Rats of Tobruk Association in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Landmark & historical place

Rats of Tobruk Association

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 432 232 502

Address: 44-46 Victoria Ave, Albert Park VIC 3206, Australia 3206 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.ratsoftobrukassociation.org.au

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24.01.2022 Meet our Rats-Ernie Chester Walker Throughout the month of October the Rats of Tobruk Association will be telling the stories of some of our remaining Rats. Let us introduce....Continue reading

22.01.2022 Group 15 of 25 Rats of Tobruk Tribute Cards designed and created by our graphic Designer Pierre Seillier. Each fortnight over the next 5 months we will build on these tributes. They are taken from each letter of the alphabet but as some letters have no more names listed, additional names will be taken from those remaining photos. Please feel free to add your comments to these tributes which honour the service, fortitude and resilience of each man during the Siege of Tobruk.

22.01.2022 Bill Gibbins Earns Queen’s Birthday Honour The Association’s Patron and Life Member Bill Gibbins has been awarded the Order of Australia for his significant service to horse racing and to people with disability. In 2007, Bill was the successful bidder for Tobruk House. Immediately after the auction he announced that the ‘Rats’ could stay on until the end of their glorious lives; he also said he would like it to continue to be used by other military organisations indefinitely. True to his word, the Association continues to have use of Tobruk House, rent free. The Association and in particular the surviving Rats, are very appreciative of his generosity. Congratulations to Bill, this a well-deserved honour.

20.01.2022 75 years on. Today , October 2nd marks 75 years since the inaugural meeting held at Anzac house , just two months after the end of the war. The Association is very lucky to still have the original minute book from that meeting (below)... The Rats of Tobruk Association has the world change greatly over the past 75 years, whether it be King to Queen or Pence to Cents , the Association has stood strong and remained true to its purpose 75 years on. With the passing of time we have sadly seen the ranks thin , with just 19 Rats left nationally, but the Association now also serves its purpose through The Commemoration and Education of those brave Rats whom have passed . We give special thanks to all the hundreds (even thousands?) of people who have volunteered their time and made this great Association what it is over the past 75 years. Please feel free to tell us your favourite memories of the Association in the comment section below. Here’s to another 75

19.01.2022 Leaving Australia October 2020 On October 21, 1940, the men of the 7th Division left Melbourne bound for the Middle East on a convoy made up of the Mauretania, as well as the RMS Queen Mary and RMS Aquitania, both of which had sailed from Sydney. The convoy was escorted by the Cruiser, HMAS Perth. Interestingly, some of these men had not ever seen the sea before embarking! At their first parade on board, the men were given instructions for all the do’s and don’ts, includ...ing, Don’t knock the furniture about. After stopping in Fremantle, on October 30, the HMAS Perth handed over the convoy to HMAS Canberra. The sailors of HMAS Perth lined the rail to farewell the troops and to wish them luck. In response, three cheers rang out as she went past. What a sight that must have been. Little did these men know what lay ahead, and keeping furniture intact was going to be the least of their worries. See more

17.01.2022 November 2020 Tribute Cards honouring our Rats Of Tobruk veterans.. Our Graphic Artist Pierre Seillier has generously supported our many requests for his graphic design work. Our association started in 2016 thanks to Lambis Englezos (instrumental in the search for Australian soldiers at Fromelles) a close friend of Pierre’s. When our President Ron Williamson passed away, Pierre created our first Tribute Card honouring Ron’s war time service and since then he has created in access of 600 of these cards for the Rats of Tobruk family as well as many other Military and Service groups world wide. We are truly indebted to him for his continued support. Each fortnight- 25 of these tributes will be displayed on our Face Book page, this will take approximately 15 months to complete.

16.01.2022 The Rats of Tobruk Association is reminding the friends of ROTA that we are currently midway through our commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Siege of Tobruk. We have severals items that we have on our Merchandise Table that we are offering to our ROTA friends. Please feel free to pass on this post to your family and friends. Cheers Graham

16.01.2022 Group 2 of 25 Rats of Tobruk Tribute Cards designed and created by our graphic Designer Pierre Seillier. Each fortnight over the next 15 months we will build on these tributes. They are taken from each letter of the alphabet but as some letters have no more names listed, additional names will be taken from those remaining photos. Please feel free to add your comments to these tributes which honour the service, fortitude and resilience of each man during the Siege of Tobruk.

16.01.2022 Any recent visitors to Tobruk House may have a noticed a new installation on one of our walls. Several years ago, ROTA was approached by Melbourne artist Peter Wegner to see if any of our veterans would agree to have their portraits painted. Quite a few of them agreed. Just recently, Peter has resurrected his project and with the help of committee member Lachie Gaylard has been visiting veterans who missed out the first time around. Copies of all of Peter’s portraits have since been framed and are now on display at the hall. In wonderful news, just a short time ago, it was announced that Peter Wegner is this year’s winner of the prestigious Archibald Prize. Congratulations Peter!

13.01.2022 Vale Alfred Campbell It is with a heavy heart we announce the passing of Alfred James Campbell, whom passed away on the 26th of October Aged 99 years old. Private Alf Campbell enlisted in the Australian army on the 9th of July 1940 and was discharged on the 22nd of September 1945, having served in the 2/15th Infantry Battalion.... We extend our thoughts and sympathies to Alfs children. Lest We Forget.

08.01.2022 Vale: Raymond Arthur Myers. Long-time Metung resident, Mr Ray Myers - one of the last few remaining ‘Rats of Tobruk’ died on 1 October 2020, just three weeks shy of his 99th birthday. Ray was born in Fairfield on 23 October 1921. He enlisted in the AIF at the end of 1939 but to do so, he had to falsify his age; hence war records held in Canberra show that he was born on 23 October 1919. After training, first in Albury and then at the newly opened Bonegilla which later ...became an immigration camp for post WW2 refugees, his battalion, the 2nd/23rd Battalion, 7th Division, was sent to the Middle East in November, 1939. Ray and others celebrated Christmas in Gaza and, after the 6th Division was taken out of Tobruk, the 7th Division was sent to take their place. In August 1940, while defending the Derna Road, Ray was wounded. He spent three weeks in an Army hospital and then, returned to duties. Like most WW2 veterans, Ray never spoke about his experiences in Tobruk. However, some years ago he agreed to some interviews which were recorded and transcribed into a memoir and this document is now held at the Metung RSL. Ray returned to Australia in 1943 and married his sweet-heart, Mavis, that year. They had four children, whom they raised in a War Service home in Oakleigh. In the early 1970s, he and Mavis moved to Metung where they happily became part of the community. Sadly, in 1997 Mavis died, but thankfully, some four years later, Ray met a lovely woman called Jean with whom he spent 15 very happy and loving years until her death in 2015. Ray then moved to Orbost to be with his daughter and carer, Barbara. With Barb, he lived a quiet comfortable life until October 2019, then spent his last year at the Opal Aged Care in Lakes Entrance Ray was a committed RSL Member and always attended ANZAC Day on Metung’s Village Green. Ray’s life was long, but at times it wasn’t easy. However, he was an honest, loving, and loyal bloke who left warm memories and a wonderful legacy including four children, Jeffrey, Barbara, Glenda and John. 11 grandchildren, Mark Jason, Scott, Jody, Justin, Kevin (Dec) Jenelle, Robert Bradley, Brett, and Nicole 21 great grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. Unfotunately Covid 19 Prevented his family from visiting him as much as they would have liked because of Aged Care Lock downs. Lest We Forget

06.01.2022 Group 13 of 25 Rats of Tobruk Tribute Cards designed and created by our graphic Designer Pierre Seillier. Each fortnight over the next 6 months we will build on these tributes. They are taken from each letter of the alphabet but as some letters have no more names listed, additional names will be taken from those remaining photos. Please feel free to add your comments to these tributes which honour the service, fortitude and resilience of each man during the Siege of Tobruk.

05.01.2022 Vale: STONE, Victor Edward "Ted", VX41342, Cpl, 2/5 Field Ambulance, Born 28/11/1920- Died 21/06/2021 To all members and friends of ROTA, We are very saddened to advise you that "Ted" STONE peacefully passed away yesterday.... We extend our sincere and deepest sympathy to his family and friends. Let us keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. Details for his funeral will be posted when they become available. Lest We Forget

02.01.2022 Community singing around the piano was a very common form of entertainment in the days before television. Many people could play well enough for this activity, and men and women, old and young would join in to sing the popular songs of the day. After what sometimes seems like a year of lockdown for some of us, perhaps even Netflix is failing to inspire? Why not grab a copy of John Turner’s CD ‘No Surrender’ containing the wonderful Rats of Tobruk song? (You will need to have one of those ‘old fashioned’ CD players, but they are smaller and cheaper than a piano.) And they are only $19 each including postage. To purchase your copy of the CD, or for any other merchandise orders, please contact Graeme Clifford, our Merchandise Officer, on 0418882 323.