Rod Sawford (Port Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Saturday, 10 February, was a stark reminder of one of the great naval tragedies in peacetime in Australia, and that is the sinking of the Voyager, the Daring class destroyer that on 10 February 1964 was cut in half by the aircraft carrier Melbourne, with the loss of 82 lives—81 naval personnel and one naval employee. On Saturday morning at the Naval Memorial Gardens in Adelaide, I, along with others, attended the 43rd anniversary of the sinking of the Voyager. Navy chaplain Ray Prettijohn led the ceremony, and people from all over Australia attended the memorial service. On the Saturday night I also attended the reunion at the Port Adelaide Naval Association. It was a stark reminder that when you serve in Australian military forces, even in peacetime, it can be a very dangerous occupation, one that creates lasting memories for the families. To all of the people involved, particularly the committee who organised the memorial service and the dinner, I say congratulations.