Grovely Camp by George Londos

On 1 July 1940, one of Queenslands finest AIF Battalions was ‘born’ at Grovely. Initially the Battalion comprised of Queenslanders alone, hailing from the Darling Downs, North Queensland and Brisbane. However, in the ensuring months soldiers from other States joined the Battalion as reinforcements.
The Battalion’s dispositions at Grovely were:

* Battalion HQ was situated at the site of what is now Arana Hills Shopping Centre;
* Tented accommodation was in an area on the southern side of Dawson Parade from Casey Street to Patricks Road;
* The Mess Hall was at the site of what is now the Grovely Primary School; and
* The Parade Ground was the area adjacent to the Pine Rivers Shire District Office.

The Battalion build-up was very swift and within once month of its birthday, 950 men were taken on strength. The Battalion remained in Grovely until 15 October when 32 officers and 756 other ranks entrained at Grovely bound for the Pinkenba Wharves, where it embarked on the HMAT ‘Z’ and set sail for Darwin.

Whilst at Grovely, great emphasis was placed on weapon training, drill and discipline. In between times the Battalion managed to distinguished itself in cricket, football and tennis. Leave was quite liberal, however, transport to and from the city of Brisbane was not plentiful, particularly during the hours of darkness. It was not unusual to see a ‘procession’ of soldiers running from Enoggera tram terminus to Grovely hoping to beat ‘tattoo’.

The remaining 200 personal left behind at Grovely (after the departure of the Battalion) moved to Redbank and remained there until the return of the Battalion from Darwin.

The 2/25th Battalion, shortly after its return, embarked on the Queen Mary and sailed for the Middle East where it took part in the Syrian campaign. This was followed by the return to Australia and then to New Guinea for the Nadzab Lae campaign.
The Battalion participated in one more battle and that was the invasion of Borneo and the liberation of its people. The Battalion won many awards and honours including the Victoria Cross to the late Richard ‘Dick’ Keleher. The 2/25th Battalion was disbanded on 13 December 1945.

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