Remembrance Group
The formation of a ‘Younger Generation’ Group was initially proposed by then President Ron Bryant at the Association’s Committee meeting held on 20 February 2007. It was obvious that with the rapidly dwindling numbers of original Regiment members, many of whom were no longer able to attend meetings, the future carriage of the Association was facing a finite timeline.
During the two months between the 20 February 2007 meeting and the Annual General Meeting held on 24 April 2007, a total of 35 sons, daughters and grandchildren of original Regiment members were sounded out with a view to establishing a ‘Younger Generation’ Group. The initial response was sufficiently positive to encourage a proposal to form the ‘Younger Generation Group’ to “perpetuate the memory of the 2nd / 3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment in the years ahead” to be presented to and adopted by the next Annual General Meeting in April 2008.
An initial meeting of 12 interested persons was held on 26 August 2007, at which then President Ron Bryant explained that with the advanced age of the Committee and ordinary members, there were no ready volunteers to take over the Executive positions in the event of “casualties”.
Those at the meeting were invited to become Associate members of the Association, until the Constitution could be altered at the next Annual General Meeting to remove the qualification for membership which required “service with the Regiment”.
Recognising there would not be an Extraordinary General Meeting prior to the next AGM, and in view of emergencies which may arise prior to the next AGM, a pragmatic approach was adopted which allowed Associate members to be regarded as full members immediately.
Then President Ron Bryant indicated the Association would be pleased to receive immediate nominations for the Executive Committee from the ‘Younger Generations Group’.
Further meetings in November 2007 and February 2008 followed, by which time the ‘Younger Generations Group’ numbered 35 persons and amendments to the wording of the Constitution had been finalised.
The amended Constitution was adopted at the Annual General Meeting held on 24 April 2008, at which time all the Associate members became full members of the Association,
All nominations having been formally proposed and endorsed, a new Executive Committee, was elected. With the exception of long serving Treasurer John Hepworth, who agreed to serve for one final year, all members of the Executive Committee were from the ‘Younger Generations Group’.
It was also agreed at this meeting that the ‘Younger Generations Group’ would in future be known as the ‘Remembrance Group’
Over the next three years the new Committee promoted membership of the Remembrance Group and the Association, such that by the 2011 Annual General Meeting of the Association there were 100 members of the Remembrance Group. At the same time, there were less than 50 surviving original members of the Regiment.
Since its appointment, the new Committee has:
- initiated the development of the Association’s website
- been successful in obtaining a DVA Grant to undertake the development of the website
- established computer records for each of the 1,935 original members of the Regiment
- created and updated a separate data base of surviving Regiment members and/or their widows
- created a database of the Remembrance Group membership
- digitised several hundred (over 1,800) photographs and records held privately by original members
- introduced a new look annual newsletter “Take Post”
- introduced a half-yearly report for members
- determined that the AGM and Annual Reunion will be held on the Saturday prior to each ANZAC Day
- contracted the digitisation of the Unit’s history, as recorded in the 1987 publication “On Target” for placement and viewing on the website
- developed a PowerPoint presentation of some 150 slides documenting the history of the Regiment and the Association
- developed lines of communications with officers of the Military History Section of the Australian War Memorial
- in conjunction with the AWM arranged for the Association website to be included in the National Library PANDORA Archive
- provided the original hand written Regimental Rolls to the Australian War Memorial
- incorporated the Association to protect our website Domain Name(s)
- obtained funding from the DVA to migrate the website from the Joomla Content Management System to the WordPress Content Management System, and successfullly completed the migration.
Membership of the Remembrance Group is open to any descendants of the original Regiment members and others who are related by marriage to a descendant of the original Regiment members.
Enquiries should be directed to the Secretary, 32 Savanna Drive, Mooroolbark, Victoria, 3138. Telephone: (03) 9726 0803. Email: msmtwrigg@hotmail.com or via the Association web site www.antiaircraft.org.au/Contact Us
Last Updated: 21 July 2023