FInding People.

[MR]

Welcome Geoff - it's been quite a while "between drinks" but great to see the MB operating again as designed! Bit busy at the moment because we've just received the very welcome news that our 10yo niece Sunny has been granted another Oz tourist visa. They had quoted "about 3 months" for application results but ours came in 3 weeks so now it's "hurry up" to sort a million and one things before heading downunder to try and relax in the freezing cold for a month or so (it's roasting hot in VN at the mo', but much prefer to fry than freeze!) - but I'll hopefully remember to circulate an "all stations" email encouraging former regulars to surface again on this MB. Certa Cito - or as one comic captioned an ex Air Boon Choo photo in The Wire: "Certa SEATO"! 

[GSouthby]

Hi Guys, This is a test post (posted by LB to check GS registration) Cheers

[MR]

G'day Steve Iceton - look forward to seeing your photos as I remember a lot of people from J troop 1962-65.
Cheers
Scouse Ratia

[LeeB6430]

Big WELCOME to Steve 'Icey' Iceton.

Steve has successfully navigated our Registration Procedure. More the merrier.
Part of me pities Pam doing the scanning and emailing of images for inclusion in the galleries. (not more than 25MB of attachments per email message, and beware of data limits imposed by email hosts).
Maybe be some education in the generation and transmission of archive (.zip  .rar etc.) files may be appropriate.

[MR]

G'day Martin (Bienvenu) - welcome to the new MB. Do you still live in the Channel Islands? Don't suppose you know Richard (Dicky) Drieu from Guernsey? He's an old skydiving mate now living in Brisbane (or wherever he might be on his boat).

[LeeB6430]

The more observant of our assembled throng will have noticed a newcomer in the Memberlist, Please join me in Welcoming Martin Bienvenu to the Message Board.
As a wise man once said "Slowly slowly catchee catchee"

[LeeB6430]

Just a quick Welcome to Graham Keogh, who is now a registered member. I don't know if he read the registration instructions or just beat it into submission with a big stick

WELCOME

[PamMcD]

John Darling gave me Gordon Munns email address so I have invited him to join us. He maybe busy with his bees!  I saw that Darryl           or as some of us know him Andy Anderson on Facebook the other day so I sent message to him.  He did not reply.  He was actually not very interested in the first place all those years ago, of joining us. He said he didn't want the internet but he succombed in the end.  He used to ring me and a few others on Christmas day.  Tony actually didn't want to be on the internet at first and I just passed news and info on to him. But he gave up in the end and joined us, I think he was interested then when he made the decision.

To remind myself of Teresa's details I have contacted Sandy Sixsmith, who is now Prince, for Teresa's details.  JD thinks she may not want to know us now and will have moved on.  She is young enough to meet someone new of course, but I am a nosey soul.

[MR]

We always knew it by its full name, Chung Keng - although others might have given it a different name later on. The lad on the receiving end of Irene's ministrations (for want of a better word!) was enjoying every minute of it - not least because it was free whilst at the table but would have cost a heap if they went back to her place (as several 28 Bde officers apparently did!). I think I also mentioned on the old MB some years ago that Irene asked me to take her into the camp once and as we walked around the place she spoke to a lot of people she knew. She was great fun and very classy - I'd love to know what happened to her after we all left.............

[PamMcD]

Wow Martin was that the Winky Winky bar that my husband used to tell me about. Also I remember you mentioning it before.  It must have been pretty embarrassing for the chap on the receiving end - but maybe I am delving into the realms of not very tasteful!      

[MR]

Good initiation, Lee!
I remember my first trip outside the camp was with Steve Mason and some other reprobates down to the Chung Keng bar in Malacca. We sat outside and I was opposite a squaddie whose name I won't mention here and a very beautiful and popular young lady named Irene. After just a few minutes, the squaddie opposite me kept nodding for me to look below the table. I dutifully dropped a cig packet on the floor, bent down below the table to pick it up - and couldn't believe my eyes! That memorable view was my initiation into the debauched lifestyle that I freely embraced from that day onwards!!!

[LeeB6430]

That was really just a boring LR trip to Terendak. Arrival at 208 was 'interesting'. I eventually saw the SSM, I reckon it must have been WO2 Hillman, based on the '64 Squadron photo. At least, to my memory, he had a sense of humour - 'What do you do in your spare time?" he asks, "football, cricket, and drinking" was the response. It must have been early in the week, Tue or Wed, because his next remark was "Good, you can do both this coming Saturday. Transport leaves at 0630", "Where to?", 'Ipoh","Where's that?", "Up north - we'll organise some gear. No problem". Up north?? The brain must be working OK - Oh good it might be a bit cooler - further from the equator!! I was still dressed in UK traveling gear, including woolen blazer The 'organised ' gear turned out to be a pair of what these days might be called runners/trainers, white 'shorts',and a white short sleeved shirt. After 9 hours the the Ipoh sun, the trip back to Terendak was me, along with the rest of the 'team', drinking copious amounts of Tiger, doing a passable impression of a lobster. After that initiation, it didn't take me long to find the sailing club, and partake of all the activities that go with dinghy sailing.

[MR]

Good story, Lee - but you must finish it. What happened when you got to Tampin???

[PamMcD]

Darryl Kajewski has never been found.  He seemed to be a popular chap because a few people have looked for him.  It is a shame that many of these ex army people have no interest in finding each other.  I always kept in touch with Tony after he left Terendak and he often used to ring me up from his work, using their phones. This was before mobiles. Actually he was the brains behind me being  able to find people because he has a superb memory.  Don't remember how I found Ernie or Alby.

I can't remember much about my arrival in Singapore, I remember the flight because an army wife with 6 kids relaxed while a young soldier had been commandeered to help her.  I remember stopping off at Columbo for a break and being knocked over by the heat as we got off the plane.  Wish I knew which airport I landed at, it was not swish like Changi so maybe it was Payer Leybar.  I should have written a diary like I did during my first holiday to see my son in Singapore in 1995.  I made it in to a booklet to bore my children after I arrived back.  Mostly I would like to find the famiies I knew but I haven't found anyone really except the Warings and Barbara MacPhail (Royal Pioneer). 

[LeeB6430]

Hey Martin - your last post stirred some memories for me. Particularly that 543 Tp just being set up. Didn't have a long life, did it? I landed at Paya Lebar S'pore on the 6 June 1964. No paperwork just a passport, a copy of the posting order, an army ID card, and a used one way air ticket. I present to the 'Air movements desk', " I'm posted to 543 Signal Troop" say I in my most impressive voice having just spent the better part of two days in a beat up Hastings. "Where's that? Never heard of it" from the man uniform behind the desk. We managed to remain civil for all of 20 minutes, after which he says "into that Land Rover - we'll be in touch". I haven't the faintest idea where I was fed and watered. I do know it wasn't Nee Soon - far too posh for that. On the third morning another uniform shows up "Your going on a train, lad! Get your gear", "Where to?" "A place called Tampin. If you get to KL you've gone too far" All this time, she who must be obeyed, Margot (Meg) to those who know her, was a Com Cen OP at 14 Sigs Gloucester (freshly married and freshly separated - just time enough together to get pregnant), was working in the Tape Relay Centre at Boddington, when across the desk comes a signal from OC 208 Signal Sqn, Malacca, via Singapore, and no doubt other British facilities, on it's way to the WO Whitehall. The OC at the time was not a man of many words - "Where's L/Cpl Burgess?". I'm glad I wasn't the person who had to tell him "He's on a train, Sir" End of conversation except for a few choice words about the incompetents in Singapore Air Movements. I still have, in amongst all the papers, memorabilia and photos, the official program of the visit (mid 65, I think) of Phil, D of E rip. I shall try and find it to post on the site.