CPO Raymond Edward Parkin’s life and service features as part of an exhibition at St. Margaret’s Church on the grounds of Westminster Abbey. The exhibition opened on Monday 6th November, 2023. Photo of St. Margaret’s Church by Ermell – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89738440 ...
Pattie spoke with Julian Morrow on ABC’s Sunday Extra programme about a joint Australian-Indonesian plan to open the HMAS Perth shipwreck to marine tourism and diving. Listen here: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sundayextra/hmas-perth-battles-tourism-proposal/13770014 ...
Pattie was interviewed as part of an article by Chris Barrett and Karuni Rompies for the Sydney Morning Herald. The article is about the families of sailors lost on the famous World War II cruiser HMAS Perth resisting a proposal to open the wreck off the coast of Indonesia to marine tourism and diving. The full article is here: https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/it-s-a-war-grave-new-battle-over-fut ...
Pattie was guest speaker at the recent Ladies Luncheon for the 8th Div Sigs and the 6th Line Section Battalion annual gathering. She’s pictured here with 99-year-old Eric ‘Jonno’ Johnston 8th Division Signals (F Force/Thai Burma Railway) at the West Brighton Club, Brighton. It was a terrific day at an amazing clubhouse with wonderful people! ...
The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial in Ballarat has its 14th Anniversary on 4th February 2018. Pattie and Dennis have been invited to the ceremony. You can find out more about the Memorial at www.powmemorialballarat.com.au ...
Pattie was asked to give a speech at the 12th Anniversary Service of the opening of the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, in Ballarat. The text is below. BALLARAT MEMORIAL WALL SPEECH – 7th February 2016 ‘A place of stories’ Thank you, Bruce, for your introduction. First, I would like to acknowledge those special guests previously mentioned, including the Major, Councillor Des Hudson ...
The HMAS Perth, upon which Ray Parkin served and some 468 souls were lost, appears to be the target of salvagers. A ‘Save Perth Foundation’ has been formed, and a petition put forward to have the Perth listed as an official war grave. You can help preserve the HMAS Perth by joining the Save HMAS Perth Facebook page, and by signing the petition on Change.org. An extract from the petitio ...
Col Gibson has written a superb overview of “Ray Parkin’s Odyssey” for the 85th edition of “All Hands”, the Australian National Maritime Museum Volunteers’ quarterly magazine. Here’s an edited snippet, followed by a link to a pdf of the full article. Q & A at the Model Ship Building Bench What Are You Reading? by Col Gibson The following is not meant to be a ...
Entries for the Colin Roderick Award, for the best book of the preceding year published in Australia in any genre and dealing with an aspect of Australian life, have now been shortlisted, and Ray Parkin’s Odyssey is on the list. The judges, Professor Donat Gallagher, Professor Peter Pierce, Associate Professor Stephen Torre and Ms Mary Vernon, were impressed by the outstanding quality of the ...
Pattie was a guest on Ian ‘Macca’ McNamara’s ABC Radio show ‘Australia All Over’. Ian’s a huge Ray Parkin fan, and the two recounted stories of the man and his life: Pattie Wright and Ian McNamara on Australia All Over (The above is edited from the podcast of the entire show.) ...
“Ray Parkin’s Odyssey” has received a Special Mention at the Manning Clark House 2013 National Cultural Awards. The awards, administered by Manning Clark House, recognise “outstanding contributions to the quality of Australian cultural life”, and interpret culture in the widest sense. Link to the Awards. ...
The ABC’s 7’30 Report of 24th April 2013 featured a story on the HMAS Perth survivors at the Anzac Parade. From the transcript: One dark night off the coast of Java in 1942, two Allied ships were caught off-guard and forced to face the invading Japanese battle fleet alone. The Australian warships HMAS Perth and USS Houston fought gallantly against the odds, but both were torpedoed and ...
Alana Schetzer has written an article for The Age newspaper on a reunion of the men of the HMAS Perth. Here’s a snippet: Just 12 members of HMAS Perth remain alive, with five of them living in Victoria. The decision to bring them together alongside the USS Houston banner was the brainchild of author Pattie Wright, who last year released her biography on HMAS Perth seaman and artist Ray Parki ...
Ray Parkin’s Odyssey has won a Highly Commended award from the Fellowship Of Australian Writers in the 2012 National Literary Awards! From the award details: FAW EXCELLENCE IN NON-FICTION AWARD Advertised as the FAW Sid Harta Literature Award Sponsored by Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW) Vic. Inc. In its fortieth year, this is an Award for a non-fiction work, including biography and au ...
Pattie Wright spoke at The Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance on March 6th 2013, discussing Ray Parkin and her book. The talk was recorded and you can listen by clicking the play button below: [mp3j track=”Pattie Wright at the Melbourne Shrine@https://www.rayparkin.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Pattie-Wright-Shrine-Of-Remembrance-Ray-Parkins-Odyssey-March-6-2013.mp3″ volslider=” ...
The following review by Gillian Cumming appearing in the Courier Mail, 03 November 2012: WORDS AND ART OF WAR Exploring the life of PoW Ray Parkin reveals the soul of an artist and a very private man, writes Gillian Cumming. The more Pattie Wright delved into Ray Parkin’s life, the more she discovered what a complex character this extraordinary man was. A naval petty officer aboard HMAS Pert ...
The following review appeared in the Canberra Times, 01 December 2012: Beauty drawn from harsh places He was best known for his tales of life as a sailor, but Ray Parkin the visual artist also left behind an important body of work, David Ellery writes. John Clarke, the satirist, author and filmmaker famous for The Games, Clarke and Dawe and ‘‘farnarkling’’, met Ray Parkin during one of Australian ...
Join Pattie Wright at the Shrine on March 6th, 2013, as she speaks about Ray Parkin and her recently-published biography of him, Ray Parkin’s Odyssey. Pattie put interviews with Ray together with first-time access to his diaries and extensive archive to capture the story of this chronicler of HMAS Perth, his beloved ship and those who did and did not return. Details and bookings can be found on th ...
Vice Admiral Russell Crane (AO, CSM, RAN), the recently retired Head of the Navy, launched Ray Parkin’s Odyssey onboard HMAS Warramunga on the 2nd of November. Some photos from the launch follow- clicking on a thumbnail will bring up a larger image. ...
Professor Robin Gerster, who teaches at Monash University and has published extensively on Australian war literature, has written a review of “Ray Parkin’s Odyssey” for The Age newspaper. “His POW writings have a Homeric quality, not in the sense of celebrating battlefield virtuosity, but in their poetic largeness of spirit, in their refusal to peddle shibboleths or to buck ...
Ray Parkin’s Odyssey will be launched onboard HMAS Warramunga on 2 November, 2012 at Inner West Station Pier, Port Melbourne. The book will be launched by the recently-retired Head of the Navy, VADM Russell Crane, AO, CSM, RAN. The launch is by invitation. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Pattie. ...
Pattie is speaking at Benalla Art Gallery on November 15 about Weary and Waller. Many would call these two men heroes and they would be right. Sadly, only one returned. Hec Waller was an RAN Captain, and Weary Dunlop, a Lieutenant Colonel, a doctor and POW. What are the odds that two of Australia’s greatest came from what was then a small town by a river in northwest Victoria? More information and ...
Ray Parkin’s Odyssey by Pattie Wright is the first full and comprehensive account of the life and wartime experiences of the late Ray Parkin. Illustrated by 100 paintings and sketches, and based on extensive interviews with Ray himself, as well as his letters, diaries and unpublished memoirs, this is a revealing portrait of an extraordinary and fascinating man. Pan MacMillan will be releasing the ...