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Mealey commenced his
two years of National Service on the 2nd
October, 1969 and was posted to 2 Recruit Training
Battalion for his basic army training. He was then
posted to 3 Training Battalion on the 10th
December 1969 where he completed his Infantry Corps
training.
On the 23rd
March 1970 he was posted as an ECN 343 Rifleman to
attend the 3/70 Basic SAS Training Cadre which ran from
08th April to 13th May 1970 as the
first phase of qualifying as an SAS Trooper. Those that
completed and passed phase one would go on to do phase
two, the Basic Static Line Parachute course which would
qualify them as an SAS Trooper and the right to wear the
SAS Sandy Beret and SAS Badge.
Mealey failed the
first phase before the cadre was completed and attended
an Army Trade course known as a Driver T 109 which
qualified the person to drive a number of types of army
vehicles. He completed this course on the 19thJune
1970 and was formally posted to Base Squadron SAS
Regiment as a Driver ECN T 109. He was with Base
Squadron till his discharge from the army on the 30th
September 1971.
NOTE. ECN.....Employment
Category Number.... A method of classification of
various employments within the Australian Military
system.
In the South Western
Times, dated Thursday May 2, 2002 a photo appears of
Mealey marching on ANZAC Day with a group of qualified
ex SAS members in Bunbury. He is wearing the coveted SAS
Sandy beret which he is not entitled to wear as he
failed the basic SAS course.
He was last seen
wearing the beret on the 29th April 2007 at
Subiaco Oval. This was part of the 50th
Anniversary of the SAS Regiment prior to the Len Hall
AFL commemorative game starting between the Fremantle
Dockers and Adelaide. Members of the SAS Association
marched around the oval whilst 44 Army cadets marched
onto the oval, each carrying a flag depicting the SAS
coat of arms in remembrance of the 44 members of the
regiment who were killed on duty.
The Len Hall AFL
commemorative game was started by the Fremantle Dockers
as a tribute to the last West Australian World War 1
Gallipoli Veteran who later passed away on the 24th
February 1999, aged 101.
Mealey is the second
National Service person to be exposed as falsely wearing
the SAS beret when not entitled to do so. Though he is
not claiming to be a veteran he is by wearing the SAS
beret showing his lack of loyalty or respect to serving
and ex-serving members of the SAS Regiment as well as
those that have fallen on active service or in training
that did the hard yards to earn the right to wear the
beret. Members of the SAS Regiment as well as the
members of the SAS Association must be wondering how
this could be happening. Surely the credentials of
anyone applying must be checked out especially for an
elite unit such as the SAS. We know he is a member of
the WA Branch and it will be interesting to see if the
WA Branch of the SAS Association will expel this fraud
or keep him on in their Association as they have with
Dennis Liddelow who also appears on our site.
Is the SAS Association
no better than a number of RSL branches that are
mentioned on this site for failing to check the
credentials of members they have let into their branches
and occupy high positions in their branches.
A number of wannabes
claiming SAS or Special Forces service appear on our
site and after Mc Gibbon was caught out we would have
thought the SAS Association would have carried out a
back ground check on all its members.
This is published in the
public interest, particularly that of the Vietnam
Veteran Community. All information presented here is
fact and the truth. Reports from private citizens are
supported by statements of fact and statutory
declarations. |
MEALEY John Alexander
