Background
Born as Basil Wilfred Thomas Catterns in Balmain, Sydney, the son of an English merchant seaman, Wilfred Catterns, and Emily (née Greenwell).
Born as Basil Wilfred Thomas Catterns in Balmain, Sydney, the son of an English merchant seaman, Wilfred Catterns, and Emily (née Greenwell).
Early years
Educated at Fort Street Boys" High School, Catterns joined the staff of the (now defunct) Sydney afternoon daily newspaper, The Sun. On the outbreak of World World War II in 1939 he volunteered for military service and served with the Australian Imperial Force in the Middle East and North Africa including Tobruk. World World War II
Post War
After the war Catterns pursued a career in advertising.
Final Years
Basil Catterns died at age 89 of undisclosed causes.
Marriages
Nina McKnight - 1943 - 2007
Offspring
David Catterns
Diana Catterns
Angela Catterns
Media
The Catterns"s story was a major thread in the documentary series Kokoda which was originally aired on ABC1 in late April 2010.
In September 1942, Catterns, by now a captain, was sent to New Guinea with his infantry unit where he saw action on the Kokoda Track winning a Military Cross and being mentioned in dispatches for acts of gallantry which his battalion commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Cullen, was moved to declare the bravest thing I"d ever seen a man do. Catterns served in New Guinea for the rest of the war, eventually attaining the rank of major.
He produced a film of the Melbourne Olympic Games. Sailed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on six occasions. Founded Offshore Yachting, the magazine of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.
And was one of the longest-serving members of the Sydney Maritime Museum.
