Presentation At Commemorative Plaque
Dedication Ceremony In Recognition of Odd Bods Association RAAF – Australian War
Memorial, Canberra.
Saturday 14th March 2020
Thanks,
and Farewell
Sqn Ldr
Bruce Philip Waxman OAM MBBS FRACS FRCS FACS AFRACMA MAICD RAAF (Rtd)
President,
Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc.
14 March
2020
Major
General Brian Dawson
Air
Commodore David Hombsch
Air Vice
Marshall Peter Scully
Mr Terry
Maher
Distinguished
guests, Ladies and gentlemen.
I wish to
thank:
F/L Hayden
Lea the chaplain for his prayer and Benediction
Cpl Matthew
Hamilton and the Airforce Brass Quintet, for the wonderful music and especially
Jason Reeve for his rendition of the Last Post and Reveille
Keith Brent
and the Australian Rugby Choir for your resounding singing voices and
Matthew
Rose, the MC who brought it all together.
On the
musical theme, some may have recognized the music to the hymn which was ‘The
Dam Busters March’ very appropriate at a function recognizing the RAAF in
Europe.
But the
reason we are here today is to pay tribute to our veteran Odd Bods.
Those present
here today being:
Edward
Fleming
Geoff
Conacher and
John Ireland
Those Odd
Bods who I have spoken to, who would love to be here but couldn’t make it
because of illness, frailty and other reasons are:
Doug Parry
Frank Sims
Maurie Smith
Gerald Mac
Pherson
Jack Bell
Arthur
Atkins
Allan Couper
Bill Kilsby
and
Ladies and
gentleman
My name is
Bruce Philip Waxman President of the Friends of the Odd Bods, the origins of
which has been explained by Peter Scully our Patron.
My father
Joseph was an RAAF bomber pilot and Odd Bod who survived the war, but Bruce
Williams dad’s cousin and Philip Cawthorne his best friend, my name sakes, were
also bomber pilots but were killed in action, all 3 pilots in the European
theatre.
On behalf
our committee and members, all of whom also had relatives in aircrew in WWII, it
is my pleasure to provide some closing remarks and acknowledgements for this
RAAF Odd Bods plaque dedication ceremony.
If there is
a heaven it is no doubt filled with aircrew of the RAAF and other allied air
forces of World War 2, who served in Europe and other theatres, many in bomber
command.
They will be
looking down on us today with big smiles on their faces and raising a glass to
say cheers!
What our
husbands, fathers, uncles and grandfathers, who formed the Odd Bods (UK) Association
had dreamed of and lobbied for is now a reality.
That
realization has been assisted more recently by the local input of Odd Bod
Edward Fleming and the significant influence of Dr Brendan Nelson immediate
past Director of the AWM.
His
executive assistant Catriona Smith provided the administrative assistance to
make the bronze plaque a reality
This
dedication ceremony was been masterly orchestrated by Sara Hitchman, Events and
Ceremonies co-ordinator and her team, with overarching support of the AWM
Corporate Management Group both for the plaque and the ceremony
For all of
these people we given our heart-felt thanks.
So, in
closing let’s look to the heavens and acknowledge those ODD Bods who can’t be
here today with their colleagues and us to witness the dedication of their plaque,
which will forever symbolize, for generations to come, their dedication and
sacrifice… Pressing on Remembering.
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