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OTU ASSOCIATION                                                                                                                                                    25 September 2024

NATIONAL COMMITTEE

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FY 2024/2025 – REMINDER

 Gentlemen,

Our current 2024/2025 financial membership is 474, a long way from the 585 financial members we had at the end of last FY and the 653 we had as at 30 Jun 2023.  Further, the rate of financial membership renewals has slowed considerably.  Interestingly, our database reveals that there are 211 members who were financial over the last two years, but who have not as yet renewed their financial membership for 2024/2025.

If you have received this email you are currently unfinancial and we would be interested to know if something has happened to change your mind about belonging to the Association.   Or, is it simply a matter of ‘old timers disease’ kicking in or, in the vernacular of some 55 years ago, you have been ‘slack and idle’.

Should you wish to renew your membership a Membership Renewal Form is attached.  Three payment options are available when renewing membership:

• Complete the Membership Renewal Form, attach a cheque and send it to our Treasurer,
• Use the information of the Membership Renewal Form to pay by Direct Debit.
• Access the website, www.otu.asn.au and pay by PayPal.

If you are paying by Direct Debit or PayPal and haven’t recently updated your personal details on the website could you please take some time to do so.

It would be appreciated if we could receive your membership renewal by 31 October 2024.

If you are no longer interested in being a member of the Association, please return the Membership Renewal Form, with the appropriate box notated accordingly.

Cheers.

nil bastardum carborundum

Graeme Chester 2/67

OTU Association Membership Officer

On 6 September, along with Les Boag (4/68) and Winston Bucknall (2/68), I attended the National Servicemen’s Association Service at the National Servicemen’s Memorial outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra where OTU Chairman Frank Miller (4/67) was the Guest Speaker. Frank gave a strong speech on National Service, incorporating his own feelings on the subject and his experiences during National Service.

The RMC Duntroon Museum is currently closed as the RMC Library has moved out of the other part of the building. Once renovations to the building are completed later this year, the museum will reopen and will use the whole of the building. The OTU Association had been approached to supply various items, such as paperwork, photographs and memorabilia such as uniforms.

As The Editor of The Scheyvillian, and Defacto Memorabilia Officer, after the service at the AWM I visited the RMC Museum and met with the current Curator. The association has met the requests from the RMC Museum and provided (electronic) photographs, papers pertaining to National Service and officer training and (electronic) copies of such paperwork as OTU General Instructions.

During discussions with the Curator, it was indicated that the revamped RMC Museum may not have individual displays for each of the four officer training establishments (RMC Duntroon, OCS Portsea, OTU Scheyville and OCS George’s Heights – WRAAC), and therefore all such establishments will be lumped together in a single display of officer training in the Australian Army, probably in a one timeline display. I have spoken to a few Scheyvillians, and one George’s Heights graduate, all of whom favour the four officer training establishments having their own displays.

Scheyvillians are requested to advise of their preference for the layout of the RMC Museum:

A. Happy to have the OTU Scheyville display incorporated into an Australian Army officer training timeline, or

B. Prefer to have the four officer training establishments shown in separate displays.

Please reply to The Editor, The Scheyvillian at nkaleckie@outlook.com with an A. or a B.

The thoughts of the membership will be passed to the RMC Museum Curator.

Neil Leckie

Editor

The Scheyvillian