IMPORTANCE OF THE OFFICER CADET SCHOOL

Gerard Nelson (Class of Jun '71) has asked me to put this on the Notice Board for him:

"Fellow members of the OCS tribe

I have been associated through Bob for some few years now, with the Trust, which has responsibility at this time for the Point Nepean site.

There is no doubt that the people associated with the Trust had done an excellent job in ensuring that the site has been preserved. Particularly the refurbishment and dedication of Badcoe Hall is something for which we should, all those associated with OCS should be grateful.

I have become aware that the focus of the Trust is on the role of Quarantine Station. This is understandable, however, there has been military installations on that site for a very long period of time and those installations have a right to at least equal billing in terms of the importance of the location. We were not well served by those members of the ADF or the Department of Defence were involved in the transfer of this land. I am prepared to apologise if I am wrong about this and I’m sure, all members of the tribe would like to understand the process of transferring this important piece of military history from Army.

It is relevant to consider the role that OCS played in the development of Australia. It is not an exaggeration to say that Australia would not been able to exercise political power in the region without the graduates of OCS to officer the ground forces deployed during the Malayan Emergency, Confrontation with Indonesia, and in support of the United States in the Republic of South Vietnam. Nor would Australia been able to influence events in Papua New Guinea before and during the creation of an independent state. Further, Australia would not have been able to participate in the events in Iraq without graduates plying their trade as military leaders.

This does not take into account the role the graduates have played in politics, at the State and Federal level as well as in industry and commerce. It is often forgotten that service in the military is an important part of Nation Building.

I am of the view that there is a very real danger that the Armys role at Point Nepean will be subsumed into the Quarantine Station, if action is not taken. The best way to take this action is to attend the dedication of Badcoe Hall in February 2009. Unless, we are able to demonstrate through high demand for places at that event, the Trust will be able to say that the members of the OCS tribe howsoever described are not interested in what happens to the site.

My exposure to the OCS website and particularly my interaction with the members of the Trust have caused me to consider where the spirit of OCS resides. Is the Memorial Wall the most appropriate focus for the memory of our tribe or is it the geographic location? It is important that the spirit of OCS does not die, although there is only a small percentage, based on content on the Web site, of graduates, who seemed to be really interested in perpetuating the history and spirit of OCS. Without the work of BOB DE HAAS it is unlikely that we would have any focus on OCS at all.

I look forward to seeing you all in February."