9. Enquiries: Robert Winther (03) 9496 2324, or robert.winther@austin.org.au Refreshments will be served at the Darebin RSL Sub-Branch at 402 Bell Street, Preston.

Concord, Sydney, New South Wales

Friday 11 May 2018 at 10.30am.  In the 113 AGH Memorial Chapel, Concord Hospital, Hospital Rd, Concord. Refreshments will be available after the Service. RSVP  to Melva Lindley at (02) 9767 5256 or melva.lindley@sswahs.nsw.gov.au

Free parking is available in Lovedale Paddock. TheCourtesy Golf Cart will transport people to the Chapel. If parking in the Hospital Carpark you can have your Parking Ticket replaced with a free ticket at morning tea.

Dapto, New South Wales

Saturday 12 May 2018 at 2pm.  At the War Memorial in the small park adjacent to Dapto Railway Station. All welcome. Refreshments following the Service at Dapto RSL Hall opposite the park. For further information or directions contact Michael Johnston, Secretary, at Dapto-Port-KemblaSB@rslnsw.org.au

Macksville, New South Wales

Saturday 12 May 2018 at 11am.  At the War Memorial on the riverbank. Participating in the ceremony will be the cadets of TS Culgoa ANC, the Naval & Mariners Association, and Readers from local schools. Poppies will be offered for placing on the communal wreath. Enquiries: jthomas44@bigpond.com or telephone Jan Thomas at 02 6564 8400.

Canberra, ACT

Monday 14 May 2018 at 4.55pm.  The Centaur Last Post Ceremony at the AWM. Assemble in the Orientation Gallery with the Centaur Association Representative, by 4.30pm.  The Representative will have poppies for those who wish to place a poppy on the Roll of Honour prior to the commencement of the ceremony.  People laying wreaths or floral tributes are asked to meet with AWM staff also in the Orientation Gallery.  The Centaur casualty to be commemorated will be Pte Athol Povey, 2/12th Field Ambulance.

David Mearns is undertaking an Australian lecture tour of his new book The Shipwreck Hunter.  You’ll see by the blurb that it includes history, human stories and adventure on the high seas, as well as fascinating detective work.  It covers such ships as HMAS Sydney, AHS Centaur, HMS Hood and Vasco da Gama’s 16th century fleet.

Here are the details of David Mearns’ speaking tour:

Brisbane:

Queensland Maritime Museum

412 Stanley Street, South Brisbane Q 4101

26 July 2017 to coincide with the launch.

5.30pm to 7pm

Free

RSVP to QMM 38445361, info@maritimemuseum.com.au to assist with planning. 

Sydney:           

Australian National Maritime Museum

Wharf 7, 58 Pirrama Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009

27 July 2017

6pm to 8pm

Special rate, $35pp incl. glass of wine and canapés

RSVP to Discounted tickets

Melbourne:    

RACV Club

Club Pavilion, City Club, 501 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000

31 July 17

12 noon to 2pm

RSVP to 9944 8876 or memberevents@racv.com.au 

Costs which include a glass of wine and a light lunch are $65.00 for RACV General Members, and $70 for non-members.

Let them know you are Centaur family and they will try to seat you together.

Perth:

Petition Wine Bar, State Buildings

cnr St Georges Tce & Barrack St, Perth 6000 WA

1 Aug 17

6.30pm to 8pm

1 ticket and 1 book – $55; 2 tickets and 1 book – $80

Order Tickets via link http://statebuildings.com/event/words-wine-shipwreck-hunter/ ;

Enquiries (08) 6168 7780 or enquiries@statebuildings.com                                                                                               

Geraldton:

A search of the internet revealed no details for the Geraldton talk.  We imagine this would probably be mainly for HMAS Sydney or Kormoran people, and don’t propose doing any further research unless we get a request from our members.

We suggest that when you have booked your ticket those going to

Brisbane also contact our representative Michael Forrest at mforrest25@hotmail.com

Sydney contact our representative Richard Jones at rich.marg.jones@optusnet.com.au

Melbourne contact our representative Tony Bracken at tonyb6349@me.com 

If you cannot attend the launch or one of the lectures and would like to order a signed copy of the book please let me or one of our representatives know and they will see if that can be arranged.  It would be at the going price (about $32) plus postage.