Rev. Richard (Dick) Udy is a retired Uniting Church minister and a member of Galston Uniting Church Men’s Choir. During WW2 he was a wireless operator on board Catalina flying boats which were based at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie. Known as “the Black Cats” they were responsible for air-sea rescue, reconnaissance and mine laying in enemy held ports. Now in his nineties, Dick is one of a handful of survivors of his Squadron.
Through this association, the choir has been privileged to travel to Rathmines to sing at the Anzac Day ceremony for the last ten years. Under the leadership of Galston High School music teacher Janet Hatfield, with Helen Johnson on the keyboard, the choir sang two songs and Rev. (Flight Lieutenant) Udy led the prayers before a fly past of a modern P8 reconnaissance jet from No.11 Squadron, the one surviving Catalina Squadron. This was a dramatic climax to a moving and memorable Anzac Day Service. Finally, all adjourned to the Rathmines Bowling Club ( formerly the Officers Mess) for lunch and fellowship.
