September 2023 Mark Ricka

Our speaker for the September meeting was Mark Rickard, attired in Scottish regalia . While glorying in the title of “Balmain Boy”, Mark has spent a long time in the French’s Forest area. Mark is a military man, and holds the rank of Company Sergeant Major.Dr. French owned the original sawmill in the area, and logs were transported to Terrey Hills and French’s Forest areas on the original stage coach route – the Great North Road.
While the early days of French’s Forest were used for crop growing, logging was also a major industry. The Great North Road was also used for carrying coal from Newcastle in addition to shipping the coal, where mining was thriving. With the arrival of World War 1, 3 military battalions were set up, in which not only was there training of fighting-men carried out, but also production of gunpowder for Navy use. Much of this equipment is still in place at North Head and West Head.
With the arrival of WW2, and the need to protect the east coast of Australia from possible Japanese attack, 3 military battalions were formed in the area from West Ryde to the coast. So there was a fair amount of military training in the French’s Forest area. This included, at what are now Lionel Watts playing fields, “live” hand grenade training, and one assumes the personnel were at only at the throwing and NOT the receiving end. The battalions were disbanded at the end of the war. Then in 1948, came the National Training system (the”Nashos”) therefore training continued
Mark has maintained his connection with the area training facility, and he did mention the name of a famous person who passed through the facility: Sir Arthur Roden Cutler VC. Mark has also been involved with the local surf life saving facility: 54 years ! In Marks’s view, French’s Forest, in terms of engaging in defence of our country, has much to be proud of. Peter Robson