Another Great Sunday Luncheon - 24 May 26

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreational Park. Visitors are welcome. 

The Best Restaurant in Town!

Each month on a Sunday "The Hut", our sub-branch premises becomes the best restaurant in town. 

Thanks to Master Chefs Elizabeth and Tony B, we experienced another top luncheon last Sunday.  They produced a lunch to die for with chicken cacciatore, lasagne and side salad. A limoncello tiramisu created by Jacquie O (No, not that one) added to the culinary magic.

Then there was entertainment by our favourite fake Texan, Clive T horsing around. We can always rely on Clive to provide us with a good hearty laugh as he easily slips into a variety of roles, even managing occasionally to change gender.

Clive the Texan chatting with Jan T

His horse would have made any real Texan cry for a week and maybe a few Men from Snowy River fall off their horses laughing.

All of us in attendance had a good time with excellent food, good refreshments served by our bar team, Andrew H and Craig D, and as always, very good company.

This is one of the benefits of being a member of our sub-branch. 

Here's a full shot of the 'orse and rider

It's not all Sunday lunches and horsing about. Most Fridays we are open for members, visitors, and we particularly like to have members from other RSL sub-branches call in for a chat.

If you live in the Barossa or are planning to visit, why not plan to visit us?

RAAF to Replace C27J Spartan Aircraft

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreational Park. Visitors are welcome. 

The RAAF is planning to retire the fleet of Spartan aircraft to obtain a replacement that is a short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft similar to the Caribou.

Australia is retiring its entire C‑27J Spartan battlefield airlifter fleet as part of a major reshaping of defence spending. The government is reallocating billions toward long‑range strike, missiles, and northern-base upgrades, and the Spartans have been deemed not fit for the missions Australia now prioritises.

The Spartans were originally purchased for battlefield transport, especially into rough, short airstrips. (Remember the Caribou).
In practice, they were rarely used in combat roles and instead shifted to humanitarian and disaster‑relief tasks.

The Defence Strategic Review concluded the aircraft no longer align with Australia’s strategic needs, especially with the shift toward long‑range deterrence in the Indo‑Pacific.

Retiring the fleet frees up significant funding for higher‑priority capabilities.

Critics argue the decision wastes a major investment and leaves a gap in short‑range airlift capacity. Supporters say the move is necessary to modernise and focus on capabilities relevant to future conflict scenarios.

It will be interesting to read about the replacement when the decision is made.

How NCOs Keep Trainees Going

Have you visited us yet? Fridays from 5 pm at Tanunda Recreational Park. Visitors are welcome. 

A Story About Corporal Hale, a training officer.

Corporal Mina Hale tightened her boots at dawn on a remote training range outside Townsville, the cicadas a steady, familiar drum. She’d joined the Australian Defence Force to see the world, but years of deployments had taught her the quieter lessons: how to listen, how to steady someone whose hands shook, how to find humour in the smallest moments.

That morning they were running a joint exercise with reserve medics. A young recruit, Pte Jonah, froze during a casualty simulation — the scenario had triggered memories of a real convoy ambush he'd read about. 

Mina walked over without fanfare, crouched, and asked one simple question: “What’s the first thing you see?” Jonah blinked, focused on a tiny, pointless sticker on his own sleeve. The distraction broke the spiral. Mina guided him through breaths and tasks, and together they finished the drill cleanly.

Between exercises, Mina told stories about her grandmother, who had ridden horses and fixed radios during wartime. She spoke softly about leadership as service, not rank. The recruits listened, laughter and quiet questions weaving through the air like the smoke from their morning tea. Later, when the skies went gold, Mina and Jonah sat on the back of a truck, sharing stale biscuits and a thermos. He admitted he’d worried he’d never be steady under pressure. She pointed to the horizon and said, “You don’t have to carry it alone.”

Years later, Jonah would recall that day not for the drills but for a corporal who taught him courage wasn’t the absence of fear but the steadying hand that lets you act despite it.

In small, patient ways — a word, a gesture, a story — ADF personnel like Mina keep one another ready, resilient, and human.