Museum Report Jan 1999

Published by the New South Wales Lancers Memorial Museum Incorporated
ABN 94 630 140 881
Lancer Barracks, 2 Smith Street, PARRAMATTA NSW 2150, AUSTRALIA

Reserve Forces Day Parade  The Collection  The Internet  Acknowledgements

In the latter part of 1999 a lot has happened. We participated in the Reserve Forces Day Parade, and Brittfest, there has been a substantial amount of work done on the exhibits, both vehicular and otherwise, Ace has been recovered, and the Museum now has its own site on the Internet. We welcome three new Life Friends, Lee Long, Phil Patterson, and J.G. Roseby, thanking them for their generosity.

Attendance at the museum has been very good, although when we lost our advertisement in the Herald for a few weeks our attendance dropped. The support of the Sydney Morning Herald in running our avdert in Friday's Open City section is very greatly appreciated.

Reserve Forces Day Parade

This year was the 50th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Reserve after the demobilisation at the end of World War II. To commemorate this July 1 was declared Reserve Forces Day, and parades were held in all capital cities and regional centres. Members and ex members of the Regiment paraded in Sydney. The museum supported this with the Centurion and two ferrets from the vehicle collection. The centurion being carried on a low loader, and the ferrets under their own power. Bob Iverach, was instrumental in organising the Sydney parade.

A display of the two Ferrets was also mounted at Brittfest during November.

The Collection

A substantial amount of work has been done on the collection during the year. Working bees of members once a month have kept the Centurion, Bren Carrier, and Ferrets in working order, and work is proceeding with the Staghound.

Saddlery displays have been expanded in the museum, with a pre World War I light horse saddle being included and additional between the wars cavalry (with sword) saddles.

You will recall that in the last issue, we reported that the Matilda Ace, "T29923" crewed by Les Betts in New Guinea during World War II had been found in the Southern Highlands.

Dave Crisp has organised for the Tilly to be recovered, and it is now at the School of Military Engineering, where the A vehicle troop is working on the restoration. We have this featured on the web site, by regular visits, you can follow the progress.

A contractor has been engaged to commence work on the annexe.

The Internet

We have set up our own web site in the past 6 months. The URL (internet address) is "www.pnc.com.au/~jhowells" meaning that John Howells has it on his internet account, and it does not cost the museum anything.

The site gives the information from the museum brochure, and a series of "tours" where visitors can see images of each room of the Museum (except the Gun Room), the buildings of the Barracks and the Vehicle Collection. In the Vehicle Collection tour, there are links to data sheets giving the technical details of each vehicle. They can download any of the information to use in their research, school assignments, etc. Pictorial history, and tactics used pages are being prepared.

There is also a shop where Museum memorabilia can be ordered, and a site where people from all over the world are encouraged to become "Museum Associates" and give money.

We have been working to publicise it, submitting the URL to various search engines, and have joined a ring (Military Around the World). This enables people from anywhere in the world to search for and find our site, there are even utilities on some of the search facilities to translate it into other languages.

There is a great deal of information about cavalry and armoured military history on the internet. You can visit the Australian Lighthorse Association site (www.lighthorse.org.au), the K Troop Site (www.ozemail.com.au/~borcat2), the Queens Royal Lancers (http://www.army.mod.uk/qlr), The Australian Tank Museum, Puckapunyal (www.seymour.net.au/armytnk.htm) the Tank Museum at Bovington UK (www.tankmuseum.org), various US and Canadian sites, like Lord Strathconan's Light Horse (www.nucleus.com/~rdennis). If you have a few hours one day, it is well worth the experience (if you do not have home or work access, visit a public library, or internet café).

Acknowledgements

The committee has pleasure in acknowledging the kind financial contributions from: Harry Bailey; J C Bartlett, John Blackberry; D J Blackman, John Bollard, M J Booth, A E Buddle, Neyle Cameron, M K Canham, Harry Carr, Betty Carter, B F Castellari, H M Clarke, Patrick Cregan, Christopher Dawson, Jim Gellett, G Glasgow, W E Glenny, Bruce Gurton, P Halloran, D W Harris, J S Haynes, John Howells, J F Lamb, L T Long, G R F Lovegrove, H E Martin, Joan McDonald, David Meidling, K J Mountain, J G Paton, Phil Patterson, Lillian Patterson, Richard Pym, R R Rokes, J G Roseby, L H Rowan, A J Standring, Daniel Tesoreiro, Robert Whittaker, F J Wilkins, B F Winter. . Thank you.

If you have not contributed this year, the money is needed well used, and greatly appreciated. Drop the editor a line with a cheque.

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John Howells - Editor
John.howells@lancers.org.au
+61 (0)414 886 461
January 1999