Our Patron
Commander 3rd Brigade, Brigadier David McCammon DSM and Bar
Homebase for the Veteran Community in Townsville
1 Staging Camp Ave, Oonoonba. Drop-in M-F 0900-1500, after hours upon booking
All closed on W/E and public holidays, unless booked.
[for GPS apps you may have better luck with 20 Darter Street, Oonoonba until actual is recognised on all platforms]
Hut Names and Sponsors
The huts utilised for activities and events at Homebase are modelled on the concept of the P1 Huts used by the US 5th Airforce around its many airfields in and around Townsville. In typical Australian manner, they were colloquially called PeeWee Huts.
​
We intend to name all the huts after our homegrown heroes of World War II. We will do this progressively to ensure that each naming ceremony receives the right respect and celebration for the service person's family.
​
Each PeeWee Hut also has a sponsor who is an outstanding supporter of the Veteran Community in Townsville. We are proud to recommend them to our clients seeking services from them, and we are proud that the 1000 participants a month who take advantage of the greater than 100 activities and events at Homebase see that we are proud to affiliate with them.
​
This page will grow as we find the right name and sponsor for the huts. Watch this space!
Hut 3
Charles Alley
sponsored by
Plaque on the front of Hut 3
QBE is the insurer for Defence Service Homes Insurance.
Charles Alley recorded as Service numbers 50270 and Q186382, served in the Middle East during Word War I (WWI) and Australia in World War II (WWII).
​
Born in Charters Towers, where he enlisted in the Australian Army, Mr Charles Alley volunteered for the 1st Australian Imperial Force (AIF) where he became a member of the 11th Light Horse Regiment.
​
Charles Alley received the British War Medal and Victory Medal for his service in WWI. Whilst serving in WWII as a Private in the 1st Garrison Battalion, he received a War Medal and Australian Service Medal.
​
The Allie/Alley family have served in the Australian Defence Force for more than three generations, with 13 family members enlisting in the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Royal Australian Navy. Several of Mr Alley’s family also served in WWII.
​
A P1 (Peewee) Hut is named in honour of Charles Alley for his service to his country during World War I and World War II and was unveiled by his family on 24 May 2023.
Hut 4
Lil Somers
sponsored by
Plaque on the front of Hut 4
Lilian (‘Lil’) Somers, known as QF265125 Gunner Gerahty, served in the Australian Women’s Army Service (AWAS) in Townsville during World War II.
​
Born in Charters Towers and later moving to Julia Creek and then to Townsville at age 13, Lil is a born and bred North Queenslander. Wanting to serve her country during World War II, Lil enlisted as soon as she was old enough. After being accepted into the AWAS in July 1942, she completed her initial six weeks of training in Brisbane before returning to Townsville to an operational position.
​
During her service in World War II, Lil was stationed at the Townsville Grammar School which the military had taken over. She worked in the ‘Ack Ack’ (Anti-Aircraft) Operations Room alongside the Air Force to identify all aircraft in Townsville’s airspace and plot their movements.
​
Lil married her childhood sweetheart Jack Somers in Julia Creek before family and friends in June 1944 before leaving the AWAS in 1945.
​
When speaking of her service in Townsville during World War II, Lil comments, “I fought in the Battle of Townsville,” with a huge smile on her face.
​
Hut 4 is named in honour of Lil Somers (nee Gerahty) for her service to her country during World War II and was unveiled by her on 9 August 2022.
Hut 5
Who is Next?
sponsored by
