The Naval Officers Association of Australia

WA Luncheon
2023-11-09 11:45 - 14:30, 2023-07-13 11:45 - 14:30 (Australia/Sydney) | Anzac House, 28 Saint Georges terrace, Perth, WA, 6000, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH OLD MATES AND MEET SOME NEW – GUESTS WELCOME.
May be turned into visit plus luncheon.
Cash bar and pay for food when ordering.
Details will be provided by email well in advance of event.
Advise organiser of intention to attend at least one week in advance.

ACT Member Lunch
2023-11-06 12:00 - 14:30, 2023-09-04 12:00 - 14:30, 2023-08-07 12:00 - 14:30 | Orion Room, Southern Cross Club, Woden, 92-96 Corinna Street, Woden, ACT, 2606, Australia
CATCH UP WITH OLD FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES OR MEET SOME NEW.
Main meal plus tea or coffee.
Cost $30 pay on the day.
Drinks at club prices.
Dress – smart casual
Members wishing to attend this event should contact the Event Organiser (details below) at least a week before the event to reserve a place.

TAS Monthly Drinks
2023-11-03 16:30 - 18:00, 2023-10-06 16:30 - 18:00, 2023-09-01 16:30 - 18:00, 2023-08-04 16:30 - 18:00, 2023-07-07 16:30 - 18:00 | Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay Tasmania 7005, Sandy Bay, TAS, 7005, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO MEET UP WITH OLD FRIENDS AND POTENTIALLY MAKE SOME NEW.
No host event – bring a nautical friend
Casual drinks at bar prices
Pay your own way
Dress – smart casual

Sydney - Lord Nelson Pub Lunch
2023-10-31 12:00 - 14:30 | Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, 19 Kent Street, The Rocks, NSW, 2000, Australia
NO FINER SETTING FOR A GROUP OF FORMER OR SERVING MARINERS THAN THE ICONIC AND HISTORICAL LORD NELSON BREWERY PUB.
A main course lunch of your choice plus open bar for $60 cash on the day.
Now with exclusive use of the upstairs dining area.
Always popular and limited places so book early once you receive the email notification giving details of menu choices.
Dress – smart casual

VIC Monthly Drinks
2023-10-25 17:00 - 18:30, 2023-09-27 17:00 - 18:30, 2023-08-30 17:00 - 18:30, 2023-07-26 17:00 - 18:00 | Young & Jackson Hotel, 1 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
NO HOST SOCIAL GATHERING FOR MEMBERS AND LIKE-MINDED GUESTS.
Drinks at regular bar prices.
Just turn up on the day.
Dress – Casual

Victoria Formal Dinner
2023-10-21 19:00 - 22:30 | Melbourne Club, 36 Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
GET OUT THE GLAD RAGS!
CELEBRATE IN STYLE
Three course dinner
Black Tie, Mess Undress
Cost to be advised – payment in advance

WA Meeting & Dinner
2023-10-12 17:45 - 20:30 | Fremantle Sailing Club, 151 Marine Terrace, Fremantle, WA, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH OLD MATES AND MEET SOME NEW – GUESTS WELCOME.
Guest speaker, CO HMAS Stirling.
Cash bar and pay for food when ordering.
Details will be provided by email well in advance of event.
Advise organiser of intention to attend at least one week in advance.
A donation of $5 per attendee at our evening meetings will go into our bank coffers for expenses and donations.

Brisbane Informal Lunch
2023-10-11 12:30 - 15:00 | United Services Club, 183 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, QLD, 4000, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
Pay own way on the day – Approx $80
Dress – business casual
Advise organiser of intention to attend by 4 October

SA Quarterly Lunch
2023-09-22 12:00 - 14:30 | Adelaide Naval, Military & Air Force Club, 111 Hutt St, Adelaide, AR, 5000
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH OLD MATES AND MEET SOME NEW.
Cash bar and pay for food when ordering.
Dress – jacket & tie
Advise organiser of intention to attend by 15 September

VIC Quarterly Lunch
2023-09-21 12:00 - 14:30 | Young & Jackson Hotel, 1 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
VICTORIA DIVISION QUARTERLY LUNCH IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH FORMER COLLEAGUES AND MEET SOME NEW FRIENDS.
Guests Welcome
Cost to be advised. Pay on the day.
Dress – Smart Casual

WA Luncheon
2023-09-14 09:45 - 14:30 | WA
A SPECIAL VISIT + CATCH UP WITH OLD MATES AND MEET SOME NEW.
Cash bar and pay for food when ordering.
Visit to Police Air Wing at Jandakot followed by lunch at venue TBA
Meeting place TBA
Advise organiser of intention to attend one week before date.

Brisbane Quarterly Lunch
2023-09-13 12:30 - 14:30 | United Services Club, 183 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill, QLD, 4000, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES
Pay own way on the day
Dress – smart casual
Advise organiser of intention to attend by 7 September

WA Meeting & Dinner
2023-08-10 17:45 - 20:30, 2023-06-08 17:45 - 20:30 | Fremantle Sailing Club, 151 Marine Terrace, Fremantle, WA, Australia
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH OLD MATES AND MEET SOME NEW – GUESTS WELCOME.
Guest speaker to lead discussion period will be advised.
Cash bar and pay for food when ordering.
Details will be provided by email well in advance of event.
Advise organiser of intention to attend at least one week in advance.
A donation of $5 per attendee at our evening meetings will go into our bank coffers for expenses and donations.

NSW Mid-Winter Lunch
2023-07-23 12:00 - 16:00 | Kirribilli Club, 11 Harbourview Crescent, Lavender Bay, NSW, 2060, Australia
THE KIRRIBILLI CLUB WILL BE WELL KNOWN TO MANY MEMBERS AS A RELAXED ENVIRONMENT OFFERING FINE FOOD AND BEVERAGES. THE NOC FUNCTION AREA HAS A BALCONY WITH VIEWS.
Partners and guests welcome.
The all inclusive cost includes canapes on arrival, entree and main plus a 4 hour drinks package.
Close to Milson’s Point railway station and the Luna Park Milsons Point ferry terminal.
Advise organiser of attendance and any dietary requirements by 16 July.
Dress – smart casual
Cost – TBA

ACT Guest Luncheon
2023-07-03 12:00 - 14:30, 2023-06-05 12:00 - 15:00 | Orion Room, Southern Cross Club, Woden, 92-96 Corinna Street, Woden, ACT, 2606, Australia
BRING A GUEST OR TWO
Drinks and two course lunch
Cost approx $45 pp pay in advance. Email notice will confirm.
Drinks at club prices.
Dress – smart casual
Members wishing to attend this event should contact the Event Organiser (details below) at least a week before the event to reserve a place. Email before event will provide more detail.

Melbourne Monthly Drinks
2023-06-28 17:00 - 18:30 | Young & Jackson Hotel, 1 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

Victoria Quarterly Lunch
2023-06-14 12:00 - 14:30 | Angliss Restaurant, 555 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
VICTORIA DIVISION QUARTERLY LUNCH IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO CATCH UP WITH FORMER COLLEAGUES AND MEET SOME NEW FRIENDS.
Cost of $40 covers two course lunch. Beverages at bar prices.
This is a combined lunch with NWOA. Go to NWOA website at this link to book by 7 June.
Dress – Jacket & Tie

China Illegally Entered Vietnam’s Waters. Russia Is Raising The Stakes.
2023-06-10 08:00 - 17:00 | WA
A 2014 photo how a Chinese coast guard ship being blocked by three Vietnamese Coast Guard Vessels. Photo: AP
When you’re in a geopolitical dispute with your bigger, stronger neighbor, the last thing you want is Russia taking their side. That’s exactly what’s happening to Vietnam in the South China Sea. Vietnam and China 7 have had a longstanding row involving the reach of Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In recent weeks, a Chinese research ship and five escort vessels defied Vietnam’s orders to leave its EEZ, in an area near gas blocks operated by Russian firms. The episode exemplifies China’s increasing aggression in the South China Sea. It also reveals an important aspect of China’s “partnership” with Russia. China’s incursions into Vietnamese waters are nothing new. In 2017, China threatened to attack Vietnamese outposts unless Vietnam stopped drilling operations in a disputed area. The Spanish oil firm Repsol, which had been exploring in partnership with state-owned PetroVietnam, complied. During 2019, in a months-long standoff, Chinese vessels harassed Vietnamese hydrocarbon survey efforts in Vanguard Bank. In June 2020, China pressured PetroVietnam to cancel production-sharing contracts with Repsol for two blocks. A month later, PetroVietnam rejected a drilling contract with NobleNE +5% Corporation for another nearby block. Both decisions cost PetroVietnam financial and reputational damage. Concurrently with other attempts to establish “jurisdiction” over neighboring waters, China has ramped up its incursions into Vietnam’s EEZ. Since January 2022, Vietnam has observed Chinese Coast Guard vessels patrolling through energy exploration blocks operated by Russian firms within Vietnam’s EEZ more than 40 times. This month’s episode follows a similar one in March in which Chinese Coast Guard ships sailed through areas operated in part by Russia’s state-controlled Zarubezhneft and Gazprom. China denied knowledge of any patrols in those blocks. When Vietnam demanded the ships leave earlier this month, they were in a block operated by Vietgazprom, a joint venture between Gazprom and PetroVietnam. In response to the episode, a Chinese spokeswoman commented that “Relevant ships of China carry out normal activities under China’s jurisdiction. It is legitimate and lawful, and there is no issue of entering other countries’ exclusive economic zones.” China appears to be using its research activities to cement its illegal claim to “jurisdiction” over neighboring waters outside the boundaries established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a signatory. It is denying that it has entered Vietnam’s EEZ. Employing a strategy known as legal warfare or lawfare, China has similarly claimed jurisdiction over areas of the Philippines’ EEZ and even the Taiwan Strait—claims which have no basis in international law. It has even used a spy vessel to conduct “research” in the Philippines’ internal waters. Vietnam is getting tougher on China. Late last year, Vietnam settled a 12-year maritime boundary dispute with Indonesia, setting the stage for tensions with China. The Vietnam-Indonesia agreement was based on UNCLOS. Although China is a signatory to UNCLOS, it rejects application of the treaty to most of the South China Sea, and instead claims most of the South China Sea based on calculated misinterpretations of international law. In 2016, an arbitral tribunal invalidated China’s sweeping claims and ruled that maritime boundaries in the South China Sea must not exceed those established by UNCLOS. China has rejected the ruling, has spoken out strongly against its neighbors when they refer to it publicly, and has condemned Vietnam when it has threatened a similar lawsuit. China has resisted Vietnam’s attempts to follow and enforce international law. China expanded its patrols right before Indonesia and Vietnam signed their agreement in December. Chinese vessels have also patrolled the nearby Tuna gas field in Indonesia’s EEZ, and Indonesia deployed a warship in January to monitor a Chinese ship there. The fields that China has been entering this spring are close to the Vietnam’s strategic boundary with Indonesia’s EEZ, as well as other blocks claimed by China. Previously, China tried to insert into the negotiating text of ASEAN’s proposed South China Sea Code of Conduct a stipulation that neighboring states must conduct all economic activity in the South China Sea by themselves and not in cooperation with companies or countries from outside the region. This requirement would severely restrict state sovereignty and be nearly impossible to follow for states without the capital and technology to explore alone. It would also pave the way for China to become their default partner of choice—enabling China to more easily assert “jurisdiction.” Vietnam must continue to fight China’s attempts to restrict its sovereignty and choke its revenue. For all of its differences with the West and its Southeast Asian neighbors, Vietnam agrees with them on the 8 importance of UNCLOS. Vietnam and its neighbors should work to continue to settle their maritime disputes in accordance with UNCLOS, supported by the United States and other law-abiding nations. By establishing and enforcing UNCLOS as the governing principle of maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, a coalition of supporters of international law can push back against China’s aggression. The episode also reveals an important facet of the new “partnership” between China and Russia. Russia has become more reliant on energy sales to China since Russia invaded Ukraine. While it is unclear what the “no-limits” partnership means, China’s incursions into Russian-operated gas fields, even those jointly operated with Vietnam, shows that Russia will tacitly approve as China violates international law. Russia’s backing makes it even more important that law-abiding nations rally around UNCLOS and international law. When two superpowers line up against the international legal order, law-abiding nations must push back hard to keep it from crumbling. Source: Forbes Aerospace & Defense INS Vikrant will be Fully Operational by November 2023: Na
