Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001
Subject: Woomera
Great to see you are keeping the spirit of Woomera alive.
I was 3 months old when my parents moved there in 1962. We stayed until 1979, so they must have liked it. My dad, John Shortt worked for WRE as a radio tradesman and my Mum, Dorothy worked at the post office, the laundry, and Nurrungar as a waitress/kitchenhand. Everyone loved my Mum because of her great sense of humour and happy disposition. Sadly, she passed away on June 3rd, 1998 after a 2 year battle with cancer. We all miss her terribly and if any of her old friends out there would like to contact me please do. I remember Dot Goodall from the laundry, but most of the names I forget.
As for me, I have two sisters Jane and Joan. I don't see Joan much, but have regular contact with Jane.
I was in the Girl Guides and remember, Rebecca Swan, Rachel Littler, Faith Markey, Phillipa McAdams and Tammy Bell (USA). There are so many great people I can't possibly list them now. If anyone wants to write, I'd love to hear from you and hope to see many of you at the reunion in July 2001.
Cheers, Ruth
E-mail: oneillrj@ihug.com.au
Date: Mon, 5 Mar 2001
Subject: Woomera
My parents, Geoff and Larraine Smith, are currently trying to contact Mike Myers and his wife Cheryl?? They lived next door to us in Guruwa Street, Number 13. Mike had a pet Galah named Wiper whom we all signed a petition so that he could take Wiper back with him to the states.
If anyone knows where Mike or his family is, we would love to hear from you.
"Rebecca"
E-mail: rayjon@winshop.com.au
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001
Subject: Woomera 1986-1987
What a great surprise it was to find your site!!!! I was stationed at Woomera from 1986-87. Had a really great time there.
The people of Woomera and Australia were the friendliest I have ever come across. Needless to say, when I returned to the US in 1987, I had severe culture shock. I wasn't ready for the rudeness of the American public, even though I was American.
The competition level of sports in Woomera was tremendous. I played footy and softball for one of the clubs there, and even tried out for the baseball team Woomera had. The drive the Aussies had to win was incredible. That drive also carries here in Southern California as I had the chance a couple years ago to play in the Southern California Australian Football league. With my prior experience of having played in Woomera, it was all the more exciting to play and teach other Americans here. The league was mostly made up of Australians living in the states who wanted to keep the game away from their homeland.
I have searched for information about Woomera during the last couple years and have found several changes have occurred. But my memories of Woomera as it was in 1986/87 will always remain with me, as well as my hundreds of photos of Australia I had taken while I was there.
I would like to hook up with anyone who was there during this time or even after this time so I can find out about friends who I have lost touch with. You can contact me at the e-mail address below. Thanks again for the great website!!!!
Dayn Meisner
1986-87
E-mail: dayngbpnut@yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001
Subject: New e-mail address
Please note, my new e-mail address is raynor@tik.com.au. There is also an address for RAAFA ACS (RAAF Association, Airfields Construction Squadrons) branch e-mail - it is raafaacs@tik.com.au. Please don't forget to change your address books.
Regards
Ray and Norma Smith
E-mail: raynor@tik.com.au
Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001
Subject: Woomera
I was stationed at Woomera during 1971 and 1972 with the USAF. What a great assignment made even better by the wonderful people living in Woomera. It's been almost thirty years and yet seems like yesterday as I remember all the good times had while working at the site.
Would love to know about some of the people who
I worked with. A good friend in the RAAF, Bob Cary, from Hobart,
was on my crew - I would love to be able to contact him again. We
tried to out drink each other, but both usually lost the contest.
We (the Americans) started a softball league,
had lots of fun with it.
I would appreciate anyone remembering me to e-mail me. It would be great to go over old times.
Charlie Kyger
E-mail: kygerc@aol.com
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001
Subject: Woomera Newsletter
A few years ago, I discovered a wonderful article (I believe called Woomera - the forgotten Cape Kennedy) written by an employee there.
I wrote to the author telling him how, as
a boy growing up in North West London, Woomera fired my imagination. I
used to thrill to Science Fiction writers like Hugh Walters who wrote a
whole series of books about a team of astronauts who visited every planet
in the Solar System (even Mercury). He would have his plucky (and mostly
British) space cadets lift-off in increasingly grandiose spaceships from
Woomera Space Port. I guess these had been written in the Fifties and Sixties
as the earliest of them would show a rocket landing - looking suspiciously
like a German V-2. Later covers showed Apollo-style craft as the publishers
and I began to realize that the future of space travel, at least in the
near future, would belong to the
U.S.
Much to my surprise he wrote back. He even offered to put me on a newsletter mailing list if I supplied a mailing address. I was delighted. When I lost my data due to a systems crash, I was rather less delighted...so I couldn't even reply. I believe he was or still is some sort of Communications Director...I remember now, as I write this, thinking 'God he MUST be bored to write to me'.
So, here is my request(s):
1. If anyone knows a URL (or even hard-copy) of of this article, could I please obtain a link, etc.
2. Could you (or someone) put me in touch with the author as I would still love to get copies of that Newsletter ... especially by mail.
You've done a lovely job with with the site. Thank you, in advance for any help that could be offered!
Sincerely
Stephen Leader
San Francisco, USA
E-mail: sleader@yahoo.com
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Memories of Woomera |
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