Navy League of Australia - State Divisions

Australian Navy Cadet Centenary

HISTORY

1907 - 2007

AUSTRALIAN NAVY CADETS
A brief History of the Centenary
Celebrated by Navy League of Australia - 1st July 2007.

1903 - The formation of Australian Commonwealth Navy Cadet Corps (ANC) was authorised by the Defence Act 1903, in the early days of Federation.
At that time there were two privately run Navy Cadet groups. The late author Wilson Evans, in his book "Deeds Not Words"(1971), commented on a CPO Kearns' activities who was forming cadet groups, the first in c1901, which by 1903 was holding its third annual Navy Cadet camp on the old Victorian Colony's defence island, Swan Island, Port Phillip. This island became part of the Australian Government's Defence Department on 1st March 1901.
1903 was a year when another private Sea cadet unit was formed in Ballarat, Victoria probably with the support of CPO Kearns, who was known throughout Victoria for his efforts in forming these privately organised Boys' Naval Brigade units. Kearns had been involved in forming the Presbyterian Naval Boys' Brigade at Williamstown.
1907 - The gradual development of Federal Government departments finally saw recruiting for the Australian Navy's 'Australian Naval Cadets' commence in March 1907. Wilson Evans records that "the first establishment where boys were enrolled for the Federal Navy Cadet Corps was Williamstown."
The local Williamstown press records that in March 1907 recruiting for the ANCC had just started at Williamstown, 35 Cadet recruits being accepted in the first enrolment, 5 not accepted. Captain Tickell CNF, newly appointed Naval Commandant for Victoria, reviewed these ANCC recruits and was "well pleased". 1st July, 1907 - The Navy's volunteer youth training scheme, the Australian Navy Cadets, was formally launched on Monday, 1st July, 1907, according to the late CMDR Stanley Veale CMG VRD** RANR, who had joined the ANC in 1909, and recorded this founding event in his personal files.
1908 - The Ballarat Boys' Naval Brigade, featured prominently in 1908 when they asked for Government rail transport support to come to Melbourne so they could take part in the welcome to the first world visit by the USN's great white fleet, scheduled to arrive in August 1908.
These details are recorded in a Ballarat Courier Newspaper extract reprinted in the Navy League of Australia's The Navy journal of July/September 1987. This Ballarat Boys Naval Brigade unit had been founded by Lieutenant John Henry (Harry) Adeney (ex Victorian Colonial Navy, British Merchant Navy mariner, Harbour Master and a great supporter of the new Australian Navy), whose father, Rev Adeney, was the first Vicar of Ballarat's, St Peter's Church of England.
The numbers of this brigade were 35 in 1903 rising eventually to 160. As the tale of this Boys' Naval Cadet Brigade unit unfolds it appears they were not offered any rail transport assistance to get to Melbourne and Premier Tommy Bent suggested they could walk. So Ballarat Unit leaders, and obviously supported by parents, resolved that the Ballarat Boys Naval Brigade Cadets would not miss out on this historic visit and so the Cadets elected to march to Melbourne to join in this historic welcome to the USN Fleet. This they achieved in four days over roads and tracks, of all descriptions, with increasing media coverage, practical enroute support by prominent business men, citizens offering overnight accommodation, and a mounting embarrassment by Melbourne organisers of the US Navy's visit to Australia's Federal capital City, Melbourne.
The members of the Ballarat Boys' Naval Brigade were feted as they marched into Melbourne and along its streets where, at the Town Hall, they were greeted by the Lord Mayor, who, after giving them a warm welcome, suggested an immediate visit to the City Baths would not be out of order.
These cadets later visited the US battleships and their enthusiasm and acceptance by the local population was surely a great advertisement for the Navy's own, newly formed, Australian Navy Cadet Corps. That this visit was a success can be judged by the fact that the organisers, with a change of heart, arranged for their return to Ballarat by train, via Geelong, with a complete carriage devoted to carrying the many presents and gifts they had received received from business houses and citizens.
1910 November 24 - The private Naval Brigades would have been affected by the Federal Government's 1910 compulsory Universal Training Scheme legislation, resulting in many of them becoming part of the Government's new Compulsory Universal Training Scheme.
1911 March - The Navy's ANCC members became the:
Commonwealth Naval Reserves Obligatory, CNR(O),
the Commonwealth Naval Reserves becoming: Commonwealth Naval Reserves Militia, CNR(M).
1911 July - These titles were short lived as HM King George V graciously approved the use of the prefix Royal throughout the British Dominions three months after theur formation.
So the Australian Navy had its name changed to add Royal to the Australian Navy (RAN) and the recently formed CNR(O) & CNR(M) names were changed to:
RANR(O) and,
RANR(M).
The title Brigade, however, took a much longer time to fall out of favour, and ceased being used c1929.
1917 saw the establishment of the Royal Australian Naval Brigade (RANB), and the issue of a special Reserve naval button with the letters RANB on the newly introduced RAN 'lazy anchor' button. The formation of the RANB was made retrospective to 1914.
1920 - RANB changed to RANR and from that time used standard RAN buttons. So the ANC Corps were active up until 1911 when the Government's Compulsory Training legislation absorbed many of them into the CNR(O) then RANR(O) Obligatory.
They continued training throughout the 1914-1918 World War.
1920 - A second private Sea Cadet body was formed when the newly formed (1919) NSW Branch of the Navy League, in Sydney, established the Navy League Sea Cadet Corps (NLSCC) for young boys in 1920. This body went on to publish the inaugural Australian 'Navy League Journal', which served to advertise, and report on the Navy League and its NLSCC. The NLSCC operated in parallel with the Navy's ANCCorps. The NLSCC expanded rapidly during the 1920-1929 period. Victoria and some other States, Victoria also established their own State based Navy League Sea Cadet Units.
1929 - Compulsory training of ANC Corps ceased, Australian Navy Cadets now reverting back to the pre 1911 voluntary training scheme.
1930-1939 was a difficult time for cadets during the world wide economic depression as they managed to continue operating, at reduced levels, despite the strict financial times.
1939 - 1945 The ACNC ceased to operate from the commencement of the 1939-1945 war as Australia, a member of the British Empire, joined Britain in the battle to repel the attacks by Nazi Germany. All Navy personnel were needed and Cadet training was deferred until the war was over. This was later complicated when Japan also attacked Australia.
The NLSCC remained operational during this period, but reduced to 12 units, 8 in NSW and 4 in Victoria, as many volunteer trainers had enlisted for war service.
1946 The Navy League's Sea Cadet Corps continued steadily recruiting after the end of the war in 1945.
1949 Dec.- saw Navy re-establishing recruiting for its Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR), demobilised at the end of the 1945 war. This new direction was taken as Communist North Korea prepared to go to war with South Korea, supported by Chinese communists, who had just taken over China. The RAN also moved to recommence recruiting for its own 16-18 year old RANR Cadets nine years after they had ceased recruiting for the ANCC. These Navy Cadets were now to be named RANR Cadets, not Australian Navy Cadets.
Meanwhile the Navy League's Sea Cadet Corps was steadily recruiting from the end of the 1945 war. At the time RANR recruiting commenced in 1949 the Navy League approached Navy, the first time in its thirty-year NLSCC history, for practical and financial assistance from Navy for the expanding post war Navy League Sea Cadet Corps. Navy however, advised it could only support Australian organisations, observing that the Navy League in Australia were only branches of a UK parent body.
1950 - The Navy League then contacted all its branches in Australia and those wanting to form branches, and, arising out of this new direction, the Navy League of Australia was formed as a Company, Limited by Guarantee. All States and the ACT becoming members. A joint management committee was then formed with the Director of Naval Reserves and Cadets (DNRC) as chairman, with Navy and Navy League representatives as committee members. They coordinated the future of the renamed NLSCC, which now became known as the Australian Sea Cadet Corps (ASCC).
1970 Postwar the Navy League's ASCC expanded rapidly for the next 27 years under the guidance of its unpaid, ex-service volunteer, trainers and with the support of Navy. The Australian Sea Cadet Corps reached 2500 Sea Cadets by 1970. Concerns were expressed by Navy about the increasing number of ASCC Cadets, and Navy's rising costs, which they would like reduced.
1972 The ASCC was able to reduce their Cadet numbers to 2000 by late 1972.
The Navy League and RAN representatives now discussed joint concerns about the cost of maintaining and managing the increasing number of Navy Cadets. The RAN and Navy League finally agreed that Navy would assume the sole responsibility for training Navy and Navy League Cadets and the Navy's 300 strong RANR Cadets. The Navy League's 2000 strong Australian Sea Cadet Corps, which would be merged with the Navy's RANR Cadets into a new organisation, Naval Reserve Cadets (NRC), to be authorised under new Defence legislation. The choice of the name seemed to continue the post war 'RANR Cadet' theme.
This involved an agreement with ACNB that should Navy ever decide to cease training sea cadets the Navy League was to be given time to consider reforming its ASCC.
The difference in recruiting numbers at the time of this merger may have reflected the public's reluctance to associate their children with defence related youth training organisations so soon after the 1939-45 world war, Korean and Vietnam wars, favouring instead the Navy League's non-defence based training. However by 1973, the rising new generation of Australians had a different attitude.
1973 January saw the Navy League's ASCC members transferred into the RAN's new Naval Reserve Cadets (NRC), joining the RANR Cadets (the former ANC).
1975 Prime Minister Whitlam and his Labor Government cancelled cadet training for the Army, Navy ands Air Force Cadets. The Navy League's 1973 understanding regarding their ASCCadets that it be given reasonable time to reform the cadets within the Navy League organisation was honoured by the then Government who deferred action with regard to the immediate cancellation of Navy Cadet unit training. The Army and Air Force cadets unfortunately suffered as their units were closed down. The end of 1975 saw the Government change, in dramatic circumstances, causing the cadet situation to be reviewed again in early 1976.
1976 Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and his Liberal Government, reviewed the Cadet Training resulting in the reinstatement of all Cadet training within defence.
2002 - Thirty years later, the Naval Reserve Cadet name was changed back to Australian Naval Cadets (ANC), the original name of 1907 "Australian Navy Cadet" Corps.

Summarised this past 100 years saw :
· 1st July 1907 to 1920 - the Australian Navy Cadets formed and trained, with variations of name and structure, occurring during the 1914-1918 war years and after.
· 1920 to 1939 - In the immediate WW1 post war era another private Sea Cadet body was formed in 1920 by the Navy League NSW. It formed a new independent body, Navy League Sea Cadet Corps (NLSCC). Now two Sea Cadet training bodies existed side by side - the RAN's Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) and the NLSCC.
· 1939 to 1946 - This war period saw Navy League Sea Cadet Corps (NLSCC) continue operating at reduced strength, the Australian Navy's Cadets (ANC) deferred during the war years up until January 1950.
· 1946 to 1973 - The Navy League's Sea Cadet Corps continued training after the war and the RAN's Australian Naval Cadets recommenced training as 'RANR Cadets' in January 1950. In 1950 both Navy and Navy League sea cadet training bodies were coordinated under a new joint Committee comprising RAN and Navy League members. The Navy League had become an Australian body, Navy League of Australia (NLA), and its cadets changed its name from Navy League Sea Cadet (NLSCC) to Australian Sea Cadet Corps (ASCC).
· 1973 - RAN legislation permitted the formation of a Naval Reserve Cadet (NRC) organisation which accepted all sea cadets and has continued when by early 2003 its name was changed back to the original 1907 name, Australian Navy Cadets (ANC).
· 1975 - The formation of the NRC was threatened by political turmoil but the Navy League reminded Government of its Navy Cadet obligation entered into with the Navy League in 1973, resulting in Navy Cadets not being disbanded.
· 2002 The NRC name was amended to Australian Navy Cadets (ANC), a name that reflected the 1907 body.
· 2007 - The centenary of the ANC in Australia is celebrated on 1st July 2007, and many parents and tens of thousands of Sea Cadets were trained over 100 years, many entering the Navy and the Merchant Service and some rising to very senior rank.
To mark this historic event the Victoria Division of the Navy League of Australia arranged with Australia Post to provide a Navy Cadet Centenary postmark from Monday 2 July 2007 at the WEilliamstwon Post Office and also sponsored the publication of 150 specially prepared First Day Cadet Centenary Covers with unique design Navy Cadet Label stamps.
1901-1927 Victoria and Early Federation Navy History was in Melbourne, throughout the period 1901-1927, which was the Australian Federal Capital City and all Federal Government offices were located in the Melbourne Metropolitan area, including the Australian Navy's national training depot at Williamstown (the ex Colonial Victorian Naval Dockyard and depot).
This depot became Australia's only Naval training depot until 1912 when the training ship, HMAS Tingira (ex Sobraon), was located on Sydney harbour.
In 1920 Flinders Naval Depot, (later HMAS Cerberus), Westernport, Victoria, replaced the role of the Williamstown Naval Depot as the national naval training centre, and continued in this role to the present day.
Navy Office was founded and located in Melbourne from early Federation days and it was only in c1960 that it was transferred to Canberra.
Victoria, a major supporter of the Commonwealth, transferred the largest number of colonial naval vessels into the foundation Commonwealth Naval Fleet on 1st March 1901, the Navy's Foundation Day. It also had the Williamstown Naval Depot supporting the early days of the Commonwealth Naval force making Williamstown, Australia's "Cradle of the Navy".
The Williamstown Naval Depot supported early Commonwealth Naval training, CNF ship maintenance, and training of the new ANC.