WELFARE MATTERS
Vale
Our Corps has lost the following members in recent times. Full details of each member may be found at the RAEME Vale page.
354584 CFN Kevin Warrick 'Tiny' BATCHELOR retd
Tiny passed away suddenly on 5 August 2026, aged 63, at Latrobe Regional Hospital, Traralgon. A Recovery Mechanic, he will be remembered by those who served alongside him as a good mate. His funeral will be held at 1.00 pm on Thursday, 20 August at the Latrobe Valley Funeral Services Chapel, Morwell, followed by burial at Gippsland Memorial Park Cemetery, Traralgon.
433330 CAPT Brian TOUHY retd
Brian passed away on 5 August 2026 following a period of serious illness. He joined the CMF in 1975 as a CFN at 107 Fd Wksp, Warradale, after completing his Fitter and Turner apprenticeship with GMH. Brian was instrumental in raising the N-Qld RAEME Association as Member No. 2, and later reconnected with RAEME Association South Australia and the 107 Bluebell Club.
57467 Rhett Steven TURLEY retd
Rhett passed away on 2 August 2026 at Wickepin, south-east of Perth. A proud member of the 28th Army Apprentices Intake, he graduated in 1974 as a Vehicle Mechanic. His passing is felt deeply across the Appy and RAEME families, and he will be remembered by his former classmates, service mates and friends. A funeral will be held on 2 September 2026; 1330 for 1400h start at Mareena Purslowe, Victoria Park WA.
62404 WO1 Phillip Craig 'Phil' LOWE retd
Phil passed away on 2 August 2026 after a long battle with cancer. A member of the 27th Apprentice Intake, he graduated in 1973 as a Fitter and Turner and served in technical, instructional and maintenance engineering appointments at Adelaide Workshop Company, 1st Base Workshop Battalion, 20th Divisional Engineers Support Squadron and 2nd Cavalry Regiment. He later served as a Technical Instructor at Bandiana and as a Project Officer with the Maintenance Engineering Agency in Melbourne.
2767874 / 2172402 MAJ Leslie John PRESTIDGE RFD ED retd
John passed away on 18 July 2026, aged 89. Called up for National Service in 1957, he trained at Ingleburn with the 13th National Service Training Battalion before service with 1st Corps Troops Workshop and 51st Communication Zone Workshop. He served in the CMF and Army Reserve for about 29 years, attaining the rank of Major, and was awarded the RFD, ED, Australian Defence Medal and Anniversary of National Service 1951-1972 Medal. A Life Member of Epping RSL Sub-Branch, he served 20 years as Secretary and 22 years on The Epping Club Board.
58989 Stefan Gunter Herwarth SCHMIDT retd
Stefan passed away on 11 July 2026, aged 65. He joined the Army Apprentice School as a member of the 31st Intake and graduated in 1977 as a Fitter and Turner. His funeral was held at Yanchep, Western Australia, on 20 July, where members of the 31st Intake were able to farewell one of their apprentice brothers and old mates.
217281 Dallas Noel SCHOFIELD retd
Dallas passed away peacefully in his sleep on 10 June 2026. A member of the 22nd Army Apprentice Intake, he graduated in 1969 as a Fitter and Turner. His passing is a sad loss to the wider Appy and RAEME families, particularly the members of the 22nd Intake.
How to provide welfare notifications
Should you wish to report the passing of a member or the change in health circumstances affecting you or another Corps member, you can do so by entering all known details on the RAEME Welfare Notification page.
