About this objectVery large painting of 7 troops (6 in unifrom and 1 in blue singlet shaving) sitting under a canvas tent. One troop wearing light horse hat. Gold frame with brass plaque attached to bottom of frame with "Tpr John Bruce CONNIE Tpr William George Ross DOWLING Tpr Frederick Henry Webb Cpl Douglas Claude Griffith MILLER Tpr Kevin Kerr WILLIAMS Tpr Robert William EVANS Tpr Esric Robinson DOWLING
Toogong Troop 6th Light Horse Regiment Orange 1939 ".
MakerAnne Marie Ingham
Medium and MaterialsAcrylic on canvas
Subject and Association Description6th Light Horse, Orange Camp, 1939
Jack Connie, of Rarawai, Gumble, with other members of the Toogong Troop, all volunteered for service after the declaration of war. Jack was not accepted because of his asthma so during the war, he worked on his farm and helped the Miller and Dowling families as their sons were away at the war. In 1944, Jack married Velma Miller, Doug’s sister who had served at the 113th Australian General Hospital, on the Oranji sailing to the Middle East to collect wounded troops, in North Queensland and later in New Guinea.
Bob Dowling and Doug Miller both enlisted in the AIF on 25 June, 1940, with consecutive army numbers. They saw active service in A1 Platoon, 2/2 Australian Machine Gun Battalion, Ninth Battalion, in the Middle East (El Alamein), New Guinea and Borneo. Bob’s diary described Doug in a Rugby game they won against the New Zealanders, with six All Blacks, the Christmas Shop when regimental funds were used to purchase goods from a shop in Alexandria, Gertie the goose, adopted as the mascot and “watch dog”, and how they scrounged trucks and equipment. Bob occasionally saw his brother, Bill, who was in the 2/1AA (anti-aircraft) Regiment that had served in Darwin and had protested that they were not AIF but FIA men-Forever in Australia- with the result that they were sent to the Middle East. Bill commented that “when we were needed we had no equipment,” (they initially trained with broomsticks for rifles) “afterwards when we had it, nobody needed us.” Bill’s unit later moved to New Guinea, Morotai and Borneo (at Balikpapan).
Bob Evans joined the AIF, 6th Motor Regiment and later went in the 1st Armoured Division to Western Australia where they were known as “chocos”( a derogatory term applied to inexperienced troops who melted under the heat of battle), but they called themselves “koalas” as they were “fed and protected by the government.” Bob later did a six week ambulance training course in Victoria and in May, 1945, went to Morotai for eight months before being discharged in January, 1946.
Freddy Webb’s sister, Lois, remembered that when Freddy was born in November, 1918, at the end of World War 1, he was wrapped in an Australian flag during the celebrations. Freddy served in New Guinea and always suffered from dermatitis from his days there in the army.
Kevin Williams enlisted in the AIF at Manildra on 22 September, 1942 and was posted to the 6th Motor Regiment, becoming a Corporal. On 17 December, 1943, he was discharged to return to the family farm because his father was ill as during war time, farming was a protected occupation to ensure food supplies in Australia, for our troops and for our Allies.
