Bishop
Frame is new patron
The
Federation welcomes on board our new patron, Dr Tom Frame, noted
naval historian and Anglican Bishop to the ADF.
In
accepting the appointment, Dr Frame said that supporting Defence
Force people and their families constituted a large part of his
work as Anglican Bishop to the ADF.
In
addition to providing pastoral oversight for the nearly 100 full-time
and part-time Anglican chaplains serving in the Navy, Army and
Air Force, he is committed to the pastoral care and spiritual
nurture of all ADF personnel irrespective of their denominational
allegiance. This includes a general concern for the material aspects
of their service.
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| Bishop
Tom Frame |
As
a former RAN member, he recalls the sense of frustration many
felt in the early 1980s that service conditions and salaries were
not keeping pace with gains being made in civilian life. It was
difficult, he said, to know whether those in senior leadership
positions within the ADF were genuinely committed to better salaries
and improved working conditions and never easy to understand why
improvements were always being delayed.
As
Dr Frame’s father (an ex-Royal Navy sailor) was an organiser
for the Federated Engine Drivers and Fireman’s Association
(FEDFA), he was conscious of the important advocacy role played
by industrial groups in the steel industry and the conspicuous
absence of such independent backing for Defence Force members.
Dr
Frame said the establishment of the Federation in 1984 was, in
itself, an enormous achievement and a significant enhancement
to the environment in which all ADF people were serving.
As
he argued in one of his books Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australia
and New Zealand, had an organisation like the Federation existed
in previous decades, many of the hardships endured by sailors
would have been the subject of greater discussion and more likely
alleviation, and not become a cause of seething discontent.
Dr
Frame said he looked forward to playing his part in the life of
the Federation and would be pleased to hear from any member that
he might be able to assist. Be assured of his support and goodwill.
