Junior Recruits Photographic Museum
The Junior Recruits Photographic Museum came about through the interest shown at the Junior Recruits Golden Reunion 2010 held in Perth during the period of 12 - 16 July 2010 hosted by Trevor Cangemi, Ian Dunn and Alan Rodgers.
The success of that reunion re-ignited a fading camaraderie amongst older JR's and allowed all attendees to share in the special status of belonging to the Junior Recruit community -
a very special bunch of blokes!
Over 13,000 15 & 16 year old boys were drafted into the RAN during the years 1960 to 1984 and this Photo Museum is a record of their life and times at HMAS Leeuwin and HMAS Cerberus.
Come for a wander down memory lane and relive those experiences of joining the Navy as a boy and after 12 months emerging as a fighting fit Sailor - ready to take on the world for Queen and Country.
JRPM is a not for profit enterprise and is staffed by Volunteer Ex JR's for the benefit of all Junior Recruits, their families and descendants.
The success of that reunion re-ignited a fading camaraderie amongst older JR's and allowed all attendees to share in the special status of belonging to the Junior Recruit community -
a very special bunch of blokes!
Over 13,000 15 & 16 year old boys were drafted into the RAN during the years 1960 to 1984 and this Photo Museum is a record of their life and times at HMAS Leeuwin and HMAS Cerberus.
Come for a wander down memory lane and relive those experiences of joining the Navy as a boy and after 12 months emerging as a fighting fit Sailor - ready to take on the world for Queen and Country.
JRPM is a not for profit enterprise and is staffed by Volunteer Ex JR's for the benefit of all Junior Recruits, their families and descendants.
News Page
30 August 2010
We are very pleased to announce that Mr Bill Mudd of Macland Studios, has come aboard as a Committee Member and Photographic Consultant, for the JRPM.
Bill, for many years, was the Official Photographer of JR events at HMAS Leeuwin and has pictorial records of almost every Division to pass through HMAS Leeuwin. Amazing stuff!
His Photographic library has thousands of JR photos from 1960 - 1984 and will form the backbone of our Museum collection. Presently, Bill estimates that it will take 2 years to make digital copies of his collection - however we are exploring ways to accomplish this task much more quickly. We would like to have his work available on this website in half that time. Wish us luck, please.
We will add JR's personal photographs to the Museum Collection over time, to make it the most comprehensive photographic collection of the JRTE era in Australia.
12 December 2010
while i have been away to Europe for a month, Bill Mudd has been busy sorting through his vast collection of HMAS Leeuwin photographs. We have purchased a piece of equipment to scan the negatives into digital files so that we can load them into a database. This project will take many months of Bill's time and effort, but will be well worth it. We have had a hiccup with getting a partner to print and transact our members photo orders. We would like Snapfish to do the job for us but the other company who looks after the affiliates for them, has declined to accept us as an affiliate. As a next step we have applied to join Snapfish on a partnership basis and we are waiting for a positive response at the moment. If we are declined again then someone else will get the business or we will do it ourselves as a last resort. Slowly but surely we are making progress.
The Committee wishes a Happy Christmas and all the best for a great New Year to you all. May you and your families have health, wealth and happiness for 2011
9 January 2011
Well we managed to survive the Christmas and New Year festive season once again. We hope you had a great time with your families and friends. Gerry Harvey is very concerned that you did not spend enough dosh at his Harvey Norman stores - so shame on you. Please do better this year!
Bill Mudd has had no rest over the holidays and spends all his time digitising his vast photo collection for our J R Museum. It is a pity that we can't share the workload but Bill is adamant that he can handle it - given enough time and equipment. He says that the new equipment he now has is working a treat and he can see light at the end of the tunnel. He has around 28,000 photos to sort out.
Our progress with a finished product provider is taking longer than we had hoped. We haven't been able to find another company like Snapfish to take the orders and supply the finished product for us.
So, please, if anyone knows of a lead for us in that direction - please let us know so that we can enter into discussions with a partner.
We hope you all have a healthy and prosperous New Year in 2011.
11 March 2011
The Website is steadily progressing towards completion. There are a couple of features still to be sorted out before we can begin to upload/download pictures. Being first time "newbies" to this type of project we have encountered problems that we didn't even dream of rising up to bite us on the bum.
However we have come a long way and there is not much further to go now. Of course it will be a bit "buggy" to start with - but we will fine tune any problems that we come across. Please advise us of any improvements that you think we should make. Your Committee had a good meeting this morning and it is a pleasure to work with such nice Guys. We plan to start uploading serious amounts of "Leeuwin" photographs as early as next month and we then test and prove the website works as it should.
Now is the time to dig up all your old photos from JR days and get them ready to photograph with a digital camera or scan with your printer. A simple and free program that you can use is "Picasa". This program will enable you to edit and improve your image before uploading to our website.
That's all for now as I have to get back to the website and do some work. Kind regards,
12 May 2011
Your Committee had a good meeting this morning. We discussed our progress with Bill Mudd and he came up with some suggestions that we have agreed to try and incorporate into future plans.
We are, of course, open to suggestions from all members - so don't be shy.
Bill would like to have more control over the provision of photos to our Members and has volunteered to supply Hi-res photos on DVD discs for those who wish to order from us. (Instead of ordering Lo-res online from FOTKI in USA). This idea solves another problem that we had - the photos on the website are only lo-res and not suitable for enlarging (to better identify people in the group photos). We believe that it is better to have hi-res images available for you as they can be enlarged successfully. Everyone can still download website images to their PC and print them out in Lo-res, and they can also order DVD's of Hi-res images which we will produce for snail mail delivery at very reasonable prices - just to cover our costs!
We still have the problem that occurs when images are Emailed to the website Albums.
They are converted to lo-res in the Email and we will have no Hi-res images to distribute back to our Members.
The solution to this problem would be for Members to supply their photos in Hi-res form on a DVD disc and send it to Bill to add to his database collection. This should not be a problem for PC savvy JR's, but could be difficult for those of you without the knowhow. The solution for this scenario is for those guys to get copies of their photos put on a Disc at one of the Photo lab processors in the shopping centres and send us the hi-res DVD disc by snail mail. We can copy the disc and return it to you okay.
Your Committee believes that these arrangements will work and produce a better outcome for all concerned.
Further news is that Bill has found around 700 portrait photos that he took at HMAS Leeuwin over the years. We hope to have them feeding into the web albums in the next month.
More news is that the RAN Historical Section is interested in what we are doing for the Junior Recruits and is giving us good support. We are working closely with them now.
We are always interested in your collection of JR photos from Leeuwin and Cerberus, so go searching now and get them copied to a disc and send it to our address at
PO Box 235 Parkwood WA 6147.
Cheers for now.
10 July 2011
Today is a memorable day in more ways than one for me.
It is the day we begin loading our first batch of photos from the Bill Mudd archives. I spent the afternoon with Bill and we managed to burn about 3,000 images to cd discs. I took 50 DVD discs over with me and we ran into a problem straight away - the PC would not write to the discs I had supplied! I finally twigged that Bill's Optical Drive might only be a CD read/write. Lucky Bill had a few CD-R discs floating around his office and we managed to burn four of them.
It only took a little while of helping Bill before I started to really appreciate how big his photo library is and the amount of work that is involved in bringing these photos back for you guys. There are 53 years of photos and most of them taken before Bill purchased a PC to store them on. Your Committee did the wise thing and provided the necessary dosh for the purchase of an Epson film negative scanner for Bill to play with. I have to report that he has been very busy with his new toy and now we get to enjoy the fruits of his work.
I will spend a few hours tonight uploading todays photos to the website.
Just a reminder that the photos on the website are "raw" from the camera lens.
Bill has very kindly offered to edit and enhance individual photos if you wish to order a professional photograph. This would be the finished top quality product that Bill is renowned for in his profession. The reproduction on the website is raw and available to you free.
The Professional Photograph would be enhanced with Bill's skill and expertise and would incur a modest payment for his time and effort. (Price to be advised when we work it out - soon!). The Professional Photograph would be supplied on a Disc for you to take to a Photo lab and have it printed in the size(s) of your choice. The Disc is yours to keep and reproduce as many copies as you ever want.
Finally, the other memorable Anniversary on this day, is the date I joined the RAN in 1960. I repeated the Oath of Allegiance and signed up for 12 years at HMAS Lonsdale on a cold winters morning in Melbourne. With me that morning were Don Barker and Gary Nash - Still best mates after all these years!
It's a pity that not many of us could afford to take pictures in those days.
That's it for today. Kind regards, Ian.
Your Committee had a good meeting this morning. We discussed our progress with Bill Mudd and he came up with some suggestions that we have agreed to try and incorporate into future plans.
We are, of course, open to suggestions from all members - so don't be shy.
Bill would like to have more control over the provision of photos to our Members and has volunteered to supply Hi-res photos on DVD discs for those who wish to order from us. (Instead of ordering Lo-res online from FOTKI in USA). This idea solves another problem that we had - the photos on the website are only lo-res and not suitable for enlarging (to better identify people in the group photos). We believe that it is better to have hi-res images available for you as they can be enlarged successfully. Everyone can still download website images to their PC and print them out in Lo-res, and they can also order DVD's of Hi-res images which we will produce for snail mail delivery at very reasonable prices - just to cover our costs!
We still have the problem that occurs when images are Emailed to the website Albums.
They are converted to lo-res in the Email and we will have no Hi-res images to distribute back to our Members.
The solution to this problem would be for Members to supply their photos in Hi-res form on a DVD disc and send it to Bill to add to his database collection. This should not be a problem for PC savvy JR's, but could be difficult for those of you without the knowhow. The solution for this scenario is for those guys to get copies of their photos put on a Disc at one of the Photo lab processors in the shopping centres and send us the hi-res DVD disc by snail mail. We can copy the disc and return it to you okay.
Your Committee believes that these arrangements will work and produce a better outcome for all concerned.
Further news is that Bill has found around 700 portrait photos that he took at HMAS Leeuwin over the years. We hope to have them feeding into the web albums in the next month.
More news is that the RAN Historical Section is interested in what we are doing for the Junior Recruits and is giving us good support. We are working closely with them now.
We are always interested in your collection of JR photos from Leeuwin and Cerberus, so go searching now and get them copied to a disc and send it to our address at
PO Box 235 Parkwood WA 6147.
Cheers for now.
10 July 2011
Today is a memorable day in more ways than one for me.
It is the day we begin loading our first batch of photos from the Bill Mudd archives. I spent the afternoon with Bill and we managed to burn about 3,000 images to cd discs. I took 50 DVD discs over with me and we ran into a problem straight away - the PC would not write to the discs I had supplied! I finally twigged that Bill's Optical Drive might only be a CD read/write. Lucky Bill had a few CD-R discs floating around his office and we managed to burn four of them.
It only took a little while of helping Bill before I started to really appreciate how big his photo library is and the amount of work that is involved in bringing these photos back for you guys. There are 53 years of photos and most of them taken before Bill purchased a PC to store them on. Your Committee did the wise thing and provided the necessary dosh for the purchase of an Epson film negative scanner for Bill to play with. I have to report that he has been very busy with his new toy and now we get to enjoy the fruits of his work.
I will spend a few hours tonight uploading todays photos to the website.
Just a reminder that the photos on the website are "raw" from the camera lens.
Bill has very kindly offered to edit and enhance individual photos if you wish to order a professional photograph. This would be the finished top quality product that Bill is renowned for in his profession. The reproduction on the website is raw and available to you free.
The Professional Photograph would be enhanced with Bill's skill and expertise and would incur a modest payment for his time and effort. (Price to be advised when we work it out - soon!). The Professional Photograph would be supplied on a Disc for you to take to a Photo lab and have it printed in the size(s) of your choice. The Disc is yours to keep and reproduce as many copies as you ever want.
Finally, the other memorable Anniversary on this day, is the date I joined the RAN in 1960. I repeated the Oath of Allegiance and signed up for 12 years at HMAS Lonsdale on a cold winters morning in Melbourne. With me that morning were Don Barker and Gary Nash - Still best mates after all these years!
It's a pity that not many of us could afford to take pictures in those days.
That's it for today. Kind regards, Ian.
24 July 2011. Simple instructions on how to upload your Photos to our website.
Some of you guys are having difficulty uploading photos to the existing Albums on the website. Please be aware that you don't have to join anything or sign up to the website.
Do not try and create a new Album as only we can add new Albums to this website.
All you need to do is send us an Email with your photos attached. The Email address needs to have the name of an existing Album in the address.
Example: [email protected] That's all you have to do!
(Note: The album name is between the + and the @ signs).
Here is the routine in long speak.
Thanks for contributing to the JR Photo Museum site. The more photos we have will create more interest in the site and will become an historical repository for JR 's. We spent a good bit of time and effort to try and make it simple for you guys to upload your photos. The instructions are located on the "Welcome" page of our website but may be strange and confusing for some of us 'Vintage class'. We tried to make it as simple as possible and came up with this procedure. (we are having a problem with getting the procedure details to 'stick' on each Album description page). Here follows a step by step procedure to add your Photos to the website.
1. Select the photos you wish to upload from your computer photo files.
(a) It is presumed that you have loaded your photos/negatives into your PC by scanning or from a disk.
(b) It is only possible to load photos to one Album at a time.
(c) Please add your photo details to each photo (who, what, where and when) after you upload it.
2. Attach your selected photos to an Email by one of the following methods.
(a) from one of your available menus or R click mouse, select "send to Email". (usually the program will ask "do you wish to reduce the size of your photos?" - always choose "yes" as it will reduce the time and cost of your Email). OR....
(b) Open a new Email page and choose "Add attachments". Then browse to your photos and select the photo that you wish to send. If you want to select more than one, Hold down the CTRL key continuously as you select all the photos for that particular Album. Then release the CTRL key and continue the actions.
A list of the photos will appear in your Email details if successful.
3. Put the address of the Album in the To: box like this:
yagan60+(name of album)@fotki.com - all lower case, without brackets!
(a) All emails go to [email protected] Be sure to change xxxx to the name of the Album that you want your photos to go to.
4. That's all there is to it. Wait a few minutes, then visit the website to view your photos here www.jrphotomuseum.com
If the above is too hard or does not work for you, then just email your photos to me saying which album they are for and I will do the necessary work for you. You can also take your photos to a Photo lab and have them scan your photos to a CD disc. Then go to the Post Office and buy a little mailer box and send to: JR Photo Museum, PO Box 235 Parkwood WA 6147. Thank you for making your photos a part of the History of Junior Recruits in the Royal Australian Navy. Kind regards, Ian Dunn 0422 514 982
9 October 2011
My how time flies when you are busy.
Your Committee has been quite active on a variety of matters that should consolidate and improve the position of the Junior Recruit Photographic Museum. We have managed to squeeze in a few meetings over cups of coffee and make plans for the future. Many interesting aspects for this Association come up from the diverse people we meet and learn from in our various activities. At one meeting we had recently, Rex Raniere was invited to attend. He is the guy who produced the DVD of our JR Golden Reunion 2010. This DVD is an outstanding record of that marvelous event. Rex had some enlightening observations and comments to give us and we are acting on his suggestions. We have to get some return for all the coffee he drank!
On top of our usual busy routines, Trevor and I are both going on holidays tomorrow. No, not together. Trevor has organized the HMAS Hobart reunion in Canberra and is taking his caravan over East and making a two month holiday out of it. Whilst in Canberra, Trevor is meeting with RAN personnel to promote our activities and seek support and funding for the procurement of further assets. Promotion is in the forefront of our minds and is difficult to achieve when we are a 'not for profit' business. As for me, I am off to Paris for a month. I promised my wife, in 1970, that I would take her to Paris when StKilda won the Premiership. She is sick of waiting and has now decided to take me to Paris instead. My offer still stands!
We now have 4048 photos from Bill Mudd and he has promised another batch soon. Membership applications are steadily increasing and we are getting around 60 hits a month on the website. Photo uploads from members is not as great as we had hoped but we believe it will improve with time and promotion. Sales of prints from the website has been very slow, according to Bill, and we need to pay more attention to this part of our operation. The photos on the website are only 'raw' and of low resolution. The photos that you would get from Bill are high resolution and 'enhanced' by Bill to produce a professional photograph for a picture frame. Bill supplies the image on a CD so you can take it to a Photo Lab and have it printed as you desire.
Cheerio for now as I have to pack. More news just before Christmas. Regards, Ian
My how time flies when you are busy.
Your Committee has been quite active on a variety of matters that should consolidate and improve the position of the Junior Recruit Photographic Museum. We have managed to squeeze in a few meetings over cups of coffee and make plans for the future. Many interesting aspects for this Association come up from the diverse people we meet and learn from in our various activities. At one meeting we had recently, Rex Raniere was invited to attend. He is the guy who produced the DVD of our JR Golden Reunion 2010. This DVD is an outstanding record of that marvelous event. Rex had some enlightening observations and comments to give us and we are acting on his suggestions. We have to get some return for all the coffee he drank!
On top of our usual busy routines, Trevor and I are both going on holidays tomorrow. No, not together. Trevor has organized the HMAS Hobart reunion in Canberra and is taking his caravan over East and making a two month holiday out of it. Whilst in Canberra, Trevor is meeting with RAN personnel to promote our activities and seek support and funding for the procurement of further assets. Promotion is in the forefront of our minds and is difficult to achieve when we are a 'not for profit' business. As for me, I am off to Paris for a month. I promised my wife, in 1970, that I would take her to Paris when StKilda won the Premiership. She is sick of waiting and has now decided to take me to Paris instead. My offer still stands!
We now have 4048 photos from Bill Mudd and he has promised another batch soon. Membership applications are steadily increasing and we are getting around 60 hits a month on the website. Photo uploads from members is not as great as we had hoped but we believe it will improve with time and promotion. Sales of prints from the website has been very slow, according to Bill, and we need to pay more attention to this part of our operation. The photos on the website are only 'raw' and of low resolution. The photos that you would get from Bill are high resolution and 'enhanced' by Bill to produce a professional photograph for a picture frame. Bill supplies the image on a CD so you can take it to a Photo Lab and have it printed as you desire.
Cheerio for now as I have to pack. More news just before Christmas. Regards, Ian
29 November 2011
Back in the saddle again after a holiday in France for a month. We had a great time and found the French people are now very friendly and helpful towards tourists - not like a few years ago!
Of course there is now a new generation who are PC savvy and converse in English far more than their parents did. Therefore I can now recommend France as a holiday destination.
Trevor is still on his way back from the Eastern States towing his caravan across the Nullarbor Plain.
He reports that the HMAS Hobart reunion went well.
While the two of us have been away, I hope that Bill has been copying some more photos for our website. When Trevor gets back to Perth we will arrange a Committee meeting before Christmas to discuss some ideas that I have had recently regarding speeding up the uploading of Bill's photos.
I also wish to provide a list of Members on the wesite. I did plan to have this list automatically appear as people signed up - but the program I used has let me down and I will have to do it manually.
I do hope to have more photos on the site very soon.
Other news: The WA Chapter of the Tingira Association are planning to have regular get togethers at least once a year. Anzac day has been mentioned but we have discovered that most guys have their preferred place to march and want to keep it that way. One guy makes a trip to Sydney each Anzac Day to catch up with old shipmates.
The other thing I wish to mention is that I have 'Special Edition' lapel pins for JR's who were in the first intake at HMAS Leeuwin in 1960. These were made for the 'Golden Reunion' in 2010 and are in limited quantity. I have a list of names for the first intake and will cross off names as the pins are claimed. The cost is $10 each to cover packing and postage. The pins are not available to anyone who is not first intake - please don't bother asking unless you are NOK of a deceased 1st Intake JR.
To order, please phone me on 0422 514 982 to arrange payment and registered delivery.
That's it for this month, so we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a happy and prosperous New Year. Regards, Ian
29 February 2012
Hope you all had a great Christmas with the ones who matter in your lives. The New Year has come with promises of bigger and better things for us all. I just hope that I can stay on top of the wave of new technology that is swelling up for this year.
It has been very encouraging to read the posts of gratitude and support for our JR Photo Museum.
We realised after the Golden Reunion of 2010 that we had very little to show for our years spent at Leeuwin and that if Leeuwin ever got sold for private housing, then the Drill Hall would probably go and we would have nothing to remind us of JRTE. The drill Hall is in dire need of expensive repairs and their is no funding on the horizon. Every year there are rumours that the Leeuwin site will be sold and developed but nothing happens.
I'm sorry that there are not many new photos for this year as yet. Poor Bill has had some issues with his equipment and we have had to call in the Cavalry for assistance.
We are hoping that the issues are now fixed and the photos will start flowing again.
We now have a Patron.CDRE Jim Dickson AM MBE RAN Ret'd ( Divisional Officer Yagan Division HMAS Leeuwin 1960) has come on board for our cause. Jim is a very passionate JR advocate and was involved in the very early planning and implementation of JRTE at Leeuwin.
We are very pleased and honoured to have Jim accept this position.
It is becoming apparent that perhaps there are not that many private photographs from the Leeuwin days. I do remember that not many guys had an "Instamatic" in those days. Those that did could not afford the film and processing anyway. We were allowed only 10 shillings a week and if we needed more we had to put in a 'request' to our Divisional Officer. I remember a story that one JR put in a request for more money. When he fronted his D.O. and was asked why he wanted more money, he replied "Because it's my money". His request was denied. Ah, those were the days.
That's all for now - keep searching for those old photos - We need them for posterity.
Regards, Ian.
Back in the saddle again after a holiday in France for a month. We had a great time and found the French people are now very friendly and helpful towards tourists - not like a few years ago!
Of course there is now a new generation who are PC savvy and converse in English far more than their parents did. Therefore I can now recommend France as a holiday destination.
Trevor is still on his way back from the Eastern States towing his caravan across the Nullarbor Plain.
He reports that the HMAS Hobart reunion went well.
While the two of us have been away, I hope that Bill has been copying some more photos for our website. When Trevor gets back to Perth we will arrange a Committee meeting before Christmas to discuss some ideas that I have had recently regarding speeding up the uploading of Bill's photos.
I also wish to provide a list of Members on the wesite. I did plan to have this list automatically appear as people signed up - but the program I used has let me down and I will have to do it manually.
I do hope to have more photos on the site very soon.
Other news: The WA Chapter of the Tingira Association are planning to have regular get togethers at least once a year. Anzac day has been mentioned but we have discovered that most guys have their preferred place to march and want to keep it that way. One guy makes a trip to Sydney each Anzac Day to catch up with old shipmates.
The other thing I wish to mention is that I have 'Special Edition' lapel pins for JR's who were in the first intake at HMAS Leeuwin in 1960. These were made for the 'Golden Reunion' in 2010 and are in limited quantity. I have a list of names for the first intake and will cross off names as the pins are claimed. The cost is $10 each to cover packing and postage. The pins are not available to anyone who is not first intake - please don't bother asking unless you are NOK of a deceased 1st Intake JR.
To order, please phone me on 0422 514 982 to arrange payment and registered delivery.
That's it for this month, so we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for a happy and prosperous New Year. Regards, Ian
29 February 2012
Hope you all had a great Christmas with the ones who matter in your lives. The New Year has come with promises of bigger and better things for us all. I just hope that I can stay on top of the wave of new technology that is swelling up for this year.
It has been very encouraging to read the posts of gratitude and support for our JR Photo Museum.
We realised after the Golden Reunion of 2010 that we had very little to show for our years spent at Leeuwin and that if Leeuwin ever got sold for private housing, then the Drill Hall would probably go and we would have nothing to remind us of JRTE. The drill Hall is in dire need of expensive repairs and their is no funding on the horizon. Every year there are rumours that the Leeuwin site will be sold and developed but nothing happens.
I'm sorry that there are not many new photos for this year as yet. Poor Bill has had some issues with his equipment and we have had to call in the Cavalry for assistance.
We are hoping that the issues are now fixed and the photos will start flowing again.
We now have a Patron.CDRE Jim Dickson AM MBE RAN Ret'd ( Divisional Officer Yagan Division HMAS Leeuwin 1960) has come on board for our cause. Jim is a very passionate JR advocate and was involved in the very early planning and implementation of JRTE at Leeuwin.
We are very pleased and honoured to have Jim accept this position.
It is becoming apparent that perhaps there are not that many private photographs from the Leeuwin days. I do remember that not many guys had an "Instamatic" in those days. Those that did could not afford the film and processing anyway. We were allowed only 10 shillings a week and if we needed more we had to put in a 'request' to our Divisional Officer. I remember a story that one JR put in a request for more money. When he fronted his D.O. and was asked why he wanted more money, he replied "Because it's my money". His request was denied. Ah, those were the days.
That's all for now - keep searching for those old photos - We need them for posterity.
Regards, Ian.
04 September 2012
My how time flies. I have been meaning to write a letter for months but have not been able to find anything interesting to say or report.The supply of photographs has become a trickle due to Bills health and his other commitments and activities. I have been traveling overseas and working for my Neighborhood Watch Association as Suburb Manager _ a role from which I derive a great deal of enjoyment. It is a great way to get to know your Neighbors.
I promise to work harder at keeping the photos coming and offer my apologies for the wait some of you are going through.
On another note - I have received the following information and pass it on for your consideration.
Retired Royal Australian Navy Members to Help Primary School in Thailand
Recently, 40 members of the 22nd Intake Junior Recruit Training Establishment (JRTE) gathered together in Patong, Thailand for their 44th year Intake Reunion. Several members now reside in Thailand and it was decided to hold the reunion in Patong to help offset some of the travel costs for these members. The 22nd JRTE members, friends and their wives spent a week in Patong before travelling North by bus to Hau Hin and then on to Kancanaburi and Hellfire Pass for another week.
During the Reunion, it was decided by those members present, to assist and sponsor a Thai Primary School by donating furniture and equipment to the school. The chosen school is in the home village of Peter Mundy’s wife; Sao, who also attended the school in past years. The Primary School is located in the small village of Nonglag (pronounced Nongleck), in Surin Provence, half-way between Sankat and Sisaket and about 35 minutes by car from the Cambodian Border. Travel time by bus from Bangkok to Nonglag is approximately 8 hours North East.
The school is the focal-point of the village and ceremonies are held in it all year round. The school has a web site which is currently written in Thai (www.thai-school.net/nonglag/) but in the future, Peter and Sao hope to help them set up a page in English. In the future, if funds permit, the sponsorship may be extended to other schools in the area. The sponsorship involves the 22nd JRTE Intake and friends funding items such as desks, computers, etc, needed by the school to improve the delivery of education to the local children. It is planned to have a transparent philanthropic arrangement in place by mid- 2013 and to continue to sponsor this cause for the years to come.
Other JRTE Intakes and others who wish to contribute to this worthy cause are encouraged to contact: Graham Spencer at [email protected], or Peter Mundy at [email protected], or the 22nd JRTE Website at http://www.royal22nd.net.
Nonglag Primary School Children (pronounced Nongleck)
Members, Friends and Spouses of 22nd JRTE Reunion Held in Patong in Aug 2012
I hope you can give this project some support.
Best wishes,
Ian Dunn
16 January 2013
Today we had a Committee meeting to plan for this new year and look at our progress made during 2012.
I was pleased to report that on a few days over Christmas there were over 150 'hits' on our website. We got several comments on how much you enjoyed finding the site . Apparently it caused the memories to flood back for a lot of you. Quite a few guys signed up as Members too.
Bill has been bravely battling with his computer and scanner over the last month. He was just about to buy a new computer, so I went over to his place and tweaked things up for him. Said a few choice words to the box and cursed windows too. He is still using XP and asked if he should upgrade to windows 8. My advice was to stick with the system he knows for as long as it still works. No sense in having to spend 2 years learning a new system if you don't have to.
We managed to get a new router working and cleaned out all the rubbish. With the PC humming along i was rewarded with another 500 photos from October 1972. I will upload them tonight.
Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas. The Committee wishes you all a healthy and prosperous New Year and all the best for 2013.
The first intake at Leeuwin is planning a 70th Birthday Bash in Melbourne next year . The majority of us will turn 70 in that year. We are looking at holding it over 5 days in September 2014. We are limiting it to first intake Leeuwin only with partners. Think up a reason to have a get together with your intake of JR's.
Please find those old photos and upload them to this site. Remember this is your website - be proud of it!
Kind regards, Ian
My how time flies. I have been meaning to write a letter for months but have not been able to find anything interesting to say or report.The supply of photographs has become a trickle due to Bills health and his other commitments and activities. I have been traveling overseas and working for my Neighborhood Watch Association as Suburb Manager _ a role from which I derive a great deal of enjoyment. It is a great way to get to know your Neighbors.
I promise to work harder at keeping the photos coming and offer my apologies for the wait some of you are going through.
On another note - I have received the following information and pass it on for your consideration.
Retired Royal Australian Navy Members to Help Primary School in Thailand
Recently, 40 members of the 22nd Intake Junior Recruit Training Establishment (JRTE) gathered together in Patong, Thailand for their 44th year Intake Reunion. Several members now reside in Thailand and it was decided to hold the reunion in Patong to help offset some of the travel costs for these members. The 22nd JRTE members, friends and their wives spent a week in Patong before travelling North by bus to Hau Hin and then on to Kancanaburi and Hellfire Pass for another week.
During the Reunion, it was decided by those members present, to assist and sponsor a Thai Primary School by donating furniture and equipment to the school. The chosen school is in the home village of Peter Mundy’s wife; Sao, who also attended the school in past years. The Primary School is located in the small village of Nonglag (pronounced Nongleck), in Surin Provence, half-way between Sankat and Sisaket and about 35 minutes by car from the Cambodian Border. Travel time by bus from Bangkok to Nonglag is approximately 8 hours North East.
The school is the focal-point of the village and ceremonies are held in it all year round. The school has a web site which is currently written in Thai (www.thai-school.net/nonglag/) but in the future, Peter and Sao hope to help them set up a page in English. In the future, if funds permit, the sponsorship may be extended to other schools in the area. The sponsorship involves the 22nd JRTE Intake and friends funding items such as desks, computers, etc, needed by the school to improve the delivery of education to the local children. It is planned to have a transparent philanthropic arrangement in place by mid- 2013 and to continue to sponsor this cause for the years to come.
Other JRTE Intakes and others who wish to contribute to this worthy cause are encouraged to contact: Graham Spencer at [email protected], or Peter Mundy at [email protected], or the 22nd JRTE Website at http://www.royal22nd.net.
Nonglag Primary School Children (pronounced Nongleck)
Members, Friends and Spouses of 22nd JRTE Reunion Held in Patong in Aug 2012
I hope you can give this project some support.
Best wishes,
Ian Dunn
16 January 2013
Today we had a Committee meeting to plan for this new year and look at our progress made during 2012.
I was pleased to report that on a few days over Christmas there were over 150 'hits' on our website. We got several comments on how much you enjoyed finding the site . Apparently it caused the memories to flood back for a lot of you. Quite a few guys signed up as Members too.
Bill has been bravely battling with his computer and scanner over the last month. He was just about to buy a new computer, so I went over to his place and tweaked things up for him. Said a few choice words to the box and cursed windows too. He is still using XP and asked if he should upgrade to windows 8. My advice was to stick with the system he knows for as long as it still works. No sense in having to spend 2 years learning a new system if you don't have to.
We managed to get a new router working and cleaned out all the rubbish. With the PC humming along i was rewarded with another 500 photos from October 1972. I will upload them tonight.
Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas. The Committee wishes you all a healthy and prosperous New Year and all the best for 2013.
The first intake at Leeuwin is planning a 70th Birthday Bash in Melbourne next year . The majority of us will turn 70 in that year. We are looking at holding it over 5 days in September 2014. We are limiting it to first intake Leeuwin only with partners. Think up a reason to have a get together with your intake of JR's.
Please find those old photos and upload them to this site. Remember this is your website - be proud of it!
Kind regards, Ian
Sunday 2 June 2013.
Hello Guys,
I'm just back from a trip OS and have been away for a month.
I'm happy to say that good ole Uncle Bill has been busy copying 35mm photos from his vast collection while I was away with my Bride. He had been trying to contact me for the last week I was away. I have just uploaded lots more classic photos from HMAS Leeuwin as follows:
From 1975 September 389 images coded GW33.
From 1976 June 639 images coded GX2.
From 1977 March 751 images coded GX47
The images are sharp reminders of the 70's with faces so young and such fancy civvy clobber.
Here's hoping they bring happy memories to you and your families. Yes, some of us had it tough at Leeuwin but for me the experience has had a positive effect in my life. I'm very proud to have been a JR (especially in the first intake) I've heard it went downhill after I left!
Kind regards, Ian
Hello Guys,
I'm just back from a trip OS and have been away for a month.
I'm happy to say that good ole Uncle Bill has been busy copying 35mm photos from his vast collection while I was away with my Bride. He had been trying to contact me for the last week I was away. I have just uploaded lots more classic photos from HMAS Leeuwin as follows:
From 1975 September 389 images coded GW33.
From 1976 June 639 images coded GX2.
From 1977 March 751 images coded GX47
The images are sharp reminders of the 70's with faces so young and such fancy civvy clobber.
Here's hoping they bring happy memories to you and your families. Yes, some of us had it tough at Leeuwin but for me the experience has had a positive effect in my life. I'm very proud to have been a JR (especially in the first intake) I've heard it went downhill after I left!
Kind regards, Ian
Thursday 26 September 2013
Hi again guys,
it's been a while since I posted - but that doesn't mean that we haven't been doing anything. From March to June we uploaded 1779 images from Bill's archives. In August we uploaded 957 images and had a few issues with Bill's computer. So he 'spat the dummy' and bought a new one. That turned out to be a bad move as the new PC came with Windows 8 operating system that Bill couldn't get the hang of. He had it 'wound back' to windows 7 and now he is a happy chappy again.The website has had some upgrades and changes to the way it is operated too, so I've been learning how to drive this thing again. (Just when you get the hang of things - they go and change it). This month we have been very productive with 2382 images uploaded. So the site is getting there faster now and that makes us all happier.
I'm also happy to report that I have had a very good response to our Invitation to the 1st Intake 70th Birthday Party. We are holding this reunion event in Melbourne during October 2014 ( the year in which we all turn 70 years old - who would have thunk it!) It has been touching to think that time has healed wounds to some who, just a few years ago, had no wish to "meet those Bastards again!". It is a fact that we were an inaugural part of the 'Brotherhood of Junior Recruits" and it is something that we can be proud of - even if we didn't particularly enjoy the experience. To those Guys who organize JR Reunions, keep up the good work! And to the rest of the 'Rabble' - keep going!
Kind Regards, Ian
Monday 25th August 2014.
Hi Guys,
Wow , it has been a whole year since I posted to this site. Time has gone fast this year. The reunion for our first Intake Guys has taken up most of my time. Currently we are on schedule and we have had a few starters pull out for various reasons such as other commitments at the time and , of course, health reasons due to age and wear and tear. Quite a few Guys have reported hospital stays and operations to keep them going. I was fortunate enough to squeeze in a holiday aboard a cruise ship which we enjoyed very much. Recently had a few days in hospital myself. It gets better each visit.
Bill has been working away at his vast collection of photos and has given me over 3500 images that I have uploaded to the site. Bill had an unscheduled visit to the hospital as well this year. Hopefully we can pick up the pace a bit and get more photos uploaded before Christmas. It is a long and tiring job.
You may have heard of Gary Nash, one of the First Intake Guys, who was seriously injured in the Bali Bomb Blast in 2002. Gary is a Committee Member of the Bali Peace Park Association and he is circulating a petition to establish a Peace Park on the bomb site in Bali. Please will you give consideration to adding your name to this worthy petition at the link below. Please copy and paste into search box.
https://www.change.org/p/australian-foreign-minister-julie-bishop-and-indonesian-foreign-minister-marty-natalegawa-please-do-everything-you-can-to-assist-in-turning-the-2002-bali-bombing-site-from-a-car-park-into-a-peace-park
Cheers and all the best, Ian.
Wednesday 18th March 2015.
Hi Guys,
Bill has been busy since Christmas and I have added 3638 photos to our website. To see what has been added look for the little tag that says "new" next to the album. It appears from comments that some images are not in the expected year. This may be caused by an intake spanning two years. The other reason could be the office staff that worked for Bill in those days may have made a mistake in recording the photos. Bill tells me that they used pencils and rubbers in those days - and exercise books.
Below is a copy of my response to Stuart who asked for more info on some photos that he found on our website.
Hi Stuart,
I will respond here so as to benefit others with similar questions.
I was not the guy who took the photos so therefore I have no info about them.
Bill Mudd is the guy who took the photos of JR's at Leeuwin. He was not present at every function and occasion as he worked by invitation only. If he was not asked to attend then there are no photos in his collection. Bill's career has lasted over 60 years and his collection is 95% in film negative format that needs to be digitized into .JPEG for our website. Bill has hundreds of thousands of images in his storeroom and approx 28,000 are of JR's at Leeuwin. The system for finding our photos is difficult and complex due to several systems being used over the years and records are hand written in books. To make matters worse, Bill is technically blind and has to use awkward visual aids. We are unable to assist him as only he knows his system of record keeping. We very much would like to help him but we can't. We do not have any funds to contract the work out to professionals. We realize how frustrating and disappointing it is to not be able to find relevant photos. We feel frustrated too!
All I can suggest is that you write down the Photo number(s) alphabet letters and numerals, and phone Bill on 0893643411 and ask him your Questions re the photos you are interested in.
Cheers and good luck, Ian.