80th Anniversary events – 1 July 2022
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru and the fall of the New Guinea islands a special Commemorative Service and Dinner will be held on Friday 1 July, 2022, in Canberra.
80th Anniversary Commemorative Service – 11.30 to 12.30pm in the Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard at the Australian War Memorial. Please book asap via www.trybooking.com/BXXTY
80th Anniversary Commemorative Dinner – 6.00pm to 11.00pm at Rydges Canberra – please book asap via www.trybooking.com/BXXTS
Bookings are essential! RSVPs needed by 16 June but may close earlier.
We are delighted that the address at the 80th Anniversary Dinner at Rydges Canberra will be provided by Emeritus Prof David Horner, AM, Dip Mil Stud, MA (Hons), PhD, FASSA
David Horner is an emeritus professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, where he was Professor of Australian Defence History for fifteen years.
David’s career began as an infantry officer in the Australian Regular Army. After 25 years in the Australian Regular Army, he became a university academic. At the same time, as a Colonel in the Army Reserve, he was the first Head of the Australian Army’s Land Warfare Studies Centre.
He is the author/editor of 37 books and numerous articles on military history, strategy and defence. His books on command during the Kokoda battle and on Generals Blamey and Vasey deal particularly with the New Guinea campaign. He has also written a book on the the Pacific War. David was the general editor of the six-volume Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations. His history of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, The Spy Catchers, won the 2015 UK Intelligence Book of the Year prize and he was joint winner of the Australian Prime Minister’s prize for history.
David’s latest book, The War Game: Australian War Leadership from Gallipoli to Iraq, will be published in July 2022. He is a Member of the Order of Australia for services to higher education in the area of Australian military history and heritage as a researcher, author and academic, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
Last Post Service, 1 July 2022, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
On 1 July 2022 the Last Post Service at the Australian War Memorial will also highlight the 80th anniversary of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru.
This service will acknowledge George William Spensley NGX 490 and the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles (NGVR). https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1696746
The Last Post Service will be held in the Memorial’s Commemorative Area which is accessible from 4:20 pm with the ceremony commencing at 4:45 pm.
Family and friends will be able to lay a wreath/flowers during the service. Please write a card as these are kept by the Australian War Memorial.
The Memorial entrance is located opposite Poppy’s Café.
Parking is available in the P1 Visitor Carpark underneath Poppy’s Café via Fairburn Ave.
Attendees need to advise [email protected] that they will be there.
Note that this service is separate to the 80th Anniversary service commemorating the fall of the New Guinea islands and the sinking of the Montevideo Maru to be held at 11.30am at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, in the Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard at the Australian War Memorial. Wreaths/flowers will also be able to be laid at this service.