RAISE YOUR GLASS TO MAKE A TOAST,
TO SHIP MATES FAR TO SHIP MATES CLOSE,
WHERE ERE THEY ARE BOTH NEAR AND FAR,
REMEMBER THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE.

30 YEARS HAVE PASSED US BY, 16 MARCH HOW TIME DOES FLY.
THE GLOUCESTER CUP GAVE HER , HER FAME,
GUNNERY WAS HER DEADLY GAME.
TO VIETNAM WE WENT UNTOLD,
SOME WHERE YOUNG SOME WHERE OLD.

THE SHIP WE KNOW BOTH BOLD AND NEW,
WAS SURE TO PASS AND GET US THRU.
FROM GUNS TO BOILERS AND RADAR TOO,
EACH SAILOR HAD HIS JOB TO DO.
THE COOKS THE GREENIES AND GUNNERS TOO,
ALL HAD A JOB WITH THIS WE KNEW.

OLE CHARLIE HAD US ON THE LINE
THE CHEEK HE GAVE US WE DID NOT DECLINE,
OUR GUNS SPOKE FAST
OUR AIM WAS TRUE.

CHARLIE WAS STUFFED THIS WAS TRUE.
WE WORKED WE PLAYED,
WE DRANK WE SANG , WE EVEN WENT TO SAMBAWANG.

TO ALL OF YOU TO ALL OF US,
BE JUSTLY PROUD OF WHAT YOU DO.

NOW AS THIS POEM DOES UNFOLD,
I'M SURE YOU'LL SEE THE TRUTH BEHOLD.
T'WAS A NIGHT IN VIETNAM,
WE ALL WERE TOLD,
A GHOSTLY FIGURE DID UNFOLD

THE NUMBERS 39 ME BOYS "THE FINEST OF THEM ALL"

ETHEL SENDS

WRITTEN BY ALLAN ETHERINGTON

IN MEMORY OF 30 YEARS PASSING OF THE THIRD DEPLOYMENT TO VIETNAM
AND TO ALL MY SHIPMATES WHERE EVER YOU ARE.
16^th MARCH 1970

SIC FORTIS HOBARTIA CREVIT
15 MARCH 2000

Reproduced with permission of Allan, given
at the Sydney ANZAC March 2000.

Berthed at the Fleet Base ANZAC DAY 2000