Centenary of the Australian Submarine Service  lead organising committee member Lloyd Blake.
Camera IconCentenary of the Australian Submarine Service lead organising committee member Lloyd Blake. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Australia Day: Lloyd Blake honoured for preserving Australia’s submarine history

Bronwyn DonovanEastern Reporter

HIS dedication to the preservation of maritime history has landed Lloyd William Blake a Medal of the Order of Australia.

The Mt Hawthorn resident served in the Royal Australian Navy Submarine Squadron for nine years and was on active duty during the Vietnam War and Far East Strategic Reserve (FESR) Borneo confrontation, before retiring in 1975.

Post Navy, Mr Blake taught Marine Sciences and Navigation at TAFE while simultaneously working as a journalist for News Corp writing columns focused on naval history, marine safety, technology and competitive sailing.

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He was also a member of the Submarine History Taskforce for WA Maritime Museum from 1995-1998.

In 2006, Mr Blake joined the Lead Organising Committee for the 2014 Centenary of the Australian Submarine Service, where he worked tirelessly for eight years to compile, organise and memorialise a hundred years of Australian submariner history.

He designed commemorative coins, stamps and a Submarine Centenary ANZAC Biscuit Tin, as well as writing a Centenary magazine and co-authoring Centenary of Silent Service.

Mr Blake also helped organise a seven-day submarine conference held in Fremantle in November 2014 with the support of the Submarine Association Australia Inc.

“The main issues for me was that the government had confirmed the Centenary of ANZAC in 2015 but ANZAC mostly commemorates those in armed services,” he said.

“Very little was known about submarines, especially Australian submarines and a lot Australians served in British submarines in WWI and WWII.

“I felt that a shame so set out to their personal stories.”

Other local winners:

Elizabeth Mary Pattison, Northbridge

Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community through youth and social welfare projects.

Kieran Gerard Kinsella, Mount Hawthorn

Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to urban redevelopment, and to the arts.

Ronald Warren Woss, Perth

Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to youth, particularly to support for research into suicide prevention, and to the community through a range of charitable organisations.