Letters to the Editor

Farewell, old Fred
In fairness to the system

WRITE TO US

Farewell, old Fred

Old school: Ring pull cans and plastic spoons have made the Fred an eating utensil of the past. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

A NASTY rumour is spreading far and wide throughout the ranks as to the demise of an old and faithful friend that has been both a saviour and an ally over the years.

Could the rumour regarding the replacement of the ration pack Fred with ring pull cans actually be true?

As far back as World War II, the faithful Fred has been issued in one form or another to be utilised for whatever means it was required. From opening tin cans to cleaning fingernails or personal assault weapons to a makeshift screwdriver, the humble Fred has served well. It has never been decorated, mentioned in dispatches or given a Commanding Officers Commendation. It has gone about its business, serving the Australian soldier, sailor and airman in every conceivable country and operation in the world without the recognition it so rightly deserves.

The American, Canadian, Chinese and Japanese defence forces have tried to emulate the functionality of Fred but have never been able to copy its unassuming construct.

Ration pack tinned cheese will never be the same and, I might add, how can one eat ration pack cheese with a plastic spoon? It’s sacrilege.

Gone are the days when the first thing the wife asks on return from exercise is “Did you save all the Freds, honey?” knowing only too well that coming home without replenishing the kitchen utensils drawer was almost grounds for divorce.

In this day of accountability, I can see the rationale behind out scaling Fred, as a plastic spoon would cost $0.27 and the Fred could be as much as $0.32. I am sure that all serving and ex-serving ADF personnel would gladly give up 0.000001 per cent of their next pay rise to keep the humble Fred in the ration pack. After all, what price do you put on the flavour of cheese being consumed off the Fred after using it to clean your finger nails?

I appeal to the Service Chiefs to stop this lunacy and order DSTO to keep Fred alive.

Capt Brian Tuohy
HQ 3 Bde

Maj Justin Bayley, ADF Logistics Manager/Senior Inspector Foodstuffs, ADF Catering Fleet, responds:

I BEG Capt Tuohy’s forgiveness for beginning the process to remove a piece of equipment that we have been using for many decades, i.e. the Fred.

I assume he has taken time out of his campaign to bring back the .303 to display his displeasure on this issue, however, rather than improve soldiers’ cutlery drawers, I am trying to improve their ration packs.

In all seriousness, this change is being implemented so that the money that is saved can be used for new items that will benefit all consumers of ration packs.

Just like the new spoon we have selected that is cheaper than the old one, the money we save on one item will be used to pay for new and better items.

We have recently increased the number of menus in the Combat Ration One Man to eight and we have introduced some new items, such as sports drink powder and tuna with crackers.

This is only the beginning, as we are trialling much sought-after items such as beef jerky and self-saucing puddings. Sadly, these products don’t come cheap and with essentially a fixed budget, I have to introduce changes so that we can re-invest money we save for things I know our soldiers want.

Of course, if Capt Tuohy thinks we should spend $120,000 a year to just keep the FRED and the old cans in the ration pack rather than introduce ring pull cans for $30,000 and free up $90,000 for new foods, perhaps he could donate his salary to the DMO so that I can do both.

In the meantime I encourage all members to send constructive suggestions and questions regarding ration packs to CRP.Feedback@defence.gov.au.

Remember – if you don’t tell us what you want, what you don’t want and what we should keep, we don’t know.

TOP

In fairness to the system

I AM writing to make comment on two previously submitted letters. I am currently in Iraq, so please forgive this delay in response.

The first regards Capt West’s letter (June 30) regarding ABC Child Care. I understand the captain’s apprehension with a contract with Defence, however, my son spent time in the ABC facility in Brisbane and Seymour. I can honestly say that I was astounded at the care provided.

When my son left both branches, my wife and I were provided with a personalised report, more comprehensive than a Pers File.

They provided amazing detail about my son’s day-to-day behaviour and participation and were able to give specific examples about the way he responded to certain activities and events. They were not only able to highlight his “weak points” – such as being shy and not getting too involved with certain activities – but also the ways in which the centre handled these issues, and the individual attention they gave to help our son feel more confident.

My second issue relates to Pte Welsh’s concerns with debt recovery (July 28). As a pay sergeant, I hear daily complaints from people in Pte Welsh’s situation.

When a member is owed money, the transaction is entered on the pay system and the member is paid as fast as possible (in full). When a member owes the system money, the transaction is entered on the pay system and the debt is recovered as fast as possible (over a small number of pays).

Pte Welsh – like most members – is attempting to compare when the debt transaction is entered on the pay system (the final step in the process), against when the underpayment to the member is identified (the first step in the process). It is the steps from identifying the underpayment to fixing it that need work.

Disclaimer: I don’t necessarily agree with the system and I don’t necessarily condone it. I am just trained to use it and I aim to help people understand the way it works – even if, sometimes, it sucks.

Sgt T. Schmidt
AMTG, Iraq

TOP

WRITE TO US

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