Extract from Corvette Magazine January 1990

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HMAS ROCKHAMPTON take a bow!

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The following letter, dated 17 September 1945, was written by Capt H Ross Macourt AANC to the CO of 2/9th AGH:

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"I wish to express my express my appreciation and gratitude to the Captain, Officers and Crew of HMAS Rockhampton for their magnificent effort in helping me bring out of the Celebes nearly 90 Dutch internees. As you know there were many women and children and 50% hospital cases.

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I expected co-operation from the ship but not the wonderful help that was given. A small ship was made as comfortable for my patients as was humanly possible. Sailors, Stokers etc. came off duty and voluntarily and unselfishly gave up all their sleeping hours to carry out the unaccustomed and not very pleasant chores necessary in nursing sick. Without being asked they carried bedpans, washed patients and were at the beck and call of all. The cooks need special mention as they never went off duty – cooked the special diets I had asked for and then acted as Mess Stewards until all were fed.

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Movement Control congratulated me on our disembarkation at Morotai. Such congratulations I would like to convey to Officers and crew for it was they who carried out the smooth disembarkation of the sick and their luggage.

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As one of the sailors from the ship remarked to me – “It is the best job the ship has ever done”,

I would like to put another meaning on this phrase and answer “no ship’s crew could have done a better or more unselfish job".

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(the copy of this letter was supplied by James (Jim) Fletcher ex Rockhampton.

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