Aunty contributes to 21st birthday

AB Bob Waugh, who has never seen Patrol Boat and Chief Petty Officer George Massouras, who remembers it well, with ABC Far North Queensland manager Ian Hill after the presentation.

The ship’s company of HMAS Townsville (LCDR Jeff Goedecke) can now step back in time thanks to a small 21st birthday present.

To mark 2002 as the Fremantle-Class patrol boat’s 21st birthday, the ABC searched its archive vaults in Sydney and transferred a number of episodes of the series of Patrol Boat from film to DVD. Produced in the early 80s, the last episodes of the series featured a near-new HMAS Townsville bearing the name of HMAS Defiance.

ABC Far North Queensland manager Ian Hill presented the DVDs to LCDR Goedecke during a ceremony off Cairns as part of the boat’s recent annual sea day for families.

LCDR Goedecke said the episodes would prove popular with junior sailors too young to remember Patrol Boat and senior sailors who could relive old memories.

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