{"id":113043,"date":"2015-07-05T23:39:06","date_gmt":"2015-07-05T13:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=113043"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:05:40","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T02:05:40","slug":"wondai-marks-a-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/05\/wondai-marks-a-milestone\/","title":{"rendered":"Wondai Marks A Milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Wondai Reserve Forces Day chairman Noel Selway and former Wondai RSL President Wally Knight oversaw the official wreath-laying ceremony\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

July 6, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wondai marked a milestone on Sunday when it held its 10th annual Reserve Forces Day commemoration … and guests came from all over Queensland for the occasion.<\/p>\n

Reserve Forces Day commemorates the two million Australian men and women who have served in the Army, Navy and Air Force Reserves since 1948, as well as the many thousands who have served in the CMF and other volunteer formations over the years.<\/p>\n

The theme of this year’s commemoration was the Mesopotamian Half-Flight<\/a><\/strong>, a World War I campaign by Australian aviators which has been overshadowed in the nation’s attention on Gallipoli.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Half-Flight was a group of four airmen and 41 support staff from the Australian Flying Corps.<\/p>\n

In February 1915, the British Government of India requested the supply of an Australian Air Force unit to support the Indian Army’s campaign against the Turks in Mesopotamia (now present-day Iraq).<\/p>\n

India supplied the aircraft – largely obsolete and under-powered biplanes unsuitable for desert flying conditions – and the Australians flew them.<\/p>\n

The pilots suffered a 75 per cent casualty rate and most of the support staff were either killed or taken as prisoners-of-war before the doomed operation ended.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, reservists, members of the public and invited guests gathered at the Wondai Cenotaph at 10:00am for the traditional flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony to begin the event.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This was followed by a parade from the Post Office which was reviewed by RAAF Wing Commander John Gill and Barry Collins from the Naval Association of Australia.<\/p>\n

The parade was followed by a Recognition Service in Coronation Park led by former Wondai RSL president Wally Knight.<\/p>\n

It included an address by Wing Commander Gill on the Mesopotamian Half-Flight; prayers led by Chaplain Vic Chapman; a reading of The Ode; the playing of The Last Post, Reveille and the national anthem; a benediction led by Vic Chapman; and then a performance of “Sunset” to mark the end of Reserve Forces Day – an arrangement that originated with the Mediterranean Fleet when it was stationed at Malta in 1932.<\/p>\n

After this, guests enjoyed a post-parade get-together at the Wondai Diggers Club.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Naval Association State Treasurer Barry Collins, Brisbane, and RAAF Wing Commander John Gill, Canberra, were special guests at this year’s Reserve Forces Day commemoration in Wondai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
SBRC Cr Kathy Duff, Deputy Mayor Keith Campbell and Cr Ros Heit were also special guests at this year’s 10th anniversary commemorations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Qld Mounted Infantry Historical Troop Band members Jordan Briggs, Lisa Warren and Liam Handyside, travelled from Wynnum, Birkdale and the Gold Coast, respectively, to take part in this year’s parade; band members wear WWI Australian Light Horse uniforms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
Members of the Wondai Town Band led this year’s parade …<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
… and were followed by members of the 49th Battalion …<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a>
… and then riders from Gympie’s 5th Light Horse Re-Enactment Troop, headed by Jim Boyle, Gympie, and Helen Ainsworth, Noosa …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
… followed by members from Wynnum’s Queensland Mounted Infantry Historical Troop Band …<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
… and then representatives from the South Burnett Light Horse Re-Enactment Troop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
They were followed by representatives from the 25th Battalion …<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
\n

\"\"<\/a>
… and then John Kratzmann’s restored WWII Bren Gun Carrier …<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\"\"<\/a>
… before the parade concluded with a restored WII jeep; all parade participants took the salute from the official guests as they passed a podium erected at Coronation Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The 49th Battalion banner was proudly carried in this year’s parade by Bruce Clothier, from Taroom, and Phillip Arnold, from Wandoan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Military vehicle restoration enthusiast John Kratzmann, from Windera, was partnered in the Bren Gun Carrier this year by Jeremy Richard, from Ipswich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wondai marked a milestone on Sunday when it held its 10th annual Reserve Forces Day commemoration … and guests came from all over Queensland for the occasion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":113046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16,3],"tags":[26],"yoast_head":"\nWondai Marks A Milestone - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/05\/wondai-marks-a-milestone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wondai Marks A Milestone - southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wondai marked a milestone on Sunday when it held its 10th annual Reserve Forces Day commemoration ... and guests came from all over Queensland for the occasion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/05\/wondai-marks-a-milestone\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"southburnett.com.au\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-05T13:39:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-12T02:05:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/20150705-reserve01.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"385\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dafyd Martindale\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dafyd Martindale\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/05\/wondai-marks-a-milestone\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/07\/05\/wondai-marks-a-milestone\/\",\"name\":\"Wondai Marks A Milestone - 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