150th Anniversary – Events on 1 Aug

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Good morning Victorian Gunners, friends and associates,


The 1st of August is the 150th Anniversary of Artillery in Australia. There are events being run around the country to celebrate our 150th birthday, commencing with a series of co-ordinated events on 1 Aug centred on a national Fireplan. 


COVID-willing the 150th Anniversary events in Victoria will be going ahead on 1 Aug (two weeks time). This is a great opportunity to celebrate our 150 years of gunnery in Australia, and specifically in Victoria where we have some of the oldest artillery history and fired the first round of WWI.

In summary there are three locations for the events:

  • The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne – 1130-1300
  • Fort Queenscliff (Fort and Museum) – 0930-1130
  • South West Cannon Trail, Warrnambool – 0900-1500

Details below. These events will be in accordance with VIC State Govt Covid-19 restrictions, a QR Code has been created for the three events.

The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne – 1130-1300

The forecourt and firing point at the Shrine will host a number of activities including a static display (featuring 12lb Armstrong Gun for Werribee Half Bty, 2/4 Fd Regt 25lb gun) and firing by 2/10 Bty as part of the National Salute.


The timeline for the day is as follows:

  • 0900: Commence Set Up
  • 1045: Arrival and set up 2/10 Bty
  • 1115: VIP Arrival
  • 1130: Ceremonial gunline established
  • 1130 – 1145: Welcome Address COL Cooke, outline of events and brief history of Victorian Gunnery
  • 1145 – 1215: 12 LB display – brief history of Gun no 370, Werribee and Chrinside Family FB Gun drill in period uniform
  • 1215 – 1230: 25 LB display, and history of 2/4 Fd Regt – Syria, Lae, Ramu Valle FB Gun Drill
  • 1230 – 1240: Set up for salute
  • 1240 – 1245: Conduct of salute
  • 1245: Final Address
  • 1250: End of ceremony

If you would like to help setup we will be there from 9am, otherwise we will see you at ~1130. 
A few 2/15 and 2/10 members will be meeting at the Botanical Hotel, Domain Rd, South Yarra for drinks at 11am. 


The Bty has invited all back to Sargood Barracks for lunch and drinks following the activities at the Shrine. Timings TBA – will be after the activities but allowing for the Bty members to clean the guns. If you are thinking of attending the Bty after the Shrine, please RSVP so the Bty can plan for catering.

Fort Queenscliff (Fort and Museum) – 0930-1130

SGT Helen Janner and the 10 Mdm Regt Assoc have arranged for the Fort Queenscliff fort and museum to be open on the day. There will be an address, a tour of the museum and morning tea.


The timeline for the day is as follows:

  • 0900: Open up Fort and prepare the Museum
  • 0930: Commence with opening address
  • 0940: Commence Tour of Museum
  • 1045: Morning Tea
  • 1100: Short Address – President 10 MDM REGT ASSOC 
  • 1130: End of event 

Lunch at the local RSL has been organised following the events at the fort.

South West Cannon Trail – 0900-1500

The Warrnambool City Council has established the South West Cannon Trail (https://visitwarrnambool.com.au/itineraries-2/south-west-cannon-coastline-trail/) and is supporting the 150th Anniversary with a number of events. There are three gun emplacements, Warrnambool, Portland and Port Fairy, featuring 80lb rifled cannons dating back to 1860. There will be blank firings with re-enactment crews at each location across the day.


The timeline for the day is as follows:

  • 0900: One round salute – Portland
  • 1200: One round salute – Port Fairy
  • 1500: One round salute – Flagstaff Hill, Warrnambool

The Flagstaff Hill location will be the main one and may host other activities.

This will be a great day for the gunner community in Victoria. All events will be supported by Army and local media. I encourage you to come out to one of the events and enjoy the history.

Saint Barbara’s Day

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Saint Barbara is the Patron Saint of Gunners, and we celebrate the 4th Dec as Saint Barbara’s Day. There will be gunner social activities close to this date.

Unveiling of the Werribee Gun

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We are planning to officially unveil the 1864 manufactured Werribee Gun Armstrong 12 pounder on Sunday, 12 September. The Werribee Half Battery are still working on finalising the details. It will be held in Werribee around lunchtime and will be a significant event.

150th Anniversary National FirePlan and Displays

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The major activity currently scheduled is for our birthday – 1 August. There will be a nationally coordinated fireplan, based around the Shrine. 2/10 Bty will be firing an 18-gun salute with the M2A2s as part of the national fireplan. Supporting this will be static displays (perhaps firings) of current equipment, 25 Pdrs, the Armstrong Gun and anything else we can muster. Colonel Cooke and Brigadier Perry are co-ordinating with many organisations such as Army (School of A and the Bty), the Werribee Half Battery and other historical/re-enactment groups. We will be working with the Shrine to see what else can be included. This will be an exciting day and definitely something for the calendar.
Coastal Gunnery is also a critical piece of our history and we are working to get activities to run on that day at Point/Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff. We are also looking at an activity in Warrnambool.

ANZAC Day

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2/10 Bty will hold a Dawn Service (5:45), Gunfire Breakfast (05:00) and light breakfast after the service (06:30). Please consider attending and if you plan on attending, please RSVP to LT Michael Camilleri on 0401 717 063 or michael.camilleri2@defence.gov.au.

Update on 150th Anniversary Events

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As we’ve mentioned in the past, 2021 is the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of permanent artillery in Australia. At the committee meeting this week there was much discussion around activities – whilst there are some nationally coordinated events with a focus on NSW, we are focussing on facilitating events in Victoria, especially given our rich Australian Artillery heritage.

The major activity currently scheduled is for our birthday – 1 August. There will be a nationally coordinated fireplan, based around the Shrine. 2/10 Bty will be firing an 18-gun salute with the M2A2s as part of the national fireplan. Supporting this will be static displays (perhaps firings) of current equipment, 25 Pdrs, the Armstrong Gun and anything else we can muster. Colonel Cooke and Brigadier Perry are co-ordinating with many organisations such as Army (School of A and the Bty), the Werribee Half Battery and other historical/re-enactment groups. We will be working with the Shrine to see what else can be included. This will be an exciting day and definitely something for the calendar.

Coastal Gunnery is also a critical piece of our history and we are working to get activities to run on that day at Point/Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff. We are also looking at an activity in Warrnambool.

Whilst 1 Aug is the most significant activity, there are a number of other events being discussed for the year:

  • Another social gathering at the Cranbourne RSL such as the one run by Lisa and Phil in 2019
  • A cocktail function similar to the one being planned for Sydney in Oct
  • 2/10 Battery functions
  • Ongoing webcasts from the Bty BC, Major James Eling, and reinstating the Gunner Symposium evenings at the battery.
  • Unveiling of the 12lb Armstrong Gun by the Werribee Half Battery on 12 Sept.
  • Hopefully a dinner/St. Barbara’s Day event at the end of the year.

As details firm up, we will share them.There are also some activities being organised by the Australian Artillery Association (the national body) and details can be found on the https://australianartilleryassociation.com website.Two calls to action:

  1. Put 1 Aug in your diary and plan to get to one of the anniversary events
  2. We will need some help. We anticipate there will be an increased need for coordination, logistics, communication help as we get closer to events. If you’ve got time we’d love some help. Please reach out to me.


Oh, and don’t forget the Shrine is running their Last Post every Sunday at 4:45. The Battery also fires salutes on key dates – the next one will the the Queens Birthday.