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Upcoming At-Sea Thanksgiving and Remembrance Service
(posted 24/8/10)
The Commonwealth and Queensland Governments will
host an At-Sea Thanksgiving and Remembrance Service on Friday 24 September 2010 for the 332 victims and survivors of the Australian
hospital ship Centaur sunk in WW2. HMAS KANIMBLA, an amphibious transport, will be used for the service which will focus on
the families and descendents of those who were on board when the Centaur was sunk.
Descendents and families of
the survivors and those lost in the AHS Centaur will be invited to nominate to attend the at-sea Service onboard HMAS KANIMBLA.
Priority will be given to the survivors and immediate descendents and families of those who were lost in the AHS Centaur,
and former shipmates. Because of safety considerations, HMAS KANIMBLA will be limited to 300 guests. It will be a long day
for those heading out to sea - at least 15 hours travelling from Brisbane to the service location, 50km east of Moreton Island
where the Centaur now rests about 2km below the surface. Relatives and descendents going to sea will be collected from a pick
up point in Brisbane and transported to the dockside. HMAS KANIMBLA is expected to cast off at 7am and is not expected back
into Brisbane until 9pm. - from www.army.gov.au/AHS_Centaur
Click here for information on at-sea service
Death of Centaur Survivor Mattie Morris
(posted
12/4/10)
It is with
great sadness that we have heard of the passing of 2/3 AHS Centaur survivor, Matthew (Matty) Morris on 11 April 2010. We
in the Centaur Association extend our sympathy and condolences to all Matt’s, fellow surviving shipmates, relatives
and friends - Richard Jones, President.
The Funeral Service for Mr Matthew Morris will be held on WEDNESDAY (Apr. 14, 2010), commencing at 11 a.m in the
ANZAC Memorial Chapel, Repatriation Hospital, Heidelberg (enter off Waterdale Road - gate 8 or 9 Melways 31G4).
The
Herald Sun wrote an article today and can be accesed by clicking below (please note the mention of the at-sea service being
"next month" is incorrect. See Upcoming services for latest announcements):
Herald Sun article
National Service Booklet Available
(posted 10/3/10)
The official booklet of the National Service of Thanksgiving & Remebrance held on the 2nd March 2010 has been made available
electronically. To download a copy click on 'National Service Booklet' below.
To all those who were
not able to attend, and to those who were and wish to re-live it, a DVD of the serivce is being prepared and is anticipated
to be made available shortly.
National Service Booklet
Kevin
Rudd Marks Centaur Day of Sorrow
(posted 3/3/10)
Courtesy of Tuck Thompson, Courier Mail (3/3/10)
PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd led the country in a day of remembrance for the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur
yesterday, labelling its World War II torpedoing off the Brisbane coast a "cold, brutal act".
More than 700 people, including political, military and religious leaders, attended the public memorial service at
St John's Cathedral to honour the 268 victims and 64 survivors of the Japanese submarine attack. His
voice breaking with emotion, survivor Martin Pash, 87, recalled the horror of the sinking on May 14, 1943, when he was serving
as a 20-year-old merchant seaman. He described his narrow escape as the Centaur sank in minutes
and then surviving 36 hours drifting in a life raft in shark-filled waters. As he finished, the
audience gave him an ovation. The Prime Minister said he hoped finding the Centaur off Moreton
Island would bring healing to families and write the final chapter of Centaur's story. The
location would remain protected as a war grave and a sacred reminder of how close war came to Queensland's shores in May
1943. "You now know the final resting place of your loved ones after so many years,"
Mr Rudd said. "Centaur is part of us now. Her story is our nation's story. Lest we forget." Premier Anna Bligh said the sinking of the Centaur generated righteous outrage that rallied Australians to "avenge
the nurses" and raise funds for the war. She lamented the horrendous loss of life in what
remains Queensland's worst maritime disaster, with victims ranging from 15 to 67 years old. "Lost
with them were their dreams and hopes," she said. Also participating and attending the ceremony
were Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley, Chief of Army Ken Gillespie and Chief of the Navy
Russell Crane, as well as a Chief of the Air Force representative. The man who found the Centaur,
shipwreck hunter David L. Mearns, did not attend. Brightly lit and marked with red crosses, the
unescorted and unarmed Centaur was en route from Sydney to New Guinea to pick up wounded troops when it was sunk without warning
during a predawn attack. Japan has not denied its submarine I-177 was responsible for the Centaur
sinking but has not officially admitted to it or directly apologised. Calls for Japan to send
a representative to the ceremony or assist with the Centaur search were met with silence. More
than 200 family members from across Australia and New Zealand attended the ceremony. Centaur Association
president Richard Jones said the service brought "a lot of comfort" to families. Secretary
Jan Thomas, who has attended many Centaur memorials, said yesterday's service was the best. "Having
the nation stop to remember is a big step forward for us," she said. A memorial service for
invited family members will be held later this year at Centaur's actual wreck site, 50km east of the southern tip of Moreton
Island.
Click here for more Coverage
Centaur's sinking
hits Wollongong (posted 8/2/10) BY MICHELLE HOCTOR, Illawarra Mercury (16 Jan 2010)
Balgownie's Betty Smith and cousin Dawn Vickery were in high spirits as they walked home from
town in early 1943. With war raging on several fronts in Europe and the Pacific, there was not much to celebrate.
But the gloom was lessened somewhat
by the army camp at neighbouring Fernhill where hundreds of young soldiers were posted - and where many a romance was kindled.
Betty
and Dawn were walking past the Balgownie war memorial when they came across a group of young soldiers. They called the girls over and Betty's eye was caught by a cheerful young chap named Cyril Richardson,
a 23-year-old hospital wardsman from Cairns who had enlisted with the Australia Army's 2/12 Field Ambulance division.
Romance blossomed and the couple were married just months later at
St Michael's Cathedral, Wollongong.
Alongside Private Richardson in the camp was Joe Lucas, 29, an unmarried steelworker from Coledale.
Joe's father, Joseph, was a well-known member of St John Ambulance,
so when it came time for Joe to enlist, the 2/12 Field Ambulance Division was a logical decision. Joe's neighbour Norm McLean, 29, was also encouraged to enlist as a medical orderly, but not for
any nostalgic reason. The married coalminer was a devout Christian who took strong objection to holding a rifle and felt he
would make a greater difference serving on a hospital ship.
When family man Clem Woods, 31, of Woonona, entered the Fernhill army camp
as a first aid officer and driver, his wife of two years, Beryl, was heavily pregnant with their second child, Lucy, and had
a daughter, Isabel.
Other Illawarra men training in the camp with the 2/12 Field Ambulance were John Taggart, 27, of West Wollongong,
Leonard Swan, 25, of Wollongong, George Wright, 27, of Mt Kembla, Rex Allan Pain, 32, of Kiama and Richard O'Connor, 25,
of Bulli.
The
order arrived swiftly for the men to move out.
They were to be transported by train to Sydney, where they would board the Australian hospital
ship Centaur, en route to Papua New Guinea.
There was little or no time for the Illawarra boys to get word to their families. Joe Lucas' 24-year-old brother, Don, made his way to the track as the train
arrived. "The train came through from Coalcliff tunnel and there
he was standing on the verandah at the back," Don said. "I
blew my whistle and drew his attention as the train was flying past. I waved to him and that's the last I saw of him."
Clem Woods was fortunate to receive his orders while visiting Beryl.
"A
friend came and got him and said, 'We've got to go'," said daughter Lucy Walton, who was born just days later.
"When he was on the train, to get a message to his brother he
wrote a note saying he had orders and wrapped it in a penny. "He
threw it out the train and into his brother's home at Thirroul. He whistled to a nephew who was able to retrieve it."
Unfortunately for Betty Richardson, the orders arrived too swiftly
and her husband of just a few months was shipped out before she could be notified.
All eight Illawarra men were among the dead when the Centaur
was torpedoed by the Japanese in the early hours of May 14, 1943.
Clem's three girls spent their lives honouring his memory. Don Lucas, 90, still cries when he recalls his beloved brother.
Norm's mother, Elizabeth
- who also mourned the loss of son George on the Kokoda the same year - raised the money to build Coledale's first war
memorial. Betty Richardson died several years later, broken hearted.
"She
never accepted that he drowned. She always thought he would return to her," sister Miriam Harrison said. The men's families this week expressed a mixture of joy and sadness when the
Centaur was finally recovered. "It was wonderful that we finally
know where Dad is, but it's not closure," Lucy Walton said. "It will never close for us until Japan apologises."
Customs to Protect Centaur Wreck
(posted
5/2/10) The Queensland government says the wreck of the Centaur will be marked on marine maps
and policed by Customs to stop the war grave being interfered with.
The announcement by Acting Premier Paul Lucas came after the federal government said the wreck of
the sunken World War Two hospital ship off the Queensland coast will be surrounded by a 200-hectare protection zone to stop
souvenir hunters.
Searchers filmed the shipwreck
50 kilometres east of the southern tip of Moreton Island .. and laid a memorial plaque on it this week.
The Centaur was sunk by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland
coast in 1943 with only 64 of the 332 people on board surviving.
Acting federal heritage minister Penny Wong says the protection of the Centaur and its associated
relics from damage disturbance or removal is of paramount importance.
- Source, Bigpond News (16/1/10)
National
Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance announced
(posted 4/2/10)
The
Qld Premier's Office has announced the details of the first of two major commemorations with the finding of the Centaur.
The following press release was issued today:
Date announced for first of Centaur Commemorations
Premier Anna Bligh
has announced the date for the first of two major commemorations following the discovery of the AHS Centaur.
"A National Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance will be held at St John's
Cathedral Ann Street Brisbane on 2 March 2010 at 11 AM," said the Premier.
"The Order of Service for the ceremony is being prepared in consultation with key stakeholders but we wanted
to give survivors and relatives of survivors time to make the arrangements they need to be there.
"A further ceremony proposed to be conducted at sea for Centaur relatives is yet to be scheduled and the
details are being worked through with the commemoration taskforce."
A
telephone number has been established by the Australian Army for people to register an interest in the commemorative proceedings
:
Phone: 1800 019 955
Alternatively it is also possible to register an interest in the commemorative proceedings via
the following internet link:
http://www.army.gov.au/AHS_Centaur.asp
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE: There is no need to register interest again if you have
already forwarded your permission slip to the 2/3 AHS Centaur Association.
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