Submarines

Association

Australia

31/10/2026

Crest

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62TH INTERNATIONAL SUBMARINERS CONGRESS ISC 2027 KOREA

The website Korea ISC 2027is now active
for additional information contact Sid at the following email address sidsaawa@bigpond.com

SAA Members
Now that the dust has settled after a fantastic SUBCON 26 I would, on behalf of the National Executive, like to thank the ACT for a well planned and executed SUBCON. Under the leadership of Stan the team put together a great weekend with the highlight obviously being the gala dinner at the War Memorial.
It was also great to see a number of Senior Submariners attending and I hope we can continue that relationship.
I am sure all would agree it was a great weekend and the fact we had the biggest turn out that I have seen is a great indicator that the membership are in favour of SUBCON events.
At the AGM the SUBCON banner was passed to WA for SUBCON 2028 and I am sure we all look forward to heading West.
We will provide more information as it comes to hand around the Holbrook activity in June for the Otway celebrations.

Once again well done ACT.

Cheers

David Strangward, AM
SAA National President

It is with great sadness to inform you of the passing of, Commander Gerald Timothy Swales, RN retired former CO of HMS Odin in Australia
Tim passed away on 5 November 2026, aged 88.
There will be a funeral on Friday 20 November 2026 at 1100hrs, St John’s Anglican Church, Dee Why.
Please reach out if you require further information.
Kind regards,
Kathe Swales & David Swales (son)

The Boss with Others

AE2 Youtube video

USS COLORADO SUBMARINE ASSOCIATION

Has just posted the following images of its recent arrival at HMAS Stirling WA for planned Submarine maintenance Period

The folowing images were by the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS)

SAA ADVOCACY SERVICES – UPDATE NOVEMBER 2026

First off I would like to apologise for not sending an update minute to this year’s SAA AGM as I normally do. I have recently sold in Perth and purchased a new house in the bush. I am still in the process of unpacking and renovations; well that’s my excuse anyway.

I and my small cohort of “SM” advocates in the West are keeping busy helping a number of ex-submariners go through the DVA process. Please note that I and all other dvocates I know do not restrict ourselves to any particular breed of veteran rather we assist all veterans who walk through the door.

Status of the SAA Advocacy

I believe that the state of the SAA advocacy was raised with at least one member present complaining he was not listed on the SAA site even though he had been an advocate for many years. So let me address these points:

1. There is no SAA Advocacy as a separate entity, all the advocates on the SAA pages belong to at least one other Ex-Service Organisation (ESO). My main office is Mandurah RSL Sub-Branch where I work with Nathan Turnock. Bob Apps another active “SM” advocate in the west works for CDFWA.

2. The list as published in the SAA webpages is a consolidated list of all known SM advocates. It was generated by me when I first took over the coordination role. It evolved from older lists handed over by Ray Kemp after I attempted to contact everyone on the older listings. In addition I asked for contact details of any advocates wishing to be listed. This request went out via my note to the previous AGMs, the SAA and Gronk Facebook pages and the Grot newsletter.

3. All advocates on the SAA list and any wishing to be included on that list must be ATDP qualified and in date for competency this rule is driven by the VITA Liability Insurance that the SAA and other ESOs purchase. If there are any old “TIP”qualified members out there who are still active advocates we can point members in your direction but with the proviso that the SAA cannot accept liability for your actions.

4. If you are a qualified advocate who is not listed or wish to become an advocate please contact me through Advocates.SAA@gmail.com or Peelvetcent@outlook.com Working as an Advocate

I personally find the role quite rewarding as other advocates helped me with my DVA process and I believe I am giving back to the veteran community. The workings of the DVA and the legislation and rules are quite complex and I enjoy the challenge. However having said that it’s not for everyone. Of the four submariners I have assisted in their advocacy training so far two have dropped out due to stress related personal reasons. My personality may also be a factor…

Becoming an advocate

The actual process is quite easy now as the combined level one compensation and wellbeing modules are now all online and you no longer need a mentor. You do need an ESO to nominate you and that can be any ESO aligned to the ATDP system or I can nominate you through the SAA.Kwinana and Rockingham corridor

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Submariners worldwide are a special breed, rarely understood by mere mortals and never understood by skimmers. Submariners of all nations understand this and show respect to each other, knowing the hardship and danger that each has faced to achieve membership to that elite club to which they belong.+

The Association's aims and goals are:
•To keep alive the unique esprit de corps of the Submarine Service;
•To establish and maintain a charitable trust, being a welfare foundation;
•To assist one another as occasion may require and to encourage social activities;
•To liaise with kindred organisations, both nationally and internationally; and,
•To educate members about their entitlements and provide access to Department of Veterans' Affairs advocates

The Association maintains a close relationship with several overseas Submariners' Associations. Membership is open to all submariners, regardless of the Navy in which they served.