National News Australia

Angelic signs as Charge of the Light Brigade remembered

Published

2 years ago

27 October 2022

JeffG

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Angelic signs as Charge of the Light Brigade remembered

By Samantha Elley

For some it will be a time of lollies and scary stuff as Halloween is celebrated on October 31. But this date also holds a significant memory in the history of the Australian military.

In 1917, on October 31, the Australian Light Horse Brigade came into their own, when during the Great War, the British Army and its allies faced a solid line of Turkish defence from Gaza to Beersheba in Palestine.

According to military historian, Col Stringer, the generals were desperate.

“58,000 British infantry with tank support had been driven back into the desert and with the sun about to set and with no water for many miles, disaster stared them squarely in the face,” he said.

“The Australian Light Horse Commander Chauvel’s orders were to storm Beersheba; it had to be won before nightfall at all costs. The situation was fast becoming grave as the British were in urgent need of 400,000 gallons of water for their men and horses.”

Henry George Chauvel was the son of a grazier from Tabulam, better known as Harry and had been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Upper Clarence Light Horse, a unit organised by his father, Charles Chauvel in 1886.

“Chauvel concocted a bold plan,” said Stringer.

“Why not let his 800 horsemen charge the Turkish artillery?

“A cavalry charge across 6,000 yards of open terrain straight into the face of the massed Turkish guns and… odds of 6:1 against them.”

Stringer said it was no wonder the Germans called the Aussie Lighthorsemen ‘madmen’.

“The young men mounted their magnificent ‘walers’ and lined up to face the Turkish guns, their faces bronzed and tanned from the desert sun, their emu plumes fluttering in the breeze, rifles swung across their backs and bayonets in hand,” Stringer recounted.

“History was about to be written.”

Stringer goes on to say the “mad Aussies” charged magnificently across the dusty plains.

“So fast in fact that the Turkish artillery could not keep pace with them, and they were able to slip under their field guns,” he said.

“As they leapt the trenches laced with machine gun bullets, a magnificent cheer went up from the British ranks, such was the magnificence of the feat.

“Although outnumbered and outgunned they charged on.

“The Turkish guns blazed at those hazy horsemen, but they came steadily on.

“At one mile distance, they emerged from clouds of dust, squadrons of men and horses taking shape.”

Stringer said that after the victory, captured Turkish and German officers described how they never dreamed that mounted troops would be mad enough to attempt rushing infantry protected by machine-guns and artillery.

“Beersheba – the gateway to Jerusalem, was opened that day, not by the Crusaders, or Napoleon, not by the British or US Armies – but by the Australian Light Horsemen!” said Stringer.

“These Aussie Light Horsemen had achieved what 58,000 British troops with tanks could not do, what even the Crusaders or Napoleon could not do! They had opened the doorway to Jerusalem against unbelievable odds.

“Jerusalem, after 400 years of occupation was about to be freed!

“As one Israeli later put it: ‘Had Beersheba not been captured that day then we Israelis may not be here today.’”

Stringer goes on to say that one of the most extraordinary aspects of the liberation of Jerusalem was the claim of men having seen angels.

“From General Sir Harry Chauvel down to the officers and troopers, visions of ancient buildings, strange animals, lighted villages and angelic beings were witnessed en masse,” said Stringer

“The stories of hundreds of men were corroborated through cross-checking examinations.

“As there was no logical explanation, officially the incident was recorded as ‘lack of sleep’……

“Reports of angelic beings appearing during the fighting, occurred right up to the cessation of hostilities in 1918.

“They are too numerous to detail.

“Statements were also taken from captured enemy officers who had witnessed the same manifestations. General Allenby called for detailed reports and interviewed witnesses himself.”

Col Springer will be visiting Tabulam Church on January 23, 2022. More details closer to the date.

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Port Macquarie

Call for more mates to support Port Macquarie’s Sailability

Published

3 weeks ago

27 September 2024

JeffG

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Call for more mates to support Port Macquarie’s Sailability

Vision available: https://tinyurl.com/mrz9nhz7

The Port Macquarie community group, Sailability, is calling for volunteers ahead of this year’s sailing season, as the club prepares to take to the Hastings River again on Wednesday 25 September.
Sailability is a volunteer organisation whose mission is to offer people with varying abilities freedom on the water.
The club uses a fleet of specially designed sailing dinghies with simplified controls and enhanced stability to hold weekly sailing days for people living with physical and mental disability.
The club received $55,920 from the NSW Government to extend its carpark and complete landscaping around its new boat shed and accessible amenities block, as well as to install six accessible picnic tables in McInherney Park.
The not-for-profit club is the only organisation of its kind in the area and its 80 volunteers cater to approximately 60 sailors each week.
The group provides its services at no charge, with sailors coming from disability support units at local schools in Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Laurieton and Kempsey, as well as disability service providers, aged care facilities and private enquiries.
Census statistics for show there are approximately 6,000 people with serious or profound disability in the Port Macquarie area, and the club struggles to meet the demand for its services.
People keen to get involved in volunteering with the club can attend McInherney Park on Wednesdays between September and May to learn more, or go to www.sailabilitypm.com.au and click the Contact Us tab.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:
“This fantastic community group is really making waves in terms of improving quality of life for people in the Port Macquarie area with disability.
“It’s wonderful to see people experience a sense of achievement and improved self-confidence and self-esteem through their participation in Sailability’s program.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Disability Inclusion, Liesl Tesch* said:
“Sailability is a beacon of hope and inclusion in Port Macquarie. By fostering a sense of belonging on the water, they’re not only enhancing the lives of people with disability but also enriching the entire community.”
“The amazing volunteers at Sailability do such important work helping build confidence and resilience for so many people in the region each week.”
*Liesl Tesch is a seven-time Paralympian including winning two gold medals in sailing
Sailability Port Macquarie volunteer Rick Eller said:
“The club has come a long way from humble beginnings when it launched in December 2012, we were using two borrowed boats at the time, we had a handful of volunteers, and we were borrowing life jackets from the SES or emergency services here in Port Macquarie.
“The best part about working for Sailability is the expressions and the smiles when the people who’ve been sailing come back to the pontoon, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.”
Sailability Port Macquarie Vice President Julie Constable said:
“It’s extremely important that people are aware that people with a disability are very able and keen to get out into society so something like this is off great benefit to the community.”

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Cowra

Teen charged with multiple property offences in Cowra – Operation Regional Mongoose

Published

3 weeks ago

26 September 2024

JeffG

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Teen charged with multiple property offences in Cowra – Operation Regional Mongoose

Tuesday, 24 September 2024 02:01:49 PM
A teen will face court charged following investigations into multiple property-related offences in the state’s central west.

Operation Regional Mongoose is a high-visibility police operation to tackle serious property-related crime, committed predominately by young offenders.

About 4.30am yesterday (Monday 23 September 2024), emergency services were call to the low level bridge adjacent to Grenfell Road, Cowra, following reports a Subaru sedan was well alight.

Officers attached to Chifley Police District attended and commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire.

Checks revealed the car was allegedly stolen from a home on Liverpool Street, Cowra, between 7.30pm on Sunday (22 September 2024), and 4.30am yesterday (Monday 23 September 2024.

Following inquiries, about 2am today (Tuesday 24 September 2024), police were patrolling Young Street, Cowra, when they stopped and spoke to a 17-year-old boy sitting in a park.

The boy was subjected to a search, and police located gloves, a box cutter and keys to a Subaru.

He was taken to Cowra Police Station and charged with;

Steal motor vehicle
Aggravated break and enter dwelling in company steal
Take and drive conveyance without consent of owner
Custody of knife in public place
Possess housebreaking implements
Never licensed person drive vehicle on road
Goods in personal custody suspected being stolen, and
Commit S154C offence and disseminate.
The teen was refused bail to appear at a Children’s court today (Tuesday 24 September 2024).

Inquiries under Operation Regional Mongoose continue.

Anyone with information about Operation Regional Mongoose is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

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Bathurst

Man charged after allegedly threatening police – Bathurst

Published

3 weeks ago

26 September 2024

JeffG

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Man charged after allegedly threatening police – Bathurst

Tuesday, 24 September 2024 12:58:23 PM

A man is due to face court over alleged death threats made towards police officers in the Central West region.

About 10pm on Saturday 21 September 2024, a man allegedly called Triple 0 and threatened to kill a police officer and a judicial officer.

Officers attached to Chifley Police District were alerted and commenced an investigation into the incident.

Following extensive inquiries, police arrested a 37-year-old man at a home on Seymour Street, Bathurst, about 12.15pm yesterday (Monday 23 September 2024).

Police executed a search warrant at the home, where they located and seized laptops, a mobile phone, and other items, which will undergo forensic examination.

The man was taken to Bathurst Police Station and charged with use carriage service to threaten to kill; hinder or resist police officer in the execution of duty and fail to comply digital evidence access order direction.

The man was refused bail to appear at Bathurst Local Court tomorrow (Wednesday 25 September 2024).

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