Relief at last!

By Casey Neill
A LIFETIME of emotions was brought to the surface for Stanley Davey when the ruins of HMAS Sydney II were found earlier this month.
The 72-year-old Boronia man has been consumed by the wartime tragedy that claimed the life of his father almost 70 years ago.
The cruiser was found on 17 March about 112 nautical miles off Steep Point, Western Australia.
“It is a relief,” Mr Davey said.
Warrant Officer Martin Grogan, who served on Sydney III, delivered the news.
“He rang me, which broke me up and I was very, very emotional,” Mr Davey said.
“The emotions – it was a whole lifetime.”
Petty Officer John Stanley Davey joined the Royal Australian Navy at the age of 17 and was called up for service on the Sydney II just four days before Australia went to war.
He was just 40 when the Sydney went down on 19 November 1941.
He left behind a wife and four children.
His eldest child, John, was just 10-years-old.
Margaret was eight, Bruce was 11 months, and Mr Davey was just five.
Two months before the Sydney was sunk, the family visited Davey senior on board the Sydney in Port Melbourne in September 1941.
They went into the petty officers’ mess, and saw their father’s wartime position in the crux of the ship, where he loaded the vessel’s guns.
“This was the last time I saw my father,” Mr Davey said.
Mr Davey said his mother, Linda, who passed away in 1966, was the true victim of the tragedy.
“She had four kids in Boronia in this tiny little asbestos fibro cottage,” he said.
Mr Davey has no plans to visit the ship, but is calling for a full navy service in each state on the anniversary of the tragedy in addition to the service currently held annually in Geraldton, Western Australia.
“Every state had sailors on board that ship, so there should be a memorial service in every state,” he said.
Mr Davey attends a service at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance every 19 November.
“I’ve been going there for 20 years,” he said.
“My dad left from Boronia. It’s very important for me to have a memorial service in Melbourne.”
The HMAS Sydney II was returning to port in Fremantle when a disguised German raider, HSK Kormoran, opened fire.
Both ships were sunk in the battle with all 645 men on board the Sydney killed.
The Federal Government and Royal Australian Navy restricted information on the incident, sparking controversy over how and why she sunk.
Relatives of those who died on board can call 1800 005 687 or visit www.navy.gov.au for more information.