You know, there's something very special about attending a reunion with blokes that were part of the military period of your life. It's not something that leaps out at you, but a sort of warm feeling of camaraderie that emanates from one's deepest inner self.

When I was scratching my head in search of a theme for this latest 'Tiger Rag' the other day, my mind started to wander and I began thinking of our Reunion 2002 that would be held in Canberra in conjunction with the rededication of the Vietnam Memorial. Had it really been ten years ago that we last met there?

It was then I also realised that this year would also celebrate the tenth anniversary of the creation of the 105th Field Battery Association. Yes, 'creation' is a far more appropriate word than alternatives such as 'raising' or 'establishment' for, looking back, the beginnings of our Association were the natural progression of a feeling, a need, a pleasantness that a group of us were seeking to perpetuate.

At this stage you might be thinking that poor old Ed is losing his marbles and starting to ramble, but please stay with me and read on, for the therapy of reunions really is a tonic you need to experience to fully appreciate. Having said that, I am now about to delve into a rather difficult area of one's psych to prove to you that attending reunions is good for your soul.

Let's first explore why the Tiger Association was 'created'. Down in Canberra in October 1992, there was a gathering of Australia's Vietnam veterans that had not been seen since those heady days of 1987 when the people of a country that had treated their returning servicemen and women badly opened their hearts and said, 'Welcome Home'.

'At 0500 hours on 3 October 1987, I stood on the deserted lawns of The Domain in Sydney. A feeling of melancholy overcame me as I waited for the first veterans to arrive and begin the most historic march of this decade. I thought of young active men in starched greens, proudly marching off to war, their faces filled with enthusiasm, patriotism and confidence. Professional soldiers. Through this collage of memories came images of bright explosions, yells of bravado, screams of fear, the white face of death - thoughts I had put away and not explored for 17 years.'

These were the thoughts of J.D. Thurgar, March Director for the 'Welcome Home' parade that began an era during which 'closet' veterans declared their service in Vietnam, pinned on medals that had gathered dust for years, and began a quest to share intimate thoughts, experiences and joys with mates not seen since the day the Freedom Bird had flown in or the HMAS Sydney had lowered its gangplank in its namesake's Harbour.

It was this vivid recall of cameos that brought thousands of veterans together again, reuniting, rekindling, re-experiencing, and above all rejoicing in the spirit of togetherness that, for many, had not been felt since that day when they 'came home'.

Perhaps not as eloquent in my thoughts as Thurgar, but equally as emotive, I walked along a Canberra street beneath huge trees sporting lush Spring growth towards the assembly area (the term 'FUP' sprang to mind). I walked with my longtime friend, mate and Vietnam comrade-in-arms Paul Stevens. Since last evening when he had greeted me at the airport, we had been reliving 1968, 1969 and 1970 and trying to guess, no, more than that . . . anticipate who we would see when we joined the crowd in Reid Park. And now it was about to happen . . . we had crossed the start line!

With an approach that a forward scout would have been proud, we glided up that last rise to the lush green plateau. You could feel the tension ebb away in the bonhomie of complete strangers saying, 'G'day mate!' as we swam through a sea of bemedalled veterans. But they all seemed rather older than our boys, so we kept searching . . .

Suddenly, there was a hand on my shoulder and another was being thrust forward from a grey-bearded, somewhat balding spectre. 'G'day, Arthur,' it said with a mistiness of tears in the eyes, 'how the hell are ya?' My mind raced through the fuzz, darkening and moving it on top of the head, stripped away the jowls and the spread of middle age, removed the wrinkles, and then it hit me. 'My God, it's X!', I exclaimed involuntarily as the vision of a tanned, smiling, 20 year old came into focus before my eyes.

Well, it didn't really matter who X was, nor the dozens of others who suddenly realised Paul and I were there. To a clamour of, 'Hey! Come and see who I found over here' and much back slapping, male hugging and hand pumping, one of the most memorable days of my life began. It didn't stop. We talked till we were hoarse, laughed till tears ran down our faces, and completely forgot about the aching limbs and sore backs that had been so much a part of the days before.

Then we marched . . . marched as we had not done for over 20 years . . . ramrod straight backs, fists clenched and arms swinging, feet automatically falling into a forgotten yet familiar routine, the rhythmical crunch of soles on gravelled surfaces. There was a distant but unmistakable flat wap-wap-wap of Huey choppers. Eyes snapped upwards in unison and then they were upon us - a flight of khaki pigeons surmounted the parade with a deafening roar. Spontaneously, every veteran gave a whoop of joy at the memories brought back. Then they were gone and crunch-crunch-crunch became the predominant sound again.

The dedication service was marvellous. How could so many vets who had been chattering like monkeys only minutes before now remain so quiet? It was respect for the fallen . . . and for those who had passed on since we came home . . . and just recalling mates who had been unable to join us that day.

Afterwards we ambled across in groups to the artillery reunion in the Glebe Centre. There, the air of conviviality was continually punctuated by squeals of delight as pairs of vets identified each other after 20 plus years. Former operational parties formed, cameras snapped, mates with arms around shoulders posed, flashbulbs blinked . . . stories, laughter, tears. 'Remember when . . . ' became the most used phrase of the day, closely followed by, 'Who was it that . . . '.

In the evening, a mob of us drifted into the restaurant at one of the blokes' motel and we finally partook of some rations to absorb the alcohol in our systems. We were still talking, now exploring the areas of 'What the devil have you been up to for the last 22 years?' and 'Is there a Mrs X and any little xxxx s?'

At some hour (who knows - or cares - when) we went to bed. I didn't remember a thing, but reckon there must have been thousands of beds in Canberra in which wry smiles of contentment reflected the inner peace of vets who 'been there' again. Been there, but come back remembering only the good times because they had been reinforced with faces and voices from the period. Been there and again survived. Ah! The therapy of reunions!

Sorry to jolt you back from your own private reverie, but there has to be an end to this missive . . . an end and a message. The end of Canberra 1992 was the beginning of the 105 Association - a volunteer committee assembled in November and the inaugural general meeting was held in February 1993. We've gone from strength to strength since then, embracing not only Vietnam vets and veterans from Malaya, but any person who has ever served in the Tiger Battery.

And the message? This year, there is the opportunity for every one who was, or is a member of the 105th Field Battery to join with your mates in Canberra for another inoculation of the Therapy of Reunions. Don't miss it . . . it really is a great tonic!

The ‘Gunner Net’ has always been the envy of other corps and regiments because of the speed with which it has been able to disseminate information - arguably equalled only by the response of our guns to calls for fire. But this is not only applicable to operational radio nets but also to spreading the word to all Gunners be they serving or retired. This was a strength of the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery in which all of us have served at one time or another.

However, the demise of our titular head, the Director of Artillery (and his staff) with effect 1 December 1997, the loss of Headquarters Divisional Artillery (formerly HQ RAA) due to the Army 2000 reorganisation, and the traditionally state-based individuality of RAA Associations could lead one to query whether or not our battle honour, ‘Ubique’ (‘Everywhere’) is now being applied to a seemingly very fragmented Regiment.

The severing of the RAA’s Head of Corps (HOC) has led to the emergence of at least three possible de facto leaders of the Regiment. Officially one serving Gunner brigadier has been handed the additional portfolio of Honorary HOC for the Regiment. Currently this is the officer commanding the Army Combat Arms Training Centre at Puckapunyal, Peter Kilpatrick. Nevertheless, this gentleman has no integral Gunner staff and his prime role leaves little time for pounding the corridors of power within Russell Offices.

Within Land Headquarters a full time staff officer is a Gunner colonel and one part time officer holds the appointment of Colonel Artillery. The former has frequently been called upon to provide the ‘good oil’ on the RAA to the Land Commander. However, he has been somewhat distracted to date by a detachment to Bougainville and running Army support for the Olympic Games. The latter is seen as a paler version of the once powerful and ubiquitous Commander Land Command or Field Force Artillery, but he is not unreasonably limited by the availability of training days, staff and travel and subsistence money.

Then there is the Representative Colonel Commandant, that conduit of communication between the Regiment and the Master Gunner, St James Park, UK who liaises with the State-based Colonels Commandant on Regimental matters. This retired (from the Service) senior Gunner officer has limited official travel entitlements and, as is the case of the current incumbent, also a very demanding full time job out in civvy street.

The deletion from the order of battle of an artillery headquarters at divisional level has left the senior Gunner lieutenant colonel on the staff as the general’s adviser, and the now independent RAA unit CO/BCs once more answerable to brigades/task force commanders.

This has somewhat created a vacuum in senior artillery officer presence for local RAA matters at State level and lost the bonding of each division’s Gunner units through the former tentacles of the headquarters’ staff channels. Perhaps the State’s Colonel Commandant could be seen as subsuming this role, but since each division’s command stretches across State boundaries, the overall influence of these officers is consequently diluted.

Finally, it is almost incongruous that whilst each State has an RAA Association, there never has been a National Headquarters RAA Association. One could suggest that the State colonels commandant as members of the Rep CC’s Regimental Committee could hold the disparate organisations together. However, these State Gunner officers do not necessarily have any significant influence over the operations of the RAA Associations nor are they particularly even a sitting member of the management committee of these bodies.

Traditionally, NSW and Victoria have had very strong RAA Associations supported by the hierarchy of militia/CMF/Reserve Gunner officers. Queensland’s organisation was perceived to be more a militia officers’ club till relatively recently when changes to its constitution opened the doors to all ranks. About this time there was a lack of career militia volunteers to preside and when a former Regular officer took the chair, the support of the Reserve’s old and bolds seemed to wane. Though many senior ARA Gunners have retired to the Sunshine State, few are actively involved in its RAA Associations.

All this has resulted in a fragmentation of the Regiment - independent Gunner units, a proliferation of unit and battery associations some of which (like 105’s) are quite strong, and RAA Associations which may or may not have any significant influence in matters artillery. All these bodies are Gunners at heart but are tending to be rather inwards looking and operate free from any form of coordination shackles. If this trend continues, the future of our once proud boast of the Gunner Net is not promising.

What can we do to ‘defrag’ and reunite our Regiment? Here is some food for thought:

1. Cross Pollinate - appoint representatives within each organisation to attend kindred bodies’ meetings and functions, place each other on mailing lists for newsletters and magazines, and in general re-establish an ‘old and bold’ Gunner network.

2. Integrate - take an active interest in local Gunner unit parades, functions and open days, seek copies of their annual magazines and so build a ‘current’ Gunner network.

3. Inform the Colonel Commandant - not only by ensuring he receives copies of organisation and unit newsletters and journals, but by writing to him and making time to speak to him whenever paths cross.

There has been some progress towards integration. In both Tasmania and Western Australia, all Gunner organisations have merged, bringing a new strength to the voice of the RAA in these States. In addition, the Offensive Support Division of the Army Combat Arms Training Centre ([sic] School of Artillery) is investigating setting up a website which will include a list the contacts for all known RAA units and associations and a bulleting board for questions and comments.

My fellow Gunners, the bottom line of all this is that united we will survive, but divided our Regiment will disintegrate. We must not remain content within the insularity of our own units, sub units, associations or reunion groups. As a dyed in the wool and ever so proud Gunner traditionalist I appeal to you all to do your bit to re-establish the Gunner Net and demonstrate to those who would destroy our heritage that once more we cannot only talk about, but actually be part of one strongly united Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery.