The Trade by Rudyard Kipling - Royal Australian Navy

Efforts
Recognised
HMAS Perth was a modified
Leander-class light cruiser
operated by the Royal Australian
Navy (RAN) during World War II.
She was constructed for the Royal
Navy, and commissioned as HMS
Amphion in 1936. After several
years on the North America and
West Indies Station, the cruiser was
transferred to the RAN in 1939 and
recommissioned as HMAS Perth.
At the start of World War II,
the cruiser was used to patrol
Australian waters, before being
sent to the Mediterranean at the
end of 1940. There, Perth was
involved in the battles for Greece,
Crete, and Syria before returning to
Australia in late 1941.
HMAS Perth was sunk in the
Sunda Strait just north of Java on
the night of 28 February/1 March
1942. Perth and the USS Houston
were sunk during an attack on
Japanese convoys by American,
British and Dutch ships. Of the 700
men on board the ship, about 350
died during the sinking including
Perth’s captain, Captain Hector
Waller. Those who survived the
sinking became prisoners and onethird
of them died during captivity,
many of them on the Burma-
Thailand railway.
THE TRADE
EDITION 2, 2012 10
HMAS Perth in 1940
The last 3 living survivors of HMAS Perth (D29) from Western Australia
at the 70th Anniversary Memorial Service.
State Vice President of the Naval Association of Australia (Western Australian section),
Mr Jeff Wake, presents United States Navy Commander Travis Petzoldt and his wife
Kulia with the Naval Association of Australia (WA Section) plaque.
Sailors astride one of Perth’s
main guns, 1941
The plaque, an initiative designed by USN
Commander Travis Petzoldt’s wife Kulia.
February of 2012 saw us mark the
70th Anniversary with a Memorial
Service for HMAS Perth. Project
HMAS PERTH I Memorial Service
was held on the 26th of February
2012 at St John’s Church, Fremantle.
This memorial service was attended
by the last 3 surviving members
living in Western Australia along with
various other members of the Navy
and wider community including CO
HMAS STIRLING CAPT Brett Wolski.
USN CMDR Travis Petzoldt’s wife
Kulia derived an initiative to get a
plaque designed in conjunction with
the CO of USS HOUSTON (SSN 713)
to be presented to commemorate the
loss. The plaque will be displayed on
the wall of the church, underneath
the plaque for HMAS PERTH.
The Naval Association of Australia
(Western Australian section) State
Vice President Mr. Jeff Wake
presented Travis & Kulia Petzoldt with
the Naval Association of Australia
(Western Australian section) plaque
as thanks for the facilitation and
acquisition of the plaque.
LEUT “JJ” Bonney
LEUT Jodi Bonney was born in Woodville,
South Australia and raised in Adelaide’s
Western suburbs. He enlisted in the Royal
Australian Navy at HMAS Cerberus in
January 1985 as a Radio Operator.
Over the following ten years he served in a
number of HMA Ships and Establishments
including and not limited to; Kuttabul, Jervis
Bay, Torrens, MHQ and Brisbane.
In 1995, LS Bonney transferred to
Submarines and qualified on board HMAS
Onslow in October 1996. That same year
he was awarded a Maritime Commanders
Commendation and was promoted to
PO. After qualifying, he returned to the
Submarine Training and Systems Centre
(STSC) to undergo Collins Class conversion
training.
Newly promoted LEUT ‘JJ’ Bonney, middle, hands over the reins to new
SUBFOR HQ SWO WO David Bates, left, with COMSUB CAPT Mark Potter CSC, right.
On completion of his conversion training
and after a short posting to NAVCALS
Fremantle, PO Bonney was posted to
HMAS Farncomb as the Radio Supervisor
in March 1998. He later went on to also
serve in HMA Submarines Waller and
Rankin.
PO Bonney was promoted to CPO in March
2002 and became the Chief Instructor CIS
and Petty Officer of the Watch Submarines
instructor at STSC. After his two years at
STSC he served a further three years in
STU-SM before being promoted to Warrant
Officer in November of 2006.
On promotion, WO Bonney was posted
as the Officer in Charge DEFCOMMSTA
Perth where he served until December
2008. After selection at the SWO selection
board, WO Bonney was posted to the
NEWS
SWO position in HMAS Anzac in December
2008. In 2010 he was granted a 12 month
extension; resulting in a further posting as
SWO in HMAS Toowoomba. WO Bonney
assumed the position of the Submarine
Force SWO 19 January of 2012.
Shortly after taking up this position, one
of his career ambitions was successfully
achieved and during a small local ceremony
on Friday the 11 th of May 2012, WO
Bonney was officially promoted to LEUT
Bonney by COMSUB, CAPT Mark Potter
CSC in the presence of his peers and
superiors.
After the promotion ceremony he was
presented with two gifts that denoted his
departure from the sailor ranks of his past
and welcomed into the officer ranks to
continue his naval career into the future.
He has now commenced his officer training
at HMAS Creswell, with a strong desire to
return to Submarine service in the MWO
PQ.
LEUT Bonney is married to Kim and has
five children, Jonathan, Samantha, Danelle,
Jessica and Scott and two grandsons: Irish
and Dublin.
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THE TRADE
EDITION 2, 2012