Quiet Lion Anzac Pilgrimage To Thailand 2006

By Neil MacPherson

Our Tour party of 89 people, from four states, included 24 High School age students with teachers, led by Tour Leader Eric Wilson and Assistant Tour Leader Neil MacPherson met up in Bangkok on the 22nd April. The tour included participants from Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, and Victoria; the 11 day tour was fully booked 5 months prior to departure. The students came from Esperance, Carnamah and Nambour High Schools; Mandurah RSL Sub branch and the Peel Health Centre each sponsored one cadet. The five Nambour students included three cadets, the War Veterans EDA Society of W.A. and the Wagin Lion’s Club each sponsored a student. All students were partly subsidised by the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. Details of the Association with Tour details can be found on our web site www.btrma.org.au Leonie McGaw our BTRMA Queensland representative organised the Queensland group. The Ramsay Group’s Hollywood Private Hospital sponsored two of their nurses; this has become a tradition over many years. Five Burma Railway Veterans, Keith Flanagan, Bill Haskell, Neil MacPherson, Ernie Redman and Owen Heron attended, paying their own costs to provide an accurate story for the group. Keith, Bill, Owen and Neil are all members of the BTRMA Management Committee. Barry May, Chaplain for the W.A. Police Force and BTRMA Committee member conducted both the Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass and the 11am service at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. Neil MacPherson delivered the now traditional Anzac Day Annual POW address, Bill Haskell read the Ode. The five ex POWs were given the honour of laying the first two wreaths, from the Quiet Lion Tour and the W.A. Ex POW Association. Our five Defence Service Cadets played an important part in the wreath laying ceremony escorting each of the wreath-laying dignitaries to the Memorial. As usual many family members of ExPOWs were in the tour group, of particular mention were the 11 NSW members of Bill Waterford’s family, Bill and his brother John were in the 2/18th Battalion both worked on the railway. The Thailand Tigers played against the visiting Hong Kong Dragons for the 2nd ANZAC Commemorative Cup at the Kanchanaburi Sports Stadium. This AFL rules football match was played in 40 degree plus heat with the Quiet Lion Tour members as VIP guests. The continuing interest and support from both the student groups and the public is most heartening and again we expect to fill the 2007 tour as soon as we announce final costs and the final program in September. An Expression Of Interest application form can be accessed on our web site under Tour Information, a means of reserving a place on our list, subject to a deposit payment in September.

Neil MacPherson

WX16572 - Williams Force - Burma Railway