Royal Victoria Regiment Association
Representative Colonel: Her Excellency Professor the Honorable Margaret Gardner AC Govenor of Victoria.
Patron: Major General The Honourable Justice Greg Garde AO RFD (Retd)
News from 2023
Dedication of the WO2 Mark Broemmer Kitchen
The dedication of the WO2 Mark Broemmer Kitchen went extremely well, as planned, at 11 o’clock on 30 Nov 2023.
In attendance we had 10 members of the Broemmer family, key being his wife Monica.
In addition we had members from the 8/7 RVR Historical Collection, Sebastopol RSL, one part-time member travelling from Sunshine, having served alongside WO2 Broemmer for quite some time, and another from Melbourne, who though he is now involved in the Public Relations side within Defence, had previous ties working with Mark and was well known by his family – this member used his cameras to good effect throughout the dedication.
The Operations Officer, MAJ Chris Fox opened on behalf of the unit by welcoming everyone and explaining the relevance of why we were there. He then invited PTE George Brown (who joined with Mark back in 1980), and WO2 Trevor Beales, both having a history of serving alongside WO2 Mark Broemmer during Mark’s 37 years serving with the unit, to say a few words. Highlighted, sometimes anecdotally, were Marks dedication and commitment to his job, often capably assisted by his wife Monica, the longevity of his service including initially being infantry through to deployment on disaster relief operations, with a focus on passing on his skills and knowledge to future generations of catering staff. A few tears were shed within the room.
Overall a touching and memorable event.
Monica Broemmer and family deeply appreciated the effort made by 8/7 RVR and the financial support in the form of $500 provided by the RVR Association to make this dedication happen. It was also emphasised that both the unit and the Association would be there for them in the future should the need arise.
Mark’s wife, Monica, was then asked to step forward and unveil the framed portrait of Mark and the dedication plaque, significantly concealed behind a map of Puckapunyal, a place where he had prepared more than a few meals during his time. Monica then uncovered the wooden plate above the door to the kitchen which now bears his name.
Others were asked if they would like to add a few words, but with no further offers, the family was asked to partake in a catered morning tea, with all becoming involved in having a chat with the family.
He was a Militiaman for approximately 10 years in the late 20’s and 30’s, then was appointed to Company Commander in 2/7 Bn. During the Battle of Bardia, his B Coy was Under Command 2/5 Bn at the time.
Alister spent some time researching Militia life in the 1930’s, the raising of the AIF Bn’s, establishing Pucka, their training after raising, then their part of the attack in some detail.
Alistair has allowed us to make the electronic version of the book available on the Association web site.
Thankyou Alistair.