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Dear Members,

Sadly, another fine officer and gentleman has joined the Passing Parade.

Konrad Ermert

Secretary

Duntroon Society Victoria

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Vale Brigadier John F. McDonagh (Retd).  Commandant OCS July 1969 – January 1972.  He died peacefully in Sydney on 11 October 2023, aged 97 years.

He was a proud father of two Army officer sons, both RAA and one later also AALC.

Brigadier McDonagh graduated from RMC in 1946 to the RAE.  He was the last surviving class member of the “Iron Ring”.  He was also a former DGAW and DGMat. On retirement he was Head of Property at UNSW.

He will be sadly missed by his loving family, friends and fondly remembered by the five classes of OCS and staff members during his tenure at Portsea.

Rest in Peace after a long and fruitful life.

For a more detailed CV, see Colonel J.F. McDonagh – Officer Cadet School Portsea (ocsportsea.org)

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Duntroon Society Victoria

 

OCTOBER 15, 2023

Vale 3475 BRIG John Francis McDonagh (Rtd) – RAE

6/11/26 – 11/10/23

My father BRIG John McDonagh RAE died last Tuesday.

Would you be able to put his funeral notice on your website please?

“Family and friends are invited to a funeral service BRIG John F McDonagh RAE , at the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park South Chapel, 12 Military Rd Matraville NSW, on Wednesday 1 November 2023, at 11 am.   In lieu of flowers, donations to Legacy please.:

LEST WE FORGET

Richard McDonagh

Live stream details are :

John Francis McDonagh, streaming.naoca.com.au ( Pin 9528 ).

THE HAWKESBURY VETERANS AND FAMILY HUB MUSEUM

The Hunter ANZAC Memorial Limited (HAML) felt that the military history of the Scheyville site, particularly the OTU era, should be preserved in some form and that a museum should be set up on the site, mainly to remember the signified part that OTU played in the Australian Army, not only from 1965 until 1973, but for many years afterwards.

HAML sought funding to progress this concept and the Scheyville site was approved by the Coalition Government as one of the twenty Veteran and Family Hubs to be developed. The incoming Labor Government cancelled all the hubs, but later reinstated eight of them. Scheyville would become the Hawkesbury Veterans and Family Hub, the only hub in Sydney.

HAML has now received the funding for the Scheyville site and work is due to commence shortly on the restoration of the Gymnasium Hut, where a museum, based on the OTU era but inclusive of the other eras of use of the site, is to be developed.

Anyone who has OTU memorabilia that they would consider donating to the Scheyville site museum can contact:

Chairman, HAML, Brett Wild at chairman@hunteranzacmemorial.org.au or on 0488 255 666,

or Paul Irving (2/72) at paul.kaaren@gmail.com  or on 0412 284 550                                        to discuss their donation.

Meanwhile, the Australian Army History Unit Museum, Duntroon, is being redeveloped to better display the history of officer training in Australia, and not, as one Curator stated: ‘being the repository for retired General’s uniforms!’ A Duntroon museum staff member said: ‘Our Scheyville collection could indeed be stronger in terms of objects and supporting stories and I would not say no to any donation given the aforementioned by the alumni.’

The contact at Duntroon is WO2 Steve Medforth at stephen.medforth@defence.gov.au or

(02) 5131 1960 or 0421 287 414.