President – Neil Dearberg
Vice-President – Russell Paten
Secretary – Ian Curtis
Treasurer – Ian Curtis
Historical Adviser – John Meyers
Committee Members –
President – Neil Dearberg
After graduating from OCS Portsea in Dec 1969 Neil was a regular army officer for 12 years serving in the Royal Australian Corps of Transport. He was Officer Commanding two road transport units, the Movement Control Officer for North Qld then Senior Instructor of the Movements Wing School of Transport and a Divisional HQ staff officer. In 1985 he entered the financial planning profession and during the next 23 years owned his practice until selling it in 2008. He was at times a Director of the national planning securities dealer, secretary and chairman of the Sunshine Coast branch of the Financial Planning Assoc and other business groups. Neil’s military history research relates primarily to the Sinai Palestine campaign of WW1 and included seven conflict archaeology field projects in Jordan plus field trips to Syria and Lebanon. He lived and studied in London and Jordan as part of this research before publishing his book Desert Anzacs in 2017.
Vice President – Russell Paten
Russell Paten served in the Australian Army Reserve from 1976 until 1988, reaching the rank of A/Sergeant. His service was divided between 49th Battalion RQR and 42nd Battalion RQR. Russell has spent almost all of his working career in Telstra and has worked with them in several countries. His passion for military history research originates from his father who served in an Australian Field Workshops in World War 2 in New Guinea, Bougainville and Tulagi. His main area of interest is World War 2, Pacific Theatre. He is a volunteer for the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum and is an active member of their biography team. Russell is also a committee member of the Federal Council of the MHSA.
Secretary/Treasurer – Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis graduated from OCS Portsea in December 1972 and was an officer in the Royal Australian Infantry for 17 years. He served in 4 RAR, 2/4 RAR and 5/7 RAR as well as 41 RNWR. His non corps posting were in the training field with the Army Methods of Instruction Team of which he was the Officer Commanding on his second posting. He also served on the staff at RMC. On leaving the army in 1989 he worked for a number of years with JRA Ltd as the Training Manager in their Bus and Coach Division and was instrumental in developed the next generation of busses into Australia. He then served for 25 years in the mining industry performing a number of roles from training, administration and property management. His main areas of interest are the Boer War and First World War unearthing the social history of the time. He is a volunteer for the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum and is an active member of their biography team. He recently published his first book, ‘The Forgotten Men at Grandchester Railway Station’ and is currently working on a number of other books.
Committee Member – Ray Alcorn
Ray enlisted in the regular army in 1955 and was allocated to Artillery. In 1957 he was posted to Malaya where he undertook gunnery fire missions and infantry patrols. Whilst en-route to Malaya the troopship New Australia collided in the Coral Sea with an oil tanker. On returning home he was posted to 1 Field Regiment in Holsworthy where he remained till 1965.
Ray then changed corps to RACT and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. On 1 April 1967 he was promoted to Lieutenant and was posted to Puckapunyal where he trained National Servicemen. Promoted to the rank of Captain, he was posted to the Tropical Trials Unit, Innisfail as adjutant and in 1972 he was 2IC 9 Transport Company, Townsville. He then was posted to OC Canungra Transport Unit before in 1976 being posted to Logistic Command in Melbourne.
Ray resigned his commission in 1977 and became a High School teacher. He later moved to the TAFE sector as a Specialist in Dyslexia. Ray remains active in military history particularly WW2 and the Pacific theatre and is a member of A Field Battery Association.
Committee Member – Peter Denham
Peter Denham served 28 years in the Regular and Reserve Army and has been a member of MHSA since 1969. He enjoys the study of Australian Military History and has written the ‘history of the Queensland 7th Brigade’ and other short histories.
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