Kokoda Angles Treks
The above photo is a depiction of stretcher bearer
Leslie "Bull" Allen MM, age 26 , of Ballarat, Victoria,
carrying a wounded American soldier to safety.
The soldier had been knocked unconcious by a
mortar bomb. Allen carried out twelve American casualties
while under fire on Mount Tambu and for his gallentry
he received the United States Silver Star.
He also won the Military Medal (MM)
as a private on February 7th 1943
Our Founder Mack McCormack is an ex serving member of the Special Air Services Regiment Australia. Mack has established a support program based on the ethos of “Who Dares Cares” and “Never Leave Your Mates Behind”.
M.A.T.E.S stands for –
Military
Acquaintance
Through
Effort and
Services
On this basis, Mack has established a program to go back into the Countries where the SAS and/or our Forefathers, the 2/2 (second second), 2/1 (second first) independent rifle companies operated during times of war.
This program is to acknowledge the special bond between our Soldiers/Members and the local Indigenous people, for without their assistance it would have been impossible to conduct the Guerilla Warfare/Jungle fighting that Australians are famous for.
Mack holds the following positions:
· Vice President of the SAS Association (National)
· Business Development Officer of the SAS Association (National)
· Treasurer of the SAS Association (WA Branch)
· Assistant Editor of the “Rendeavous” (SAS Members Magazine)
· Assistant Welfare Officer of the SAS Association (WA Branch)
· SAS Resources Trust – Mack/Saferight is a major supporter of the Trust. There are currently discussions regarding Mack representing the SAS Association on the Resources Trust.
As a fundraiser conducted by the SAS Resources Trust a duplicate set of Benjamin Roberts-Smith VC medals and memorabilia including a copy of his Victoria Cross was put up for auction. Mack/Saferight has purchased the medals for an undisclosed five figure sum and has donated the VC and associated memorabilia back to the SAS Association (WA Branch).
East Timor Campaign
During the WWII the Australian Government decided to send “independent rifle companies” (Special Forces) to areas such as East Timor and Rebel PNG. In most cases these troops of approximate numbers 350 were wiped out by Japanese Forces which numbered approximately 20,000 in any of the given areas. However, due to the special relationship and bonding between the 2/2 (Western Australian) and the Hills people of East Timor, our Forefathers were able to not only survive for seven months of living off the land, but to engage the enemy to the point where 20,000 troops were held up predominantly in the City/Town of Dili and were fearful to travel into the Hills for the threat of ambush by the members of the 2/2 and their Timorese friends. Unfortunately when the 2/2 was finally withdrawn from East Timor, the Timorese people paid a horrendous revenge by the Japanese who killed approximately 40,000 Timorese people.
On this basis, there is clearly a special relationship between the members of the SAS Association (2/2) and the people of East Timor. The M.A.T.E.S program has been set up under the ethos of “Never Leave Your Mates Behind” whereby our members are going back into East Timor in support of the local people.
Papua New Guinea Campaign
Under the same ethos, there is clearly a special relationship between Australia and the Hills people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). For without the assistance of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, we don’t believe it would have been possible to defeat the Japanese Army on the Kokoda Campaign. As such, our members have gone back into the Owen Stanley Ranges and under our M.A.T.E.S program, established a support program to not only encourage tourism into this Region but also acknowledge the special relationship between our members and the Kokoda Angels of the Owen Stanley Ranges. (Please note the Indigenous people do not like to be called “Fuzzy Wuzzies” as they believe it is a derogative term. They also prefer to speak Central Highland and not Pigeon English which they refer to “as baby talk”).
On this basis, the M.A.T.E.S program has sponsored the local Hills people in establishing their own trekking company due to concerns raised that Australian Trekking Companies were exploiting the local Indigenous people where they were charging extortionate rates ($7k) for people to walk the track but only paying your Local Porters $10 a day one way to carry the huge loads to Kokoda at which point they were left to walk back to Port Moresby by their own means and with no pay. Our personal opinion is that this is reprehensible and shows no respect to the people of PNG and the special relationship forged by war. See Kokoda Angels Trekking.
SAS Resources Trust (3)
These Trusts have been established to support SAS members in the following areas:
Trust No 1 – Was established to support the members affected by the Black Hawk disaster.
Trust No 2 – Was established to support the War Widows of SAS members. (We are seeking a better name than War Widows and would value input/suggestions on this matter).
Trust No 3 – Was established to support current serving members in Afghanistan and Iraq who spent approximately six months away from their family. It acknowledges the need for families to be reunited in a non stressful environment and is all about maintaining the family unit. For without the family unit and the support of the families of the SAS members, the SAS cannot function. This program is designed to provide a well earned break/respite for the family members to re-bond and catch up on quality time. Project Excalibur has been set up to provide holiday destinations in support of Trust No 3 and the families of the SAS.
Project Brathwaite
These two programs have been set up by the SAS Association members as support programs in two different areas. Project Brathwaite is a program set up to support ex members of the SAS who have sustained injuries during their time at the Regiment/Overseas service. These members are quite often unable to hold down full time jobs/work due to the injuries that they have sustained. Therefore the Australian Government provides a pension called TPI (Total and Permanent Injuries). Although the Government is trying to support these ex members, there is a shortfall in the writing of the policies which covers TPI dependence. This shortfall does not allow TPI recipricants to work or have meaningful life direction.
Unfortunately, this program forces our TPI members to go from being Action Jackson adventure personnel (similar to a Bear Grills) and forces them to become “couch potatoes”. For if our TPI members are reported for doing worthwhile or meaningful activities, e.g. gardening, they are reported by members of the public who may have concerns on how their taxes are being utilised with the net result of our members being threatened by the Government with having their TPI pension taken away. We don’t mean to be negative, but we feel that this policy is reprensible as it fails to acknowledge the valued service that these members have provided in the defence of our Country and what all Australians hold most dear to their hearts “our freedom”.
On this basis, Project Brathwaite has been set up to provide worthwhile pursuits on projects such as the restoration of a wooden crayfishing boat. This program has similarities to “Men and their Sheds”. For more information on Project Brathwaite, please follow the link.
Mack as the new Business Development Officer for the SAS Association (National) is suggesting a new program which will be a combination of Project Brathwaite and Project Excalibur and designed to support both serving and ex-serving members. This program will be focused where ex serving members can utilise skills in areas such as adventure tourism and community support programs in remote areas such as the Kimberley, Princess Regent, Horizontal Waterfalls, etc, etc, and will provide holiday activities for current members of the Regiment and their families as well as providing cost effective holidays and activities for the general community as a low cost entry point into this remote region of Western Australia which has up to date been prohibitively expensive for people to holiday in this magnificent region of Western Australia. This website will be updated as new information comes to hand in regards to this new program which will utilise the private vessel “Lissa” as a support mothership, houseboats, sea planes and fast response vessels.
We spent three months in Timor in support of promoting tourism in East Timor. This included adventure sports activities such as diving, fishing and the running of the first Dili Peace Marathon and Fun Run. Based on our efforts there was a significant article covering sports fishing on the Eastern tip of East Timor/Jacko Island in National Australian Fishing Association.
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