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"You may recall there was a hedge around the WRAAFery and around most of the Airman’s Mess at Laverton. Well that hedge had two purposes (uses): the official one, to constrain any hormones that had managed to rise above the level that was (supposedly) controlled by the bromide supplement secreted in our meals: the unofficial one, to entertain my fellow course mates. It did fail, I am led to believe (official lie), to meet its prime purpose, but it was very successful in entertaining my course mates.
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One Saturday the DIs were bored (or they forgot to order the bus), so we were marched all the way over to Point Cook and back again. The DIs reveled in playing God by stopping the traffic on the Geelong Highway, next to Fleetwings, for us to go across (the over pass was not there then). Imagine trying to do that today, you’d be run down a million times. I can tell you, that was not one of our better Saturdays.
The OC’s duck pond came in for some close attention at various times, one of the blokes from 18 Course parked his go-cart in it, like wise several of the ‘thicks’ parked their cars in it. (John Butler parked his red Datsun Bluebird SSS there one night-tb) Some lads went there to do their supplementary exams in anatomy studies - having failed at Lowther Hall!!!!!!. (There has to be a story or two here-please tb)
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Public transport to and from Laverton was not the best, with the old ‘once or twice a day’ motor-rail to and from Footscray station being our only train. Once you got to Footscray you were right as the suburban rail network kicked in there. None of us had cars, or were old enough to drive them, until third year when a few lucky blokes, mainly with help from home, managed to own something that burnt fuel and went under its own power. We had to make do with the best of a combination of hitchhiking and using the old rattler. At least three guys met their wives through hitching on Geelong Road, and as far as I know they are still married. I recall Nobby Smith and I walking from Western Oval at Footscray all the way back to Laverton one Saturday after a football match, trying to hitch a ride-without any success.
Whenever we went to town on a Saturday we would meet at the Wool Exchange Hotel (the closest pub to Spencer Street Station) just prior to closing in time to catch the last train ‘home’. One night, I remember, the round was ten gin squashes. I guess we must have drunk for effect (Is there another reason?? - tb) because it is the only time I can recall drinking gin squash-I’ve definitely never had one since.
A couple of the blokes for 20 Appy (no names-no pack drill) spent a night in the Russell Street over-night free accommodation complex after propositioning a couple of young ladies in Swanson Street. It mustn’t have done them any harm though, as one went on to be the top apprentice of his course and continues a very successful career in the RAAF today (that narrows it down a bit-tb). Blokes in my hut (451) were, Arnold Vereschildt, Dave Lugg, Paul Hewitt, Kevin Smith, Tony Neave, Trevor Connell, Jim Jones (hut NCO), Sam Houliston, Bruce Purcell, Trevor Lee, Garry Thomsen, Phil Laird, Linky Stroude, Bill Voolstra and Ray Moodie.
Sadly, Tony Neave died of cancer in 1995.
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