ALBANY COMES ALIVE - NAVY SUNSET AND THE LIGHT SHOW (31 OCTOBER 2014)

Albany had certainly come alive. This was to be the biggest thing which had happened to this city in many, many years. Would the event live up to the expectations? From us, the answer is a resounding "yes".

Apart from the various official events which formed part of the Albany 100 celebrations, we had the great pleasure of excellent company. For us the Albany 100 was a combination of pomp, ceremony, some wonderful socialising and a couple of surprise meetings. Let's tackle this weekend chronologically purely for the sake of convenience.

As I have mentioned previously we hatched a plot back in March to catch up with our Perth based friends Ann-marie and Jim Cook during this weekend. The original plan was that they would bring their van down to Denmark and tuck in alongside ours, but things had changed somewhat in the intervening months. 

In short, the Cooks arrived at the Rivermouth with three of their relatives in tow and took up residence in one of the large and very well appointed park cabins which I featured in my previous missive. Not only that, another two of Jim's friends from Perth together with two of their relatives from New Zealand were on the scene, based in a rental apartment in Denmark itself. So we were a combined group of eleven.  This sounded dangerous!

Needless to say we spent Thursday afternoon and evening at 'HQ' for the weekend, the Cook cabin, 

where plans were laid and the programme set. In his inimitable style and with great forethought, Jim had arrived in a mini-bus....any group transport problems were solved. All that remained to be done was to decide on our schedule and departure times. This did take a while and necessitated quite a number of trips to the very large group esky on the verandah, but we eventually settled the matter and your scribe toddled back to our van for a very late evening meal.

Fortunately the two main features of Friday's events were the Navy 'ceremonial sunset' and a light display to be projected onto the northern face of the roof of the Entertainment Centre. A very sensible mid afternoon departure from Denmark had been agreed.

For the better part of the weekend, many parts of the Albany CBD were closed to traffic. Transport for the incoming masses was provided by way of buses which departed at astonishingly quick intervals from a number of 'park and ride' locations around the town. I was amazed to learn that these buses, which are part of the Perth public transport fleet, had all been driven to Albany and operated over the weekend by regular drivers who had volunteered their time. Some even slept in them. 

And we are not talking about one or two. There were 60 in use on the Saturday. This was augmented by an additional 30 on Sunday. On arrival at any of the park and ride locations, one had to wait no longer than five minutes before being whisked off to the drop off point, a mere five minute walk from York Street. The load staff and drivers were unfailingly polite and cheerful, helpful to a 'T', and amazingly patient with those who had made no attempt to organise themselves. For me, the efficiency of this system and the manner in which it was managed was a highlight of the weekend.

So just what is the Albany 100 all about?  Let me present a quick overview. In doing so I must acknowledge the Albany Historical Society, and the Albany Advertiser as the source of the photographs I have used.

With the outbreak of hostilities in WW1, patriotic fervour swept both Australia and New Zealand. Britain, still viewed as the mother of both countries, and still a source of great influence over the populations of both, was seen to be in great peril. Young men initially flocked to the recruiting stations and volunteered to join the fight, a situation which altered radically later in the war when the truth about the battle conditions and highly questionable strategic and tactical leadership of the British General staff became widely known. Recruiting slowed dramatically and the Australian population was then split over the issue of conscription.

But, in 1914, the ranks of the First Division, Australian Imperial Forces, were filled with eager young men bent on being a part of what they saw as the adventure of their lives. Of course, it was one thing to assemble this force....getting it to the theatre of war was another matter altogether. 

Let me now quote from a brochure produced for the events of 2014.  

"In the second half of October 1914 transport ships from Australia and New Zealand loaded with troops, horses and equipment began converging on King George Sound, the deep water harbour off Albany on Western Australia's southern coast. These once luxurious liners from more than a dozen different shipping companies had been stripped back to their bare fittings to accommodate the thousands of men and twenty-five nurses bound for the war in Europe. Secure between Albany's 'bare rugged hills', the vessels made the final preparations for departure."

There is a common misconception that the First AIF troops actually embarked in Albany. This is incorrect. Albany was the assembly point for the ships which had already been loaded with troops from New Zealand, Queensland, New South Wales,Tasmania and Victoria. 

Leave ashore was forbidden to both the officers and the men, but members of the 1st Battalion and the 1st Field Company of Engineers were disembarked at one stage from the transport ship 'Afric'  when she came alongside to take on water in Princess Royal Harbour.

These troops marched through Albany to the acclaim of the large crowd which lined York Street in particular. A re-enactment march is to be conducted up and down York Street on the Saturday of the Albany 100 celebrations.....I had the extraordinary privilege of being a part of this. More of this later.

Other troop marches were conducted around the town (I suspect more for exercise than ceremony).  Here is a shot of Victorian soldiers marching along Stirling Terrace to the intersection with York Street (Albany Advertiser) 








and another where this contingent is being led by their bandsmen (Albany Advertiser), 













This group appear to be marching along Marine Parade, under the brow of Mount Adelaide, looking out over King George Sound and some of the assembled fleet.






To the apparent chagrin of some in the Eastern States, Albany had been chosen as the convoy assembly point for two main reasons. Firstly, King George Sound is one of Australia's largest and most sheltered deep water harbours (on a par with Port Lincoln and Sydney Harbour) and equally importantly, in 1914 the town of Albany had over 50 years' experience in the bunkering and replenishment of large ocean going cargo and cargo/passenger ships. It was ideal for purpose.

One would have expected that the WA troops would have joined their ships here, but the fact of the matter is that no Australian soldiers actually embarked in Albany...those from WA went aboard at Fremantle.

The first troop convoy, consisting of twenty-six Australian and ten NZ ships, departed King George Sound on 1 November 1914. They were joined at sea a couple of days later by the two troop ships out of Fremantle.  Protection for the convoy was provided by the Australian cruisers HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Sydney,





the British armoured cruiser HMS Minotaur, an imposing looking warship by any standards,








and one other cruiser, HIJMS Ibuki. HIJMS?....His Imperial Japanese Majesty. Improbable as it sounds given later events, Japan was an ally during the First World War. Ibuki initially escorted the Kiwi ships across the Tasman and then accompanied the convoy to Europe.

The second convoy carrying the remainder of the First Division AIF left Albany on 31 December 1914. In all, Albany farewelled 42,000 soldiers and 17,000 horses, embarked on 54 ships manned by 6,000 merchant mariners. This was a massive undertaking and one which deserves the recognition inherent in the Albany 100 event.

As a final quick aside, it was whilst en route across the Indian Ocean that the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney separated from the convoy and engaged and destroyed the German raider Emden in the battle off the Cocos-Keeling Islands.  This victory did involved a small spot of luck, but that's another story.

Enough history...lest I become totally self-indulgent, let's move on 100 years.



Our group had collectively agreed that a stroll down Stirling Terrace was in order before we headed down to the Anzac Peace Park on the waterfront at for the Navy sunset ceremony. We were not alone! Fortunately Liz was easy to spot in her purple jacket as she strode off, oblivious to my need to halt from time to time for photographic purposes.






Stirling Terrace, which runs off the bottom end of York Street overlooks Princess Royal Harbour and the Entertainment Centre, the peaked roof of which can just be seen beyond the trees.  

For this weekend it had been closed to traffic and transformed into the 'Stirling Terrace Mess Hall', a wonderful concept. Here we found folk dressed in period military costumes














supporting displays such as this 'regimental aid post',











but these were in the minority. Commercial reality ruled.  Merchandise of all variety was on offer from vendors hoping that they would cover the cost of their concessions by separating the celebrating crowds from their hard earned cash in a frenzy of impulse buying.










And of course there was the ever present need to feed and water the multitude. Some outlets catered for those interested in a take-away meal, 











whilst for those who were keen to sit at a table, indoor and alfresco dining was available in this large marquee or

in the slightly more upmarket 'Mess Hall'.

Much had been made in the pre-event publicity about the range and quality of casual meals which were to be available from the various outlets on Stirling Terrace. Local produce was heavily featured as could be expected. Here is the menu which I have lifted from the e-mail we received.

STIRLING TERRACE MESS HALL MENU
All served in the Mess Hall Canteen

Breakfast (from 7.30am each day)
Warm Torbay asparagus, ‘Over The Moon Organics’ fetta and onion frittata with grilled asparagus, balsamic onion jam

Bacon and free range egg burgers, chutney

Fluffy pancakes with macerated strawberries, whipped cream

Fluffy pancakes with lemon, sugar, whipped cream

Honey and cinnamon toasted granola muesli, honeyed ‘Over The Moon Organics’ yoghurt, poached pear, rhubarb

Lunch and dinner

‘Butterfield Beef’ burger with lettuce, Delendale Shadforth cheese, BBQ’d onions, beetroot chutney, Japanese mayo

Mt Barker Free Range Chicken burger, balsamic onion jam, lettuce, Japanese mayo

(all gourmet burgers will be served with Manjimup Royal Blue Potato chips)

Crumbed Albany sardines and Manjimup chips, homemade tartar sauce, fresh lemon

Fresh Albany fish of the day and Manjimup chips, homemade tartar sauce, fresh lemon

Red wine onion braised Butterfield Beef Oxtail, garlic & parsley buttered gourmet potatoes, carrots

Pulled Plantagenet Pork & Great Southern slaw bun with Manjimup chips

Penne napolitaine with fresh basil, parmesan

BBQ’d Albany sardines, char grilled capsicum and red onions, fresh basil, balsamic glaze baguette

Butterfield Beef mild vindaloo curry, basmati rice, pappadams

Pumpkin and coconut curry, basmati rice, pappadams

(Curry condiments: Fruit chutney, cucumber raita)

Potato and leek soup with fresh bread roll, butter

Thai chicken salad with shredded wombok, enoki mushrooms, bean shoots, crispy noodles, fresh herbs, lime dressing

For the kids

Manjimup chips with tomato sauce

Penne napolitaine with fresh basil, parmesan

I had made real plans for some fine dining, but then reality overtook my ambitions. With a simple burger coming in at $20.00 and social festivities assured at our home base in Denmark, discretion and the stony glare of The Treasurer put paid to any thoughts I had of munching on 'Pulled Plantagenet Pork'.

So, figuratively blinkered, I marched on past another great temptation, the tasting stall of the local whisky manufacturer, The Great Southern Distillery. This lot make seriously good whisky but this afternoon was not the time nor the place to indulge. 




In fact, given that on our previous visit to their distillery where we discovered that tasting comes at a cost (something like $15 a nip from memory) and the cheapest bottle on sale was in the order of $130.00, the excellent Limeburners single malt does not feature on the shelf of our mobile bar. 

I was still toying with the idea of a small spot of rebellious indulgence when I was completely distracted by one of those events which can only happen to those on the road. It was Liz who first spotted him. "Don't we know that guy over there?" "Bloody hell, we certainly do!"

Sitting in one of the Stirling Terrace pavilions watching the passing parade was none other than Allan Mitchell. Allan, a resident of Darwin, is a UN Forces colleague. I have know him for years. He was the primary organiser of our reunion held in Darwin three years ago. This was the last place I had expected to see him. Needless to say our ramble was put on hold for some time whilst we caught up.

And this was not the only 'look who's here' moment. Some time later in the evening we ran into another couple of good friends, Brigadier Tim Hanna and his lovely partner Suzie. Tim is an erstwhile member of my RSL sub-branch in Adelaide and has now moved on to become the President of the State body. His presence here was not a surprise in itself, but running into him and his good lady in the milling throng of Stirling Terrace certainly was a delightful surprise.



After a goodly chat with AM, we strolled further along the Terrace, past another row of hopeful vendors and their stalls 










until we came to the entertainment stage which had been erected under the shadow of the magnificent old building which houses the Albany campus of the University of WA. A very full programme of music of all kinds had been organised to complement the other weekend activities. I was tempted to linger longer listening to the skilled musical offerings of the bluegrass combo who were gracing the stage as we passed, but we had things to do......




.......like check out the Two Up tent. What's a WW1 or Anzac event without a venue, official or otherwise, for this iconic Aussie method of parting the punters and their pay? "Come in, spinner!"  Again I felt the phantom tug on the left earlobe....."don't even think about it, Marshie."




It was time to rejoin our social set. A phone call revealed what should have been the obvious. "Where are you, Cooky?"  "In the front bar of The George, cobber."

Like all the watering holes, restaurants and cafes which permanently line Stirling Terrace, the Royal George Hotel was in full swing and there is no show without Punch. Well, all this walking and talking is thirsty work!










Refreshed, and with sunset fast approaching, it was time to join the crowds at Anzac Peace Park on the waterfront for the Navy Sunset Ceremonial.  Again, we were not alone,








and they just kept coming in droves down York Street, over the railway line, across Princess Royal Drive and into the park. Over 40,000 visitors had crowded into Albany and the surrounding towns for this weekend. We knew that a front row seat for this event would have meant taking up position shortly after mid-day. Fortunately, so did the event organisers.....there were huge TV screens everywhere...no-one would miss out.

Traditionally flags flown on Australian navy ships or at shore establishments are lowered at sunset. Let me now quote from the official Australian Navy website.

"When full ceremonial is accorded for the lowering of colours it is known as 'Ceremonial Sunset’. In shore establishments, and those ships fitted with flight decks, it is often preceded by a 'Beat to Quarters', a practice that dates back centuries to the age of sail when a ship’s drums were beaten to summon men to quarters or action stations when battle was imminent. Today the inclusion of Beat to Quarters honours the courage and sacrifice of the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy through more than a century of service during war and peace.

Following Beat to Quarters the drummers retire to the band and the guard advances to commence the age old naval tradition of saluting the lowering of the Ensign at sunset each day. At five minutes to Sunset, the Evening Hymn, `The Day thou Gavest Lord is Ended´ is played. A volley of shots is fired by the guard during the rendering of this hymn which echoes a very old practice of saluting the knell of parting day."



The ceremony here in Albany was the real deal, and even although we were watching on big screens, we could still hear the band as it marched on and played, 








the various commands and calls as the officer of the day was advised of the approach of the setting of the sun, and the volley of shots fired just before the flag was lowered.




It was a real thrill to have been part of the spectator crowd and to have witnessed this stirring ceremony. 

Later that evening the entire northern roof of the surprisingly large Albany Entertainment Centre was the palate for a spectacular light show. It was impossible to capture this with my puny camera, but I've managed to snitch an example from one of the Albany 100 e-mails

This was a truly spectacular presentation. An accompanying sound track explained the constantly changing images during the sixty minutes or so the event lasted. And then, of course, fireworks over Princes Royal Harbour.  What an afternoon and evening it had been.

But it was now time for us to beat our own retreat and return to quarters. And here the excellence of the transport organisation really showed.  As our group approached the assembly station near the Brig Amity park, we joined a queue which was at least 500 metres long and four and more wide. We were there in our hundreds, all expecting a quick trip back to our various 'park and ride stations'. 

To my initial horror, there were only two buses waiting at the loading point.  You must be joking.....we'll still be here at midnight, was my despairing thought. What happened to the 'five minute shuttle' we had been promised? 

Oh, yea of little faith. I had no sooner begun my personal lament than a fleet of at least twenty buses materialised out of the night and joined the original two. With an efficiency which was breathtaking, all the assembled crowd were loaded and on their way in no time flat. We shuffled forward for no more than five minutes before being whisked off to our rendezvous with our mini-bus.  Seriously impressive stuff, Albany....take a very large bow!

Tomorrow was to be another very big day. The official commemorative march down York Street, the formal service of remembrance and the navy sail past. I had to form up with the marchers no later than 0900 hours which meant an 0730 hours departure out of Denmark. No nightcaps for us tonight.......it was straight to bed. We party tomorrow night!