The Junee Men’s Shed and the Junee RSL Sub-Branch have teamed up to provide the current display of the restored HMAS Junee Bell at the Junee Ex-Services Memorial Club.
President of the RSL Sub-Branch, Greg Zakharoff, told the Junee Independent the process behind the restoration.
“The good citizens of the Junee Men’s Shed made the supporting bracket for it. It was sitting by its lonesome self collecting dust, and so I thought we’d try and put it on to some sort of bracket where it can be moved safely, and displayed. That’s what they’ve done, and we have it now display pride of place at the Ex-Services Club,” he said.
“John McLaren and his boys at the Men’s shed, they tried several different ways with timber and metal, but the metal certainly turned out a stronger option to use it and painted it a nice battleship grey, so it looks good. It’s a hundred percent on what it was before, and we thanked them for that.
“We went up and had morning tea with them. It was lovely, just to chew the fat and thank them. They do a lot for the community too.
“It’s good to see different organisations working well together, especially in a small community like Junee. It is a small community, but it’s got a big heart.
“You notice that when people get ill or fall ill, there’s a response from the local community which is very good.
“You have got the Junee Can Assist and every little bit helps. Every little bit helps.
“It is part of the town’s history. The bell itself we have the last white ensign that was flying from the boat before it was decommissioned. There’s several other little things there that we have that was the model of the boat. The very first shell from a shot actually fired from the guns on the boat. That’s in our display cabinet, so it’s all come together, courtesy of the Shire Council. It’s all come together to put on a fine display of Junee relics.”
HMAS Junee was one of 60 versatile Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, a class initially conceived as “Australian Minesweepers” to obscure their true anti-submarine capabilities. Laid down by Poole and Steel at Balmain, Sydney, on 17 February 1943, she was launched on 16 November of the same year by Mrs Rosevear, wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. She was the first RAN warship to carry the name of the medium-sized town in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Commissioned on 11 April 1944 under the command of Lieutenant George E. Wood RANR(S), the 650-ton vessel, stretching 186 feet, was ready for war.
Junee’s wartime career began quietly but ended with a blaze of glory. After a brief stint in New Guinea waters, she was deployed to Darwin in June 1944. For months, she performed the vital but unglamorous duties of anti-submarine patrol and survey work, steaming some 28,000 miles without incident. Following a refit in Melbourne in February 1945, Junee returned to New Guinea in April for convoy escort and patrol duties.
Her moment of action came in August 1945. While steaming through the Sangir Islands north of the Celebes, Junee encountered the enemy. In the Rouang Passage, she engaged and sank three Japanese supply barges, finally firing her weapons in anger. The cessation of hostilities on 15 August found her serving as the harbour defence ship at Balikpapan.
The end of war marked the beginning of a new, humanitarian mission. In September, Junee participated in the evacuation of Australian prisoners-of-war from Amboina. She later evacuated civilians from Menado and assisted in transporting occupation forces. Through October and November, she supported the re-establishment of Dutch authority in the Netherlands East Indies, with her crew witnessing official ceremonies at Ternate and Kendari. Having steamed 52,541 miles on war service, she returned to Melbourne and was paid off into reserve on 21 January 1946. For her efforts, she earned the battle honours “New Guinea 1943” and “Pacific 1944–45”.
Junee’s story was far from over. On 25 February 1953, she was recommissioned, this time as a training ship, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Cecil J. Cochran RAN. Converted for her new role with her wartime armament replaced by two 40mm Bofors guns, she became a familiar sight along the Australian coast.
Initially operating on the east coast, she was reassigned to Fremantle in August 1953. For the next four years, she played a crucial role in shaping the next generation of Australian sailors, operating extensively in western and north-western waters. In early 1957, she made a nostalgic return to New Guinea, visiting Port Moresby, Manus, Madang, and Samarai. By the time she berthed at Fremantle for the final time on 8 June 1957, she had steamed an additional 64,508 miles as a trainer, bringing her grand total to an astonishing 117,049 miles.
HMAS Junee paid off for the last time on 21 August 1957.
– Jack Murray
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