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FAREWELL:
Families wave the Australian flag as HMAS Toowoomba leaves Fleet
Base West bound for the Gulf. The ship paused to scatter the
ashes of former WRAN, Mrs Kathleen Smith, the grandmother of
Toowoomba’s Operations Officer, LEUT Lindsay Sojan.
Photo: ABPH Joanne Edwards
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HMAS Toowoomba (CMDR Jaimie Hatcher) paused
off Cottesloe Beach on departure to the Gulf to pay respects to a member
of the Navy family.
The ashes of Mrs Kathleen Smith (nee Taft), grandmother of LEUT Lindsay
Sojan (Toowoomba’s Operations Officer), were scattered just off the
Western Australian Coast as family members watched from the beach. Mrs Smith
served in the WRANS as a Leading Coder at Flinders Naval Depot during WWII
and had requested her ashes be scattered by her grandson.
To signify the event to those on shore, the ship blew black smoke from its
funnel.
Toowoomba departed on January 4 to commence passage to the Gulf. She is
the 15th RAN ship rotation to take part in Coalition operations since 2001.
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