AIRAIRFF RCERCEVol. 62, No. 7, April 30, 2020 The official newspaper of the Royal Australian Air Force

INSIDE: AIR FORCE AWARD RECIPIENTS – Pages 2-5 MARKING A DIFFERENT ANZAC DAY – Pages 12-13

DUTYCALLS

Helping Tasmania

in fight against

COVID-19

Pages 8-9

Medical Assistant CPL Megan Macauslan

checks an emergency trolley in the North West

Regional Hospital in Burnie, Tasmania. Photo: CPL Nicci Freeman

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AIRAIRFF RCERCE

Living the Air Force Values: RESPECT – EXCELLENCE – AGILITY – DEDICATION – INTEGRITY – TEAMWORK

2 Air Force Awards

SQNLDR W.T. RIGGS TROPHY

OUTSTANDING Air Force and APS members and units were honoured in the annual RAAF Proficiency and Leadership Awards, recognising their performance in 2019.

Award recipients are normally announced on March 31 to coincide with Air Force’s birthday, but this year has been different due to the current social distancing restrictions.

CAF AIRMSHL Mel Hupfeld said every recipient should be proud of their achievements.

“Each year, we acknowledge the incredible efforts of our people and

Congratulations for ‘incredible efforts’FLTLT Jessica Aldred

units with the Air Force Proficiency and Leadership Awards,” AIRMSHL Hupfeld said. “I wish to congratu-late all of our award winners – to have been highlighted amongst such a dedicated and talented cohort is an

achievement of the highest order.” The awards recognise the achieve-ments of units for proficiency in training, maintenance, support ser-vices, whole-of-base operations and flying.

For members, awards included outstanding performances in training and instructing, airman of the year, APS team member of the year and the best official photograph.

“I want to commend them on their amazing contribution to our organisation, and if you know any of these individuals or units, I hope you will take a moment to acknowledge them,” AIRMSHL Hupfeld said.

For the 2020 awards, nominate a worthy recipient using webform AD972 from October 1 and submit to your chain of command for final submission by January 31, 2021.

CAF AIRMSHL Mel Hupfeld said to be recognised

in the awards was an achivement of the highest order.Photo: CPL Sebastian

Beurich

CPL CASEY Forster has won the SQNLDR W.T. Riggs trophy for photograph of the year.

It’s a first for the Richmond-based photographer and has all the hall-marks of a perfect snap.

The photo was taken during a No. 37 Squadron Indigenous engagement visit to Gilgandra in central NSW.

The 37SQN C-130J Hercules had brought a team of 30 to meet with about 400 people from the local community and for the first time were provided with a ‘Welcome to Country’ from the Wiradjuri nation.

CPL Forster brilliantly captured the mood with her image but not without a challenge.

The shot was well planned but the camera’s flash kept failing. She kept going and got that shot of the day. That’s what you get with core skills and more than 13 years’ expe-rience.

CPL Forster was humbled by the award which had come at the right time as she’s set to leave the Air Force for a new challenge.

“I never thought I’d win it. I’m pretty stoked to have my work rec-ognised and am delighted to be able to leave my Air Force career on a real high,” she said.

Capturing a wonderful moment the perfect way to bid farewell

CPL Casey Forster, of No. 28 Squadron, was thrilled to be recognised for her work. Inset: Her award-winning photo taken last June of LAC Jason Smith and Peter in front of a No. 37 Squadron C-130J Hercules during a visit to Gilgandra in NSW. Main photo: CPL David Said

While she puts the camera down for the final time in July for a career in aged and disability care, CPL Forster leaves us with an award-winning memory.

The majority of Air Force Image Specialists are part of 28SQN, the Air Force’s Public Affairs Squadron, with five posted to 1st Joint Public Affairs Unit and one to Air Force News. 28SQN supports the delivery of Air Force’s strategic objectives through the provision of timely, effective, influ-ential and professional communica-tions effects.

SGT GUY Young’s aerial image of four PC-9/As from No. 4 Squadron has all the elements of a great photo-graph – it holds your interest with its composition and near-perfect sym-metry.

SGT Young is an Air Force Imagery Specialist (AFIS) with No. 28 Squadron and won this years’ People’s Choice Award which is part of the SQNLDR W.T. Riggs Trophy competition.

The People’s Choice Award takes place after the official judging and has been held in various for-mats over the years – in Air Force News, on Facebook and this year on Instagram.

When 4SQN was retiring their

Just like being in formation

FLTLT Dean Squire

FLGOFF Aaron Curran

fleet of PC-9/As on August 26, SGT Young took the opportunity to cap-ture them flying up to the town of Bulahdelah and then back over Port Stephens.

“I was flying in the formation while the other AFIS, CPL Craig Barrett, was directing the formation from a chase plane,” SGT Young said.

“After a few different formations the scene I captured was presented to me and I waited for the exact time when the aircraft were at the right separation point and the lighthouse over Port Stephens was in view.”

The image made the viewer feel like they were in the formation.

“The canopy created a perfect frame for the shot,” he said. “It’s not easy to capture because the most challenging aspects of aerial photog-raphy are eliminating canopy reflec-tions and exhaust haze.”

SQNLDR W.T. RIGGS TROPHY

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

SGT Guy Young’s photo of

the 4SQN PC-9/As flying at

Port Stephens

on the NSW

coast.

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RCE 3April 30, 2020AIR F Air Force Awards

Air Force APS Team Member of the Year AwardMrs Lyvern Slender, HQAMGAwarded to an APS employee who exemplifies both APS and Air Force values and makes an outstanding contribution to Air Force.

AVM B. A. Eaton Airman of the Year AwardCPL Christopher Lane, 33SQNAwarded to an airman of the rank of corporal or below to recognise the calibre of the individual and their significant contribution to both the service and community.

CAF Instructor of the Year AwardFLGOFF Callum McDonald, AMTSThis award highlights the unquestionable impor-tance of training and education to the Air Force and formally recognises the commissioned officer who has excelled in this field.

WOFF-AF Instructor of the Year AwardSGT Jessica Muscat, Army School of HealthThis award highlights the unquestionable impor-tance of training and education to the Air Force and formally recognises the airman who has excelled in this field.

Her Majesty the Queen’s Gold MedalPLTOFF Elysia Cave-Freeman, AMTSAwarded by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to the most outstanding officer trainee from OTS or ADFA to recognise exemplary conduct, outstand-ing performance of duty, and influence on fellow officers.

SQNLDR W. T. Riggs TrophyCPL Casey Forster, 28SQNAwarded for the best official photograph of the year. The trophy is a competition open to all Air Force members.

Air Force Association TrophyHQ 86WGAwarded for proficiency and contribution by Force Element Groups and Wing Headquarters.

Duke of Gloucester Cup34SQNAwarded to the most proficient flying squadron.

Hawker Siddeley Trophy30SQNAwarded to the most proficient unit with primarily whole-of-base functions.

Markowski Cup1CCSAwarded to the most proficient specialist support unit.

RAAF Maintenance Trophy75SQNAwarded to the most proficient Air Force mainte-nance unit in recognition of their engineering and technical excellence.

Stonehaven TrophyAir Mission Training SchoolAwarded to the most proficient training unit.

RAAF PROFICIENCY AND LEADERSHIP

AWARDS

AIRMAN OF THE YEAR

Saluted for going above and beyond

CPL Christopher Lane inspects an

actuator in the engine on a KC-30A multi-

role tanker transport engine.

Photo: CPL Brenton Kwaterski

THE recipient of the 2019 Air Vice-Marshal B.A. Eaton Airman of the Year Award, for his inspi-rational conduct and performance as an airman at No. 33 Squadron is CPL Christopher Lane.

CPL Lane is an aircraft technician who posted into the KC-30A multi-role tanker fly-ing squadron at RAAF Base Amberley in 2016.

Within the first year, he attained all possible technical authorisations for his rank level,

FLGOFF Clarice Hurren

More award winners – Pages 4-5

THE recipient of the 2019 RAAF Association Trophy is Headquarters No. 86 Wing for exercising effective operational command over Nos. 33, 34 and 36 Squadrons which resulted in the exceptional delivery of air mobility capability over the year.

HQ 86WG managed squadron operations in support of numerous operations including Accordion, Aslan, Mazurka, Okra, Highroad, Southern Discovery and APEC Assist 2019, as well as VIP support to the longest federal election campaign in recent history and the Pacific Island Forum.

Geopolitically significant national and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief taskings were also completed without fail.

86WG CO GPCAPT Anthony Bull said these successes were pos-

HQ 86WG proudly proves the very meaning of ‘Precision’ motto

AIR FORCEASSOCIATION

TROPHY

FLGOFF Clarice Hurren

sible due to the tireless dedication to duty, adaptability and teamwork of a small number of highly motivated staff who embody the 86WG motto of ‘Precision’.

“It is humbling to have taken com-mand of this prestigious Wing sup-ported by such high achieving squad-rons,” GPCAPT Bull said.

“I am very pleased that their endeavours have been recognised at the highest levels.

“The challenge now is to con-tinue to deliver air mobility effect to support both the ADF and whole of Government by nudging the profes-sional bar higher.”

including high power engine run-ner authorisation (vice the 2.3-year average for his peers).

Then in early 2018, CPL Lane attained Engine Run Assessor authorisation for KC-30A (tra-ditionally held by more sen-ior members) due to exemplary technical mastery and ability to impart knowledge to junior mem-bers.

CPL Lane also volunteered to lead a small team to manage the transition of 33SQN into Defence Aviation Safety Regulation Part 66 licensing.

In 2019 this framework was leveraged to allow 33SQN to sup-port a 51 per cent increase in the monthly aircraft sortie rate while maintaining an average mission capability rate above 75 per cent and a three-fold increase to fully mission capable aircraft across the KC-30A fleet.

CPL Lane completed study to further his professional develop-ment, and volunteered for various Air Force and Air Mobility Group leadership programs.

Commenting on receiving the award, CPL Lane said he

wouldn’t be taking being named Airman of the Year lightly.

“Being recognised as the Airman of the Year is an absolute honour, which I will cherish with my family,” CPL Lane said.

“I am extremely grateful for the faith, opportunities and sup-port I have received from my chain of command at 33SQN and the assistance from a great num-ber of fellow technicians.

“Without their support and contribution, I would not have come so far as to receive this very humbling award.”

4 Air Force Awards

QUEEN’S GOLD MEDAL

RECOGNITION by the Queen is not something most Air Force members will receive in their career, but this has happened to PLTOFF Elysia Cave-Freeman, as the worthy winner of Her Majesty the Queen’s Gold Medal in 2019.

Awarded to the most outstanding officer trainee from Officers’ Training School (OTS) or ADFA, PLTOFF Cave-Freeman has been recognised for her exemplary conduct, outstand-

ing performance of duty, and influ-ence on fellow officers. Now posted as a student to Air Mission Training School, PLTOFF Cave-Freeman was sur-prised when she found out she’d won the special honour. “Initially I was shocked – I feel incredibly

grateful that the staff at OTS thought of me when they were looking for someone to nominate and honoured to have made their hard work worth-while,” PLTOFF Cave-Freeman said.

She was part of 04/19 Initial Officer Course from May to September 2019. Throughout her training, OTS staff observed her drive and passion in all aspects, profes-sionally performing to an exemplar standard, with her conduct, dedication and professionalism enabling her to advance and empower herself as a junior officer, whilst simultaneously advancing her peers in order for them to reach their potential.

PLTOFF Cave-Freeman said she had great support, which contributed to this achievement.

“My family has been an important contributor to this; their support and encouragement allowed me to focus and feel confident enough to take on the challenges officer training throws at you,” she said. “I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone from my previous squadron, instruc-tors and mates who helped me get to where I am today, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

PLTOFF Cave-Freeman’s outstand-ing dedication, professionalism and performance, including her unwaver-ing commitment to Air Force values and development of peers made her a deserving recipient of the 2019 Her Majesty the Queen’s Gold Medal for the most outstanding officer graduate.

FLTLT Jessica Aldred

PLTOFF Elysia Cave-Freeman is now posted to the Air Mission Training School

HAWKER SIDDELEY TROPHYOPERATING and maintaining an

Air Force base is no easy feat, however the small team from No. 30 Squadron at RAAF Base East Sale have proven that anything is possible with dedication and agility.

The Hawker Siddeley Trophy winner, 30SQN, has garnered brag-ging rights as the most proficient unit with whole-of-base support function.

30SQN CO WGCDR James Allen celebrated the outstanding contribution of his squadron mem-

FLTLT Courtney Jay

On a high-quality journey of modernisationFLTLT Robert Cochran

THE Air Mission Training School has set the performance bar high for years to come after being awarded the 2019 Stonehaven Trophy in the school’s inaugural year.

The Stonehaven Trophy is awarded for the recognition of the most profi-cient training unit.

Air Mission Training School (AMTS) was established in 2019 and provides the initial training to officer aviation candidates.

It is the school responsible for graduating weapon system operators, maritime patrol and response officers, air battle managers, air traffic control-lers, operations officers, air mobility officers and aviation warfare officers.

In its very first year, AMTS was able to provide an innovative approach to training during a time of extremely constrained resourcing in both plat-

DEVELOPING new approaches to weaponeering training while instructing an ever-increasing number of Air Mission Training School (AMTS) students has led to FLGOFF Callum McDonald being honoured with the CAF Instructor of the Year award.

The award is given to a com-missioned officer that excels in the training and education field, with FLGOFF McDonald recognised for his work on the weapons courses review project; representing one of the most significant improvements the Air Force had ever undertaken.

FLGOFF McDonald was hum-bled by the recognition, and said that the Air Force has many out-standing instructors.

“I am very humbled and surprised to have even been nominated, let alone won the CAF Instructor of the Year, as there are so many members who excel in this field across the Air Force,” FLGOFF McDonald said.

FLTLT Kat Trimble STONEHAVEN TROPHY

Humbled to be singled out for outstanding commitmentFLTLT Jessica Aldred CAF INSTRUCTOR

OF THE YEAR

“I have the pleasure of interact-ing daily with a lot of outstanding instructors, which certainly makes professional growth and develop-ment a lot easier.”

Joining Air Force in 2014, FLGOFF McDonald is an opera-tions officer and has been the chief weapons instructor at AMTS since May 2016. Aside from his major project reform work, he also has continued to instruct on courses as AMTS trainee numbers grow.

FLGOFF McDonald said he was grateful for the high calibre of students he has taught and his AMTS colleagues.

“We have had really high cali-bre students with a lot of technical knowledge in their respective mus-terings come through the weapons employment courses over the last few years,” FLGOFF McDonald said.

MARKOWSKI CUPCONGRATULATIONS to No. 1 Combat Communications Squad-ron (1CCS) for being awarded the Markowski Cup for 2019.

The Markowski Cup goes to the most proficient specialist support unit in Air Force.

While CO 1CCS WGCDR Daniel Howarth was honoured to receive the award on behalf of his unit, he also remained mindful of 1CCS’s place within a larger system.

“I am very pleased yet humbled by the win as there are a lot of other excellent support squadrons across

Air Force who do a lot of great things every day,” WGCDR Howarth said.

“From my perspective, this award demonstrates the ongoing commit-ment of each individual member, both past and present, to the squad-ron’s mission of delivering a highly effective communication and infor-mation systems capability.

“I attribute the win to the high quality of our people – their positive attitude, technical competence and determination to succeed means

1CCS continues to deliver what’s needed by Air Force as we continue the transition to a fifth-generation force.”

1CCS has been on a journey of modernisation for some time now.

It took delivery of new satellite equipment and is currently work-ing on the rollout of state-of-the-art IT systems, collectively known as JACKSTAY-LAND.

These systems will allow 1CCS to provide a cutting-edge operating system for deployed users, which in turn enhances the whole of ADF’s command and control capability.

“This award acknowledges all the

hard work that’s occurred across the whole squadron to modernise our systems and improve the support we deliver to deployed Air Force units,” WGCDR Howarth said.

“The men and women of 1CCS have embraced the need for change and innovation. I commend their efforts in delivering a reliable and highly reputable communications effect – their work is absolutely essential to the ongoing delivery of air power both now and into the future.”

In 2019, 1CCS marked its 20th year of continuous operations.

Over this period the squadron has

delivered communication and infor-mation systems effects to hundreds of exercises and operations.

1CCS SQN WOFF Ted Grygorcewicz acknowledged the pro-fessionalism and dedication of per-sonnel to achieve mission success and highlighted the vital contribution made by families.

“This award also recognises the efforts and sacrifices made by fam-ily members who’ve been separated from their loved ones, often for long periods of time, while members are deployed away from home to per-form their important duties,” WOFF Grygorcewicz said.

A very goodfirst year

forms and personnel and AMTS CO WGCDR Brett Williams could not be prouder.

“AMTS faced many challenges in 2019 that were overcome through adaptability and efficiency of training to produce high quality officer aviation graduates,” WGCDR Williams said.

“We provided an increase of 25 per cent effective trainees to Air Force through contemporary online training systems, adaptable ground based mission simulators and innova-tive modularised course packages.

“I feel extremely proud of the unit for winning the Stonehaven trophy in its inaugural year.

“All staff have shown tremendous dedication and commitment to ensure excellence in training.”

Royal approval a special honour

bers during an intense base activity.“The squadron’s proficiency in

airbase operations and dedication to our values brings great credit upon its members and is in keeping with the finest traditions of Combat Support Group and the Royal Australian Air Force,” WGCDR Allen said.

“Our personnel continuously demonstrate commendable commit-

ment to Air Force values, aviation safety and operational efficiency for airbase users and officer aviation training.

“The evolution of this airbase over the last couple of years has been incredible, with the introduc-tion of the PC-21 aircraft, the estab-lishment of the Air Academy, No. 1 Flying Training School resuming a pilot training role and on-site avia-tion candidate selection.

“We also saw a marked increase in base operations, with local air-craft movements up over 20 per cent in the first half of last year, night flying increasing from eight

weeks in 2018 to 32 weeks in 2019, and a 30 per cent increase in visit-ing military aircraft. All while we deconflicted major airfield works, supported Emergency Management Victoria through severe bushfire seasons, and drove harmonisation across the base for operations to continue without impediment.”

During Operation Bushfire Assist 19-20 it successfully ena-bled 240 fixed and rotary wing flights, transitioned more than 1000 evacuees and first responders on and off base, distributed more than 300,000kg of cargo and prepared more than 15,000 meals.

A firm base to meet challenges

Air Force C-27J Spartans at RAAF Base East Sale prepare to move essential cargo in support of Operation Bushfire Assist. Photo: CPL Kylie Gibson

RCE 5April 30, 2020AIR F Air Force Awards

A greatreformerwith true passionTHE Air Force APS Team Member of the Year Award has been presented to Mrs Lyvern Slender at RAAF Base Richmond.

In her role as Air Mobility Group Knowledge Manager Mrs Slender has totally reformed information manage-ment across the Force Element Group, and set a benchmark for all others.

Before she assumed the role in 2013, each AMG unit maintained i n d i v i d u a l i n f o r m a t i o n handling prac-tices that often did not meet national archiv-ing requ i re -ments nor did they facilitate easy informa-tion retrieval. Mrs Slender identified this deficiency and deve loped a plan to put in place standard-ised FEG-wide information manage-ment processes.

In particular, Mrs Slender devel-oped and introduced a records man-agement training program to stand-ardise processes and upskill key staff, as well as overhauled the storage of AMG’s physical files, ensuring records are registered and archived in accordance with national require-ments.

Comment ing on the award, Mrs Slender said it’s a win for all Information Management staff across Defence.

“The honour of this award is over-whelming, knowing so many of my APS and Information Management colleagues do tremendous work to be innovative and drive change to achieve One Defence goals,” Mrs Slender said.

“My passion for record keeping began when researching my grandfa-ther’s war record. If it wasn’t for good record keeping my family would never have understood the impact of World War II on my grandmother, raising five small children and running a farm alone while my grandfather was in New Guinea.

“I’m hopeful this award will raise the profile of Information Management and encourage others in my field to continue to strive for excellence, knowing that our efforts are recognised and rewarded.”

APS TEAM MEMBER OF THE YEAR

FLGOFF Clarice Hurren

Lyvern Slender has praised her fellow Information Manage-ment colleagues.

WOFF-AF INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR

ACW Olivia Tiele

THE 2019 RAAF Maintenance Tro-phy has gone to the No. 75 Squadron maintenance team in recognition of their exceptional performance over the past 12 months.

The 75SQN maintenance team was responsible for enabling key capability outcomes, being an exemplar for Air Force squadron maintenance culture and enhancing the reputation of Air Force.

The award recognised the dedica-

Agility, skill and dedication amid change

MEDIC Instructor of the Army School of Health SGT Jessica Muscat has received the Warrant Officer of the Air Force Instructor of the Year award.

The award recognises the com-mitment, leadership and personal standards of an outstanding airman or airwoman of our Air Force and commends the contribution they have made to training and education.

SGT Jessica Muscat said she has thrived in her role which brings challenge and reward. Photo: SGT Rodney Welch

FLTLT Alyssa Vickridge

tion of the team in maintaining the serviceability of the 35-year-old F/A-18A/B Hornet.

The team has also maintained its dedication and positive attitude while working from one of the Air Force’s most permanent isolated bases.

Previous 75SQN CO GPCAPT Peter Robinson said the award was not just about how the team got the job

done rather it was about how the team “developed a maintenance culture that embodies RAAF Values and empow-

ers each and every member to realise their potential to be the best they can be both professionally and personally”.

The team’s technical skills and dedication to the provision of high lev-els of F/A-18A/B Hornet serviceability enhanced capability by enabling Air Combat Group aircrew progression and collective training outcomes for numerous Air Force, Navy and Army units.

The maintenance team enhanced the reputation of Air Force by the way it engaged across numerous organisa-tions ranging from Air Force, Army,

Navy and foreign forces to the local Northern Territory community.

75SQN maintenance and logistics had an exceptional 2019 which has resulted in aircraft serviceability well above the squadron’s peer organisa-tions.

This was an especially impressive achievement given the challenges of operating a 35-year-old complex plat-form, the shift in the organisational focus away from F/A-18A/B to F-35A and the inherent additional difficulties of operating from the remote location of RAAF Base Tindal.

Commitment to trainingSGT Muscat has shown impecca-

ble dedication to the development of education within Air Force and guided some of the most junior members to become skilled and professional mem-bers within the field of health.

“The previous year has been an incredibly challenging year for me, both personally and professionally, however, it was truly a great spring-board for growth and development in parallel with the trainees,” SGT Muscat said.

“My current role as an instructor is both challenging and rewarding, and at times can be intimidating. This comes as a part of being an instructor in our environment. Being an instructor is yet the most humbling position I have had so far in my career.”

The award is a reflection of SGT Muscat’s commitment to the Air Force and its values, her level of respect for both her unit and her students and most importantly her ability to guide and mentor the future ADF medics.

WOFF-AF Fiona Grasby reflected on the value instructors had on navi-gating and creating paths of success for our airmen and women.

“I acknowledge their commitment to excellence and their drive to self-lessly invest their energy in the devel-opment of our workforce across mul-tiple dimensions,” WOFF-AF Grasby said. “Jess represents our professional force, and I congratulate Jess for being identified as the WOFF-AF Instructor of the Year – well done Jess.”

MAINTENANCE TROPHY

The 75SQN team maintains the F/A-18A/B Hornet.

2019 was a momentous year for No. 34 Squadron, the recipient of the Duke of Gloucester Cup.

The squadron delivered the highest level of performance and capability in recent history, while seamlessly transitioning from the Bombardier Challenger 604 aircraft to the Dassault Falcon 7X.

CO 34SQN WGCDR Jason Pont said the squadron transitioned air-

Delivering to the highest standard as the tempo climbsFLGOFF Clarice Hurren DUKE OF

GLOUCESTER CUP

craft in a faultless manner to VIP passengers, while concurrently achieving a 100 per cent mission success rate over the extremely busy federal election campaign.

34SQN also doubled their direct-ed level of capability to sustain six concurrent tasks (with a fleet of six

aircraft) over a six-week period, despite the challenges presented.

In total, the squadron flew more than 3000 hours comprising 2102 sectors and 7210 passengers, using three aircraft types over the 2018/2019 financial year.

“While the Duke of Gloucester Cup is awarded to 34SQN, it is welcome recognition of notewor-thy efforts across the entirety of the special purpose aircraft enter-prise, including VIP Operations [Air Mobility Control Centre], Special

Purpose Aircraft Management Unit, Northrop Grumman Australia and Qantas Support Services,” WGCDR Pont said.“It is a great honour to receive the award as the most pro-ficient Air Force Squadron of the year. I am especially proud of the women and men of 34SQN who have continued to provide exem-plary VIP service to the Australian Government during a period of high operational tempo and significant change.”

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RCE 7April 30, 2020AIR F News

Flu vaccinationsADF Surgeon-General RADM Sarah Sharkey has urged personnel to be vaccinated for the flu. “Outbreaks on bases, ships, deployment or exercises directly affect capability and the last thing Australia needs at this time is a serious flu outbreak,” she said. “Staying fit is important but so is staying healthy. By getting

IN BRIEF

FLGOFF Clarice Hurren

AIR Force Globemasters have carried critical supplies to Vanuatu and Fiji in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Harold, which hit the island countries on April 6.

The flights were part of the ADF’s contribution to Australia’s whole-of-government response to the humanitarian crisis.

A C-17A Globemaster, from 36SQN at RAAF Base Amberley, delivered pallets of humanitarian supplies to support the disaster relief efforts of the governments of Vanuatu and Fiji.

Air movements personnel from 23SQN prepared and loaded the first aircraft with stores from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on April 9 and the mission departed for Vanuatu on April 12.

OC 86WG GPCAPT Anthony Bull said the C-17A also transported Australians and permanent residents back to Australia via Brisbane International Airport.

“Despite these challenging times it is rewarding to be able to deliver assistance to our Pacific neighbours,” GPCAPT Bull said.

“Flying in Australian aid is profes-sionally very satisfying. The Air Force is a proven partner in times of crisis and our personnel are ready to move at short notice.”

23SQN prepared two more C-17A loads for Fiji that arrived in Nadi in the third week of April.

C-17A captain FLTLT Chris Moore said the loads contained critical humani-tarian relief supplies including kitchen kits, hygiene and shelter kits and critical medical supplies.

DEFENCE’S prototype for an artifi-cial intelligence (Ai) system to trans-form the expensive and demanding task of airborne search and rescue has moved into its second phase of development.

The Ai-Search system is a col-laboration between Air Force’s Plan Jericho, Warfare Innovation Navy Branch and Air Mobility Group’s No. 35 Squadron.

The system combines a sensor and processor, is highly portable and has the potential to enable any aircraft, including unmanned aerial systems, vehicles or vessels to become impro-vised search-and-rescue platforms.

A recent C-27J Spartan sor-tie from RAAF Base Amberley to Stradbroke Island, with the assistance of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard, helped evaluate the Ai-Search algorithm to recognise a life raft and other waterborne vessels.

This sortie was the second of sev-eral phases to develop and evaluate this proof of concept.

The Ai -Sea rch a lgo r i t hms are being developed by budding machine-learning expert LEUT Harry Hubbert from the Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.

“During the sortie, we had a few GoPro sensors rigged up to detect a life raft and two algorith-mic approaches working together to increase accuracy and the likelihood of a detection,” LEUT Hubbert said.

“This sortie was pretty challeng-

ing as the life raft was upside down, making it harder to see for both the human eye and the Ai-Search sensors.

“The sensors are trained to detect an orange top, rather than a black top, but the Ai-Search still had a 70 per cent detection rate, compared to the human detection rate of around 50 per cent.

“The 30 per cent Ai-Search non-detections happened when there was low contrast between dark water and the black underside of the life raft, and the good news is we had no false positives.”

FLGOFF Katherine Mitchell piloted the aircraft as part of a search-and-rescue training exercise and said it was hard to see the upturned life raft.

“We barely saw it 50 per cent of the time,” FLGOFF Mitchell said.

“Ai-Search is already pick-ing up more than what we are see-ing. It’s incredible and it doesn’t get fatigued.”

Plan Jericho’s Ai lead, WGCDR Michael Gan, said the next phase “will involve testing different sen-sor and processor combinations in a range of environmental conditions, with the potential of testing on a range of aircraft, including UAS”.

Join Jericho’s Air Force accelerator program, EDGY Air Force, and turn your game-changing idea into a joint force edge. Submit your idea to plan.jericho@defence.gov.au or visit airforce.gov.au/EDGY.

FLTLT Alyssa Vickridge

AS THE F/A-18F Super Hornets reached the 10th anniversary, in March, of their arrival at RAAF Base Amberley, CO 1SQN WGCDR Ric Peapell said the aircraft had surpassed all expectations and had become a key air combat capability.

The Super Hornet was originally intended as a bridging capability when Air Force phased out the F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet fleet and waited for the delivery of the F-35A.

But WGCDR Peapell said the arrival of the F-35A fleet did not mean the Super Hornet would be phased out.

“Instead, we are looking forward to the next 10 years and how we support and enhance fifth-generation platforms,” he said.

The Super Hornet had a proven track record on both exercises and operations.

“Over the past 10 years the aircraft has performed well on a number of multinational, advanced aerial air combat exercises as well as completing successful deployments to the Middle East on Operation Okra in 2014 and again in 2017,” WGCDR Peapell said.

WGCDR Peapell said the 10th anniversary was a significant milestone for the squadron and the personnel who had worked behind

Loads of relief for neighbours in crisis

Smarter search system

Still going strong a decade on

the scenes to ensure the success of the capability.

Aircraft Technician FSGT Nigel Lambert was a maintenance manager at 1SQN in 2010 when the first wave of Super Hornets arrived in Australia.

“We were looking forward to getting the opportunity to work on the F/A-18F Super Hornet as it was a significant technology improvement compared to the F-111,” he said.

“The systems in the Super Hornet provide the maintenance team with information about what the aircraft is doing throughout the flight, which greatly assists us with troubleshooting and diagnosing technical faults.

FSGT Lambert said one of the highlights from his time working on the Super Hornet was posting back to 1SQN in 2020 and seeing an updated version of the interactive technical manual.

“In 2014, I was working alongside personnel at the Systems Project Office to identify any changes required to the US-developed technical publication. We were ensuring the Australian version was appropriate to our conditions and work environment.

“It’s a great feeling to come back to 1SQN and see our updates laid the foundation for the current publication.”

vaccinated against the flu, you will contribute to force protection at a time when it’s vital.” Members should participate in a scheduled vaccination parade or await advice from their local health centre.

Cyber fightThe Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) is increasing its fight against malicious cyber activity by protecting Australian families and businesses, as well as the health sector, during the

COVID-19 pandemic. Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the Australian Signals Directorate, through the ACSC, was engaging with hospitals and health service providers across the country. “Hospitals and other health care providers are on the frontline in our fight against COVID-19 and that is why we are working directly with them to reduce their risk of cyber compromise during an already very challenging period,” Senator Reynolds said.

Personnel from 23SQN and 36SQN load a pallet of humanitarian aid onto a C-17A destined for Vanuatu. Photo: CPL Jesse Kane

Once seen as a bridging capability, the F/A-18 Super Hornet is still

showing its worth.Photo: CPL Glen McCarthy

8 COVID-19 pandemic

THE Tasmanian Government opened a new call centre near Ho-bart on April 17 to increase the ca-pacity of the Public Health Hotline to communicate with the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Army personnel from Tasmania’s Joint Task Group 629.5 (JTG 629.5) and members of Tasmania Police are supporting the State Department of Health’s con-tact tracing team at the call centre.

Commander of JTG 629.5 COL David Hughes said the Australian Defence Force was contributing to the whole-of-government response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a range of personnel and logistics support.

“Our ADF contact tracing teams in Tasmania are supporting the state in understanding how this infectious disease may be spreading in our community,” COL Hughes said.

“Contact tracing seeks to deter-mine who a sick person caught an illness from, and to find out who they’ve been in contact with while infectious.”

ADF personnel are also pro-viding assistance with Tasmania Police’s quarantine compliance checks across the Devonport-Burnie and greater Launceston regions, and recently concluded assistance to the Hobart region.

The new call centre has a capac-ity for up to 50 call-takers, almost doubling the state’s call centre capacity dedicated to the emer-gency. It provides critical informa-tion to the community, links people to assistance – such as emergency accommodation and financial sup-port – and coordinates requests for COVID-19 testing.

The new call centre will allow the existing capability to be split over two sites, which provides a critical redundancy should one of the sites become unavailable for any reason.

The teams operating across each site do not physically interact, which helps to ensure the call centre function can continue if a COVID-19 case is identified in either facil-ity.

YOU might have received a call from your boss a few weeks ago, saying you will, or are encouraged to, work from home for the foresee-able future.

For some, this arrangement may work well, for others – espe-cially those with kids – having near-constant distractions may make it difficult to concentrate.

While it’s important you don’t completely ignore what’s around you, there are a few things you can do to help you work from home more efficiently.

The first is to maintain your nor-mal routine.

CPL Sebastian Beurich

FLGOFF Claire Burnet

How to avoid working from home becoming a chore

This doesn’t mean get dressed into your uniform and sit in front of your computer at exactly 7:30 every morning.

But if you’re used to doing PT three times a week, from 7.30 to

8.30, make sure you still do that, don’t just sit around in your PJs.

Secondly, give yourself a dedi-cated work area at home. This could be your normal computer desk or a spot at the dining room table but

you’ll want to make sure it’s – most-ly – distraction free.

If the weather is cooperative, consider working outside. I find a spot of sunlight and a fresh breeze keeps me on track.

It’s also important not to be dis-tracted while you’re trying to work. The seasoned work-from-home pro-fessional may be able to resist the siren call of the washing machine finishing, or multi-task watching TV with work, but if you’re new to this, it’s a bad idea. If you’re in an area that might otherwise distract you, you could try a ‘signal’ for work time – try turning on a lamp or flip-ping over a marker on your table during work hours to draw a mental

distinction. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take breaks. For instance, a quick walk around the backyard to stretch your legs can help clear your mind, but remember to set time limits on your breaks.

Most importantly, being isolated can be lonely, so it’s important to keep in contact with the people you would usually see every day.

There are many way to achieve this; a phone call, Skype on the DPN or even messaging apps like Signal. The important thing is to keep things as normal as possible.

With a few routines in place, before long you – and your family – will settle into a comfortable and productive groove.

Lending our ears to share the load

CPL Sebastian

Beurich gets

some sun while

work-ing from

home.

Air Force Radiographer FLTLT Jessica Mitchell sets up x-ray equipment in the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, Tasmania, following the arrival of the combined ADF and Australian Medical Assistance Team. Photos: CPL Nicci Freeman

RCE 9April 30, 2020AIR F COVID-19 pandemic

PT tips to keep you in shape while in self-isolation

IF YOU’RE self-isolating and need inspiration to keep fit from home, Physical Training Instructor Jake Garrick has you covered.

He’s recommended four simple exercises you can use to stay in shape that don’t require any equip-ment and why they’re great for you.

Burpee A full-body exercise that gets the heart rate up quickly.Correct form: Ensure you have your core tight, don’t let hips drop and make sure you lower your chest to the ground under control.Hot tip: Keep from dropping the

CPL Julia Whitwell

hips, to avoid causing lower back injuries and control the movement when lowering yourself to the ground.

Toyota (jump squat)Effective in firing up the quads.

Correct form: Your squat should be with your feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart and your feet and knees in same direction. Keep your back and head straight, in a neutral position. Touch your hand to the ground then reach up as you

jump. Return to your squat position and touch the ground to repeat. Hot tip: Ensure your feet are not too close together from the jump, land stably on your feet.

Mountain climberWorks the lower abs, which aren’t the easiest area to work directly. Correct form: Keep a straight line through the body, shoulders/hips and heel. Move from the hips, driv-ing knees toward your elbows in the push-up position. Hot tip: Resist bouncing off your feet or raising your hips.

Inch worm This starts off quite easy and hits you when you least expect. If you

do not move fast, it makes this exercise harder. Correct form: Keep your feet close together, place hands in front of your feet and keep your back and legs as straight as you can while walking your body out into a plank position. Lower your body to the ground under control, then walk your hands back toward your feet and stand upright. Hot tip: Avoid arching your back forward, bending your legs and not controlling your body to the ground.

For resources on how to keep fit and healthy during self-isolation, or how to keep fit from home, visit http://drnet/raaf/AirForce/AirForcePhysicalTrainingInstructors/Pages/Home%20Page.aspx.

SGT Max Bree dem-

onstrates PT that can be

conducted at home.

Together for TassieEMERGENCY health services have

resumed in north-west Tasmania, with the arrival of the combined ADF and Australian Medical As-

sistance Team (AUSMAT) at North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, Tasmania.

Following the mandatory 14-day quar-antine of all the civilian health staff, the AUSMAT-led health team was tasked to pro-vide a working emergency department for the community from Burnie to Devonport.

As part of Operation COVID-19 Assist, OIC ADF Clinical Team SQNLDR Cameron Brockel said the 50-strong ADF team was proud they could support the Tasmanian community.

“We are here to provide the local commu-nity with the confidence that they have a sus-tainable health facility to support them, when they need,” SQNLDR Brockel said.

“This is a unique experience for our ADF team. To see a civilian hospital close down, then have AUSMAT and the ADF come in to run the emergency department, is unprec-edented.

“What we achieved was unprecedented – we started with a bare hospital, one that none of our team had ever seen before, and had set up an operational emergency department within six hours.

“Our ADF team is excited to be here, to do their jobs and have the autonomy to provide clinical care to this community for the next fortnight.”

The ADF team included medical officers, nursing officers, medical assistants, a sci-entific officer, a pharmacist, a radiographer, an environmental health officer, and dental assistants with support from two personnel capability specialists and nine Army drivers. The team was assisted by an Army liaison officer to the Tasmanian health department, who is normally employed as an anaesthetist at the Royal Hobart Hospital

SQNLDR Brockel said the ADF team deployed with very short notice from six units, predominantly from Queensland and New South Wales, in addition to the AUSMAT team from Darwin.

“Our people were deployed in under 12 hours from the notice to move and came from Nos. 1 and 2 Expeditionary Health Squadron, HQ Health Services Wing, 2nd General

FLTLT Jessica Aldred

Health Battalion, 9th Force Support Battalion and Fleet Health Support,” SQNLDR Brockel said.

“We also have 15 members who are on their first deployment, and even with 12-hour shifts and no days off, they are so enthusias-tic and flexible.

“Supporting the community is the reward for them, and seeing the smiles on the teams’ faces every day is gold.”

The ADF has a longstanding relationship working with AUSMAT on a range of humani-tarian assistance and disaster relief missions. For this task, AUSMAT took the lead but both sides continued to share experiences.

“It’s been a great experience working with AUSMAT. They are always easy to work with, they have so much experience and we enjoy working together and learning from each other,” SQNLDR Brockel said.

“Navy, Army and Air Force always work well together – we all work the same way and have a common goal of supporting the community.

“Most importantly, we’re earning the trust of the local community and they know we’re here to help them.”

HOW WE’RE HELPINGServices:Air Force – 31Army – 16Navy – 3

Personnel:Medical officers – 7Nursing officers – 13Medical assistants – 12Dental assistants – 3Scientific officer – 1Pharmacist – 1Radiographer – oneEnvironmental health officer – 1Personnel capability specialists – 2Drivers (transport) – 9

Units:Navy: Fleet Health Support UnitArmy: 2nd General Health Battalion, 9th Force Support BattalionAir Force: No. 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron, No. 2 Expeditionary Health Squadron, HQ Health Services Wing.

CPL Megan Macauslan, right, carries out a check on the emergency trolley in the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie, Tasmania.

Medical Officer SQNLDR Benedict Whalley conducts a routine daily tempera-ture check of an ADF member.

Air Force and Tasmanian Health pharmacists replenish stores in the North West Regional Hospital.

11April 30, 2020RCEAIR F10 MIDDLE EAST REGION

OVER the past 17 years of C-130J Hercules operations in the Middle East, maintainers from No. 37 Squadron have

worked hard to keep the workhorse in the air.

The maintainers of the Air Mobility Task Element (AMTE) C-130 Detach-ment have achieved their 50th rotation to the Middle East since the aircraft first deployed to the region in 2003.

SGT Wayne Francis is currently the Second-In-Charge of the team which works tirelessly to fix any issue that might arise.

“My team consists of 21 staff ranging from A Tech to Av Tech, safety equip-ment and metal bashers,” SGT Francis said.

“A typical day for us is working six to six, working two 12-hour shifts, 24 hours a day dictated by the maintenance required on the aircraft and the flying program.

“The sort of maintenance we carry out here is just generalised, unless some-thing goes wrong, then its all hands on deck to fix it and hopefully not let our guys on the ground down.”

SGT Francis joined Air Force in 1988, initially as a transport driver, be-fore remustering as an aircraft technician in 1992.

“This deployment has been an amazing experience, I’ve been in the Air Force 32 years and this is the first

opportunity I’ve had to be deployed. You spend so much time in your career training and organising your life around the job and I finally got the opportunity to do it,” he said.

“I’m extremely proud of my team, they just do an amazing job. If it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be able to main-tain an aircraft in theatre and bring all those diggers who need to move around back to the main operating base.

“After 17 years of contributing to the Middle East, it’s fairly well ingrained how we move people and equipment around the region, so it’s imperative that we help our troops on the ground.”

CPL Alan Reitsma is an avion-ics technician and has completed six deployments to the Middle East as part of 37SQN.

“My first deployment was in 2009,” CPL Reitsma said.

“Looking back over this time, not much has changed, our work rate is just as busy. The aircraft and our job as maintainers is the same.

“Our job is simple, keep the aircraft flying so Defence personnel and cargo can move in and out of different opera-tional theatres.

“The only major difference is the number of aircraft that has fluctuated over that time and until now based on operational needs and tempo.”

Maintenance milestone fortireless team

Workhorsewarehouse

Comforts of home perfect parcel for chaplain

THE start of 2020 has shown that supporting one another is a part of the Australian spirit.

Air Force Chaplain SQNLDR David Enticott experienced this recently when he received a long-awaited gift.

Deployed to the Middle East region (MER), SQNLDR Enticott was over-whelmed with emotion when his fam-ily, work colleagues and Collingwood Football club banded together to pull off a logistical miracle.

“I was surprised when I received my quilt from Aussie Hero Quilts. It was signed by my family, work colleagues and the players from the Collingwood team,” SQNLDR Enticott said.

“I feel like three families have combined to give me that incredible gift. It was a pretty amazing moment.”

Joining him via video call for this special moment were his loved ones.

“To be able to Skype here is really good. Over my six months in the MER it has been a great way to be

able to stay connected with everyone back home,” SQNLDR Enticott said.

“Seeing their smiles, body lan-guage and facial expressions has been amazing, not just for me but for

everyone that uses it to call their fami-lies while deployed on operations.”

Being one of three ADF chaplains providing support to about 1000 de-ployed members throughout the MER,

SQNLDR Enticott is a busy man car-ing for other’s needs.

ADF chaplains provide extensive spiritual and emotional guidance for our deployed members and their families abroad and back home.

“Our role as Chaplains involves listening to how others are going and working with them through issues to find the best solution. It is a real privilege to undertake this role.”

“Chaplains are able to encour-age people when they are going through hard times. It is not always easy being away from loved ones back home. We provide a listening ear when people need it the most,” SQNLDR Enticott said.

On the completion of his deploy-ment, SQNLDR Enticott will return back to his role as the chaplain of No. 21 Squadron in Melbourne and to his wife Melissa and three children James, 18, Ben, 16 and Thomas, 16.

“Being here for six-and-a-half months I miss my wife and our three boys,” he said. “I can’t wait for week-ends to read the paper, go out for a coffee and be with the family.”

CAPT Jarrad BaldwinAir Force Chaplain

SQNLDR David Enticott with

his Aussie Hero Quilt at Australia’s

main operating base in MER.

The 50th rotation of those technicians who keep the C-130J Hercules flying has been achieved, CAPT Jarrad Baldwin writes.

Members of the maintenance C-130J Hercules team; far left: CPL David Sealey, left: LAC Thomas Ryan and right; LAC Stephen Poole.

Aircraft Technician LAC Clement Mau works on the engine of the C-130J Hercules at Australia’s main operating base in the Middle East.Photos: LS Craig Walton

Aircraft technicians work on the prop of a C-130J Hercules.

12 Anzac Day

WITH the cancellation of many public Anzac Day events around the country, many people paid their

respects from home.CPL Frank Borton was selected

as a member of the four-person cata-falque party at the Anzac Day private

service held at the Adelaide National War Memorial.

Currently posted to the Edinburgh airbase operations squadron, No. 24 Squadron, CPL Borton said it was an honour and privilege to represent the ADF on the significant day.

“Anzac Day is a chance to com-memorate the sacrifices and efforts of not only past members and their fami-lies, but also those sacrifices being made by current members and their families,” CPL Borton said.

One of the best and most challeng-ing highlights of his career was being part of a service in the Middle East in 2015 for the 100-year commemoration of Anzac Day.

“The service that was conducted on that Anzac Day in 2015 is something

A DAY TOREMEMBERFOR one airman, Anzac Day tradition is

just as much about family as it is about dawn services.

LAC Bryan Rowles was part of the catafalque party in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on April 25.

“Normally I would do a service somewhere and afterwards a barbecue and couple of drinks with friends, but it’s also very much a fam-ily thing for me and especially this year,”LAC Rowles said.

“It’s a good day to talk to the kids about what it means so they understand what their Dad does and why.”

A handful of Australian Federation Guard personnel were part of a commemorative ser-vice at the Australian War Memorial streamed live to the public.

“On Anzac Day I also call Grandma as she was around during the Second World War,” LAC Rowles said.

“Chatting about the similarities with rationing and her experiences of that era and COVID-19 restrictions is interesting and gives good per-spective.”

From Toodyay, Western Australia, LAC Rowles joined Air Force to be part of something “a bit bigger” than himself.

He trained as an aircraft structural techni-cian and is on his second stint at Australian Federation Guard, where the workload has changed since the COVID-19 lockdown.

“A lot of our jobs involve dignitaries that can’t visit anymore, so a lot of our usual schedule has been turned off,” LAC Rowles said.

Privilege to be part of city’s private service

CPL Veronica O’Hara

FLTLT Bel Scott that I will never forget,” CPL Borton said.

“To have the opportunity to repre-sent my country once again during the only South Australian Anzac Day ser-vice will be a memorable and humble experience.

“Normally Anzac Day is a chance to catch up with mates I haven’t seen in a while, over a beer or two, but this

year I am going to check in with those mates via social media.

“The friends I’ve made and some of the people I’ve had the opportunity to work with, during my time in Defence, have also been some of the most rewarding and chal-lenging times of my career.”

Growing up in Gympie and Brisbane, he originally joined the Army directly out of high school in 1991 as an apprentice vehi-cle mechanic, then discharged in 1998.

After exploring a few different jobs, his service to country again came calling and he joined the Air

Force in 2012.He is now a ground support equip-

ment technician within the mechanical equipment operations maintenance section.

“The jobs that I had were very rewarding but just didn’t offer the same type of challenges and camarade-rie that I had enjoyed as a member of the Defence Force,” CPL Borton said.

“I realised that a career in defence wasn’t just rewarding but offered me a chance to give something back to my community and the country as a whole.

“Defence also offered me the opportunity to not only better myself but also the lives of my family and of those around me.”

CPL Frank Borton. Photo: LACW Jacqueline Forrester

Lone bugler still stirred by the sacred sounds

ONE musician and an arrangement of just five harmonic notes forms the centrepiece of our

Anzac Day services.CPL Jason Reeve, of the

Royal Australian Air Force Band, is used to being the lone bugler sounding out the Last Post.

He’s performed this most mov-ing part of our annual commemo-ration at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, Villers-Bretonneux in France and the British War Cemetery in Jerusalem.

Anzac Day services were dif-ferent this year.

Tributes were personal, solitary and held on driveways, in the home or joining with others to watch a live stream from the Australian War Memorial.

FLTLT Dean Squire

However you marked the day the Last Post remains at the heart of our remembrance of fallen comrades.

For CPL Reeve it provides

a sense of space and time to reflect.

“Nerves are always present when you are about to play the Last Post but this is a good sign

because it reflects how much we care about our task and how important it is to everyone,” CPL Reeve said.

“As you step up to navigate the sounds and silences of this call you’re aware of how solitary the experience is but you are also aware that you are entering into something much larger than yourself.

“It’s always a privilege to have the opportunity to sound this most evocative call to remembrance and to be its custodian as a mem-ber of the ADF.”

CPL Reeve is from Doreen, in Victoria. He’s been a member of the Air Force Band since enlisting in 2006.

The band has more than 40 members at its RAAF Laverton base and in normal times would expect to perform at more than 100 events throughout the year.

Before the RAAF Band, CPL Reeve worked in and around Melbourne as a classical trumpeter with many orchestras.

He earned a Bachelor, Honours and Masters degree in Music Performance from the Victorian College of the Arts and – with a brother serving in the ADF and a grandfather who saw action in World War II – made the decision to sign up with the Air Force 14 years ago

“My Grandad was a gunner in the Navy and took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea. He’s always been our ‘family Anzac’ and I’ll be think-ing of him this year,” CPL Reeve said.

The Last Post originally sig-nalled the end of the military day and that the camp was secure.

It is now used to remind us of the sacrifice made by others defending our country.

CPL (then LAC) Jason Reeve says playing the Last Post is a solitary yet profoundly moving experience for a musician. Photo: SGT Christopher Dickson

“Our event board at work is empty, I’ve never seen that before. Training is more occasional now; it’s important to keep our skills in case we’re needed but we work in smaller groups and practise social distancing. We’ve also had to stop things like patting mates on the back for encouragement.”

He feels the Anzac spirit is at work nearly every day.

“In my trade I saw drive, teamwork and con-nectedness in getting something accomplished; and at Fed Guard, it’s all about teamwork and mateship,” LAC Rowles said.

On each Anzac Day the ode and minute’s silence have the most impact on LAC Rowles.

“It instantly brings to my mind pictures I’ve seen and those I’ve met from doing this job, a couple of who have probably changed my life,” he said. “Meeting face-to-face with those who have been in the wars has given me a real appreciation and personal connection. This has been the most rewarding part of my career.”

Both grandfathers served during World War II, one in 2/11 Battalion Australian Imperial Force and the other in Citizens Military Force and his great-grandfather died of Spanish influ-enza returning from World War I.

“Anzac Day is a good way to remember what’s happened and to say thank you to past and current serving members,” LAC Rowles said.

He was to have been in the catafalque party for the Villers-Bretonneux service in France, which was cancelled.

“It’s obviously disappointing not to go but at the same time I still get to be part of it by doing the service here,” LAC Rowles said.

RCE 13April 30, 2020AIR F Anzac Day

Tribute to those who are serving

THIS Anzac Day, RAAF Base Townsville reflected on the contribution made by Aus-tralia’s Indigenous Diggers.

For more than a century, Indigenous personnel have provided and continue to provide a vital contri-bution to Defence capability.

More than 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in World War I (1914-1918) and about 70 fought at Gallipoli. At least 3000 Aboriginal and 850 Torres Strait Islander people served in World War II (1939-1945). They have played a role in every conflict and peace mission since, on the front line and behind the scenes.

FLTLT David Williams is the Indigenous Liaison Officer with No. 27 Squadron at RAAF Base Townsville. Originally from Mount Isa, he is a proud Mitakoodi man with family heritage coming from Kalkadoon and Waanyi mobs.

Ken Wilson

Indigenous Diggers’ spirit of sacrifice

This year was his third Anzac Day in uniform.

He said the contribution of Indigenous soldiers was not widely known nor recognised.

“For me personally, this Anzac Day I will be remembering my great grand-father who was a Kalkadoon Warrior and fought in World War II,” FLTLT Williams said.

“He is an inspiration to me. He

saw a lot of hardship in his time in Defence, not being able to celebrate coming back home or march with his mates.

“Through all those hardships he continued to serve and protect his country just like many other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women.

“I wear my uniform with pride because of him, because of many other

servicemen and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect this beautiful country.”

WGCDR Alan Brown from Townsville’s No. 383 Squadron has a particular passion for Indigenous Australia.

The squadron had introduced an engagement strategy aimed at inspir-ing and raising awareness among young Indigenous Australians of the career opportunities available within the ADF.

The squadron recently hosted a group of students from Townsville’s NRL Cowboys House, a boarding centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote and dis-advantaged communities.

“Our engagements are very focused on two-way conversations, where students are able to learn about the Air Force and the various careers available and our 383SQN members learn from the students,” WGCDR Brown said.

He explained the role of 383SQN and how the squadron provided expe-ditionary airbase operations, often in

remote locations around the world and supported aircraft in achieving their missions. Fittingly, the squad-ron’s emblem was the Woomera, an Aboriginal spear-throwing tool.

“The idea behind the Woomera is ‘pushing things forward’ which is par-ticularly apt for the trying times we’re now facing,” WGCDR Brown said.

“We visit a lot of places talking to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids and always take the Woomera.

“It’s an ancient tool that helps make the Aboriginal spear go faster and strike further so it has a great con-nection to what the squadron does to assist in the projection of airpower. It represents our role well and the kids can really relate to it.”

As at February 1, 2020, 2.8 per cent (2847 personnel) of Defence personnel (Permanent ADF, Active Reserve and APS) identify as Indigenous.

Defence continues to make pro-gress against the Government’s Indigenous employment and procure-ment targets, however, there is still more work to be done.

CO 27SQN WGCDR Mathew

Green, ILO FLTLT Da-

vid Williams and CO

383SQN WGCDR

Alan Brown Photo: Ken

Wilson

CPL TAHLIA Thomas and her son, Levi, proudly stood at the end of their driveway at dawn to mark this Anzac Day.

“Anzac Day is a day I enjoy wear-ing my uniform with pride while standing with my family at a local dawn service,” CPL Thomas said.

“As my husband is currently serv-ing our country overseas, I will be

with my son wearing my uniform show-ing the people in my estate how proud I am to be in the RAAF and support-ing our country any-way we can. I’ll take a moment to remem-

ber not only those who have fought for

us but the servicemen and women that continue to fight for our country, espe-cially during these trying times.

Born in Newcastle and growing up in Brisbane, CPL Thomas is now an Adelaide local. She is newly posted to the Headquarters Air Warfare Centre at RAAF Base Edinburgh.

The personnel capability specialist (PCS) was inspired to join the military after growing up with both parents in the Air Force.

“I could see how much they enjoyed their career and all the friends they made, which we now considered family,” CPL Thomas said.

“With this and my desire for a guaranteed employment that offers so many opportunities, I joined in May 2011 and have never looked back.

“One of my most memorable career moments is being involved with local school programs to use my experience to be a positive female role model in the Air Force.

“I really enjoyed seeing the stu-dents light up when they realise they too could have a career in the military and there are many more jobs than being a pilot.

“The Air Force has taught me to be strong and provided me with many development opportunities to be the best version of myself.”

FLTLT Bel Scott

CPL Tahlia Thomas.

LAC Bryan Rowles has

strong family connections to

Anzac Day.Photo: CPL Veronica

O’Hara

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WITH more than three decades of service with Air Force, WOFF Scott

Biddell still recalls his start at the RAAF School of Technical Training in 1988 when he was 17 years old.

WOFF Biddell is from the Gold Coast and joined Defence as an armament fitter, then became an avionics technician and is now the senior enlisted adviser to Officer Commanding No. 86 Wing and advocate for all personnel at Nos. 33, 34 and 36 Squadrons.

In a rich career, he has many stories to tell – from deploying for the first time to Exercise Red Flag in the United States in 1993 and trucking a Dassault Mirage III into the heart of Sydney for an Air Force Week public display, to working on C-130H Hercules aircraft.

He also spent some time out on the Woomera Air Weapons Range conducting F-111 weapon trials, completed three operational deployments and remembers all the les-sons he has learnt along the

way. Through all the years, the organisational change, techno-logical advancement and cultur-al transformation has presented him with many incredible oppor-tunities, and there’s not a whole lot of it he wouldn’t do again.

“For all I’ve done, learned and experienced, I now want to give back,” WOFF Biddell said.

“I’m focused on the people in Air Force and how I can present opportunities for other airmen and women to grow and lead successful, fulfilling careers.”

His top gold nuggets of advice for the workforce include not sitting back and waiting for opportunities to present them-selves but to actively seek them out, as well as always listen to what others have to say, and to be passionate about what you do; complete every task to the best of your ability.

“If I had a time machine I’d go back and tell my 20-year-old self a few things,” WOFF Biddell said.

“Not everyone thinks the same as you; diversity of thought and seeking others’ views can help you achieve

your goals and theirs.“Don’t beat yourself up too

much if something goes wrong or doesn’t work out; get up, dust off and have another go.

“Pursue your goals and dreams sooner rather than later.

“And lastly, don’t leave good ideas on the lunchroom table – bring them forward to your supervisors.”

WOFF Biddell is also a facili-tator for the Air Mobility Group REACH Program that aims to develop the next generation of Air Force leaders across the AMG enterprise, regardless of rank.

The program has been developed to foster a culture that encourages innovative leadership, teamwork and pro-fessional development at all levels in our organisation.

It brings members together who have a broad spectrum of views and experiences to dis-cuss topics such as leadership, professionalism, communication and workplace challenges.

A career ofeducationWOFF Scott Biddell has earned the right to offer his younger self advice, FLGOFF Clarice Hurren writes.

LIFE IN THE RAAF

WOFF Scott Biddell says members shouldn’t leave their good ideas on the “lunchroom table”.

Dream to fly comes true for Roulette 7A HELICOPTER ride when aged just four was the beginning of FLTLT Aimee Heal’s dream to become a pilot.

As the new Roulette Seven, Air Force’s aerial display team, it’s a dream come true.

“I’ve always wanted to be a pilot,” FLTLT Heal said.

“We used to visit the air show in Bundaberg and one time at the ArgoTrend agricultural and farming show, my dad took me for a helicopter ride – I loved it.

“During high school, I realised the Air Force was a way for me to achieve my flying dream so I applied to study at the Australian Defence Force Academy [ADFA] in Canberra when I finished Year 12.”

FLTLT Heal studied for three years at ADFA before beginning a pilot’s course and then graduating as a pilot in July 2013.

“I’ve been in the Air Force for 11 years now and I love the variety of my work – so far I’ve flown King Air 350s, KC-30s and since January this year I’ve been flying PC-21s with our aerobatic display team, the Roulettes,” she said.

“The Roulettes consists of seven pilots and we fly all around Australia to showcase a variety of manoeuvres in low-level formations.”

The Roulettes fly as low as 250 feet (80m) at speeds of up to 685km/h and pilots can experience up to 6G – six times the force of gravity – during a display. Flying as close as three metres apart, the team showcases the level of visual judgment and hand-eye coordina-tion that pilots in the Air Force are able to achieve.

Roulette pilots, like FLTLT Heal, are based at the Central Flying School (CFS) at RAAF Base East Sale in Victoria.

FLGOFF Claire Burnet

“As Roulette Seven, my role is to reduce the workload of Roulettes 1-6 to allow them to concentrate on flying,” FLTLT Heal said.

“I coordinate displays and public affairs activities with event organisers on behalf of the Roulette team and liaise with the Roulette Leader to ensure all events run efficiently.

“I also fly the spare aircraft to the event airfields and conduct any other fly-ing CFS requires.”

FLTLT Heal’s favourite parts so far of being Roulette Seven are flying the new PC-21 aircraft – one of the most advanced training aircraft in the world – talking to aspiring aviators and giving the public the chance to understand what it’s like to be an Air Force pilot.

FLTLT Aimee Heal.

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16 Features

DESIGNER of the symbol that’s identified RAAF since 1982 passed away in Adelaide on December 7, aged 98.

As staff artist for Department of Air from 1952 to 1956, Pamela Brinsley cre-ated roundel designs which included the Southern Cross, a boomerang and a sprig of wattle.

But the kangaroo was her favourite and the Air Board agreed.

Niece and goddaughter Lyn Oswald-Jacobs said Mrs Brinsley was an accom-plished botanical artist of Australian birds and fauna.

“She wanted something distinctive for Australia; she saw the world in col-ours, symbols, patterns and pictures,” Ms Oswald-Jacobs said.

Around this time Mrs Brinsley met her husband, GPCAPT Kevern Brinsley, an No. 11 Squadron Catalina pilot who worked in the same building.

“She was introduced by a colleague but didn’t immediately fall for him,” Ms Oswald-Jacobs said.

“But when he asked her help in choos-ing dolls for his nieces, my two older sis-ters, she thought that charming.”

Ms Oswald-Jacobs said her aunty had a fabulous sense of humour and her per-sonality was “larger than life”.

“Uncle Kevern’s office was in the same corridor as hers. Everyone had name plates on their doors, so she made a new one for her door that was in much bigger print than his, to prove the point she was married and still working for the Department [not normally allowed at the time],” she said.

“She was very clear about how things must be done, adhering to formality with precision and perfection, yet had a won-derful sense of fun, naughtiness and a ter-rific laugh.

“To show how precise she was – they married at 5pm on May 5, 1955.”

Mrs Brinsley’s father served with the British Army in India while her mother imparted a love of flowers, birds and art.

The family lived in an aunt’s attic dur-ing WWII. During this time her mother passed away.

After the war Mrs Brinsley and her younger sister Elizabeth left for Australia.

They disembarked in Perth and moved to Melbourne. After a year, Mrs Brinsley joined TAA as an airline hostess before joining the Department of Air, later work-ing as a CSIRO botanical illustrator.

Mrs Brinsley became an Australian cit-izen while her sister returned to England.

After Melbourne, the Brinsleys posted to Malaya, Saigon, Townsville, Edinburgh and Canberra.

“Pam always dressed impeccably. Each time she flew with her husband, she’d wear a Fletcher Jones skirt,” said friend Millie Atkins-Valladares.

“She couldn’t speak Vietnamese and the maid didn’t understand English so she would draw what she wanted cooked on a board in the kitchen.”

After studying interior design by cor-respondence, Mrs Brinsley did her own decorating.

“Kevern’s boss was so impressed when he visited their apartment he asked her to design all the apartments for the Australians posted in Hanoi,” Ms Atkins-Valladares said.

When GPCAPT Brinsley retired in 1972, they built a home with a studio in the Adelaide Hills where she continued drawing, painting, stitching and designing.

“As a six-year-old, walking into her home was like walking into an art gallery – my eyes were like saucers,” adopted niece Annabel Roach said.

“Aunty Pam knitted squares for a charity to turn into blankets almost to the end. Sometimes a square would have a smiley face or heart and she often said, ‘you never know where it could end up’,” Ms Roach said.

She curated art exhibitions in Adelaide and co-founded a botanical art group.

Helping disadvantaged children and supporting women saw her awarded for extraordinary service by the Australian Cranio-Maxillary Facial Foundation.

“To address imbalance, she gave the girls in the family larger presents than the boys because ‘women still don’t get equal pay you know, darling’,” Ms Oswald-Jacobs said.

Mrs Brinsley outlived her husband by 16 years and is survived by relatives in England and her husband’s family in Victoria.

Leaving adistinctive impressionPamela Brinsley created Air Force’s famous roundel, CPL Veronica O’Hara writes.

The kangaroo within the roundel always faces left except when used on aircraft or vehicles, when the kangaroo should always face the front of the aircraft or vehicle.

Did you know?

Before settling on the Kangaroo roundel design, Pamela Brinsley, above, took inspiration from the Southern Cross, a boomerang and a sprig of wattle.

Pamela and GPCAPT Kevern Brinsley in 1959. At right: A black cockatoo drawn by Mrs Brinsley, who also worked as a botanical illustrator with the CSIRO.

RCE 17April 30, 2020AIR F Features

Story of a gentleman pilot As Alexander Arnel turned 100, he shared his history with CPL Veronica O’Hara and SGT Max Bree.

ALTHOUGH the COVID-19 pandemic put a dampener on former fighter pilot Alexan-der Arnel’s 100th birthday

celebrations, the occasion did not go unnoticed.

He not only received a card from the Queen, but CAF AIRMSHL Mel Hupfeld phoned his congratulations when the centenarian reached the mile-stone on April 2.

Mr Arnel would be the first to admit he was lucky to see any birth-days after he saw action in World War II.

As he went nose-to-nose with enemy fighters while on a fighter sweep over Italy in 1944, a surprise from below was about to tear up his beloved Spitfire.

“I was in a scrap with some [Messerschmitt] 109s and [Focke-Wulf] 190s near Bologna and in the midst of it, I was hit by some ground fire and had to bail out,” Mr Arnel said.

He lost control of the engine that was billowing smoke and needed to get out quickly.

“The side door wouldn’t budge, so I undid my straps and pushed the control column forward, locking it nose down for the aircraft to lift me,” he said.

“I didn’t waste any time pulling the ripcord of the parachute and when it opened, that was a wonderful feeling - I was still alive and no serious injury.”

But that feeling of relief soon faded.

“Just before reaching the ground, I saw German soldiers and landed near them,” Mr Arnel said.

“There I was in a corn field, para-chute billowing over me and a few warning shots fired my way, so I stood and did the obvious in putting my hands up. ‘For you the war is over,’ they said.”

He lasted three out of four years on the frontline, then spent 10 months at Stalag Luft III in Sagan [now Zagan] made famous by the movie, The Great Escape.

“I think it’s fortunate I didn’t get there until four months after the escape, because I might have been one of those shot,” Mr Arnel said.

“Information we received was to stay put but we were still trying to find ways to escape. Security was very tight, though.”

It was the end of one journey for the Victorian-born airman who cel-ebrated his 100th birthday in Canberra.

He first worked as a student teacher at Dimboola, Sunshine, then Stawell, before applying for Air Force.

Training began near Frankston and was completed in Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe] on Harvard aircraft before being sent to the Middle East.

Selected for tactical reconnaissance flying and receiving his operational training, Mr Arnel was commissioned as pilot officer before a short tour with No. 208 Squadron [RAF] at El Alamein doing reconnaissance and convoy patrols towards Tobruk.

“This training was on Hurricanes, but they only had a couple and I think I got four hours. When I arrived at 208 I was very green and was happy to get it back on the ground in one piece,” he said.

He transferred to No. 451 Squadron when it was redesignated a fighter squadron and while waiting for Spitfires Mr Arnel continued recon-naissance missions along the Palestine coast, which was “boring flying”.

“I loved the Hurricane but com-pared with the German 109s and 190s, it was not up to task as an interceptor fighter. But the Spitfire was marvel-lous, a real gentleman’s aircraft,” he said.

The squadron moved from

Alexandria to Corsica early in 1944 to support the Italian Campaign and dur-ing fighter operations Mr Arnel was shot down and captured.

With Russians closing in on Stalag Luft III, POWs were marched out in mid-winter, making packs or sleds to carry belongings.

“They took us west towards the Rhine. We were prize prisoners – there were hints that Hitler was going to use us as a bargaining chip,” Mr Arnel said.

“There were opportunities to escape but we were likely to get strafed and we thought the war was nearly over.

“We also didn’t have adequate clothing and were getting weaker.

“Escaping seemed pointless and while still alive, we had hope of going home.”

The prisoners weren’t given any food so had to rely on what they saved from Red Cross parcels or scrounge for it.

“We suspected we might be moved so had pounded food into small balls to keep for an emergency, which we lived on for a long while,” Mr Arnel said.

But the POWs had cigarettes, something the Germans lacked.

“As we passed through villages, we were able to trade cigarettes for things like kartofel [potatoes]. Some airmen were ingenious and had made a ‘water jacket’ to boil water or cook with very little flame,” he said.

“We lost quite a few. Some of the men went to sleep in the snow and didn’t wake up.”

After being trucked north near Bremen and Hamburg and held for some time, they were marched to Lübeck where Red Cross parcels were stored.

“We were able to eat up big,” Mr Arnel said.

Along the way they dodged strafing by aircraft.

“I dived into a depression on the side of the road and landed next to a frau [woman]. She took one look at me and got out,” he said.

“Now we were being guarded by old guards, the others disappeared because they knew the British Army was coming.

“The first we knew of it was when a dispatch rider drove carefully into our area scouting for us.”

They were flown by bombers to London in May 1945, arriving just after VE Day.

“Britain was in a great hangover. That was the end of the war,” he said.

“An old chap wanted to carry my bag, which didn’t have much.

“At that stage I think I was in better condition than he because we’d been eating well for a week or two from the Red Cross parcels, although our stom-achs couldn’t hold much.”

Finishing the war as flight lieuten-ant, Mr Arnel studied psychology at university then taught for a year before receiving a call.

“During the Korean War I got a call from head of Education Branch and asked if I would like to come back,” he said.

“I asked if I could fly again and they said, ‘oh, you’re too long in the tooth now’.

“They wanted my skills as an edu-cation officer.”

He served a further 22 years until retiring as group captain in 1974, before becoming a counselling psy-chologist at Canberra University for 10 years.

Afterwards, he spent time as an

assistant pastor with his church then as lay chaplain at Canberra hospital.

His daughter was the only per-son allowed to celebrate with him in person on his birthday – albeit at a distance.

“I had a patrol of cars from my church visit. They couldn’t be with me so they greeted me out front as they drove past,” Mr Arnel said.

“It’s been fantastic. I’m trying to come to terms with it. Thought I’d be long-gone before this.”

Mr Arnel lives independently and is still active, walking 20 minutes daily and driving short distances.

He doesn’t think he did anything particular to earn his longevity but was philosophical about it.

“Somebody asked, ‘How have you come to live so long?’ and I replied with a couple of possibilities,” Mr Arnel said.

“One was the good Lord looked down at me and said, ‘this young fel-low is a slow learner, have to leave him there for a bit longer’.

“The other is you’ve got to choose the right parents.”

• Born April 2, 1920. Grew up in Victoria, enlisted in January 1941 and became a member of 10 course in the sixth draft. • He was sent to Rhodesia [now Zimbabwe] to train at 27 EFTS then Harvards at 20 SFTS before posting to Tel Aviv for operational (tactical reconnaissance) training.• After a short tour with 208SQN (RAF) he then post-ed to 451SQN, completing 160 operational hours flying Hurricanes over the Western Desert, mostly as convoy and reconnaissance patrols.• When 451SQN re-equipped as a fighter squadron, he flew 90 operational hours on

Alexander Arnel – A life less ordinary

Spitfires and 47 sorties during the Italian campaign.• On June 29, 1944, he was

hit by flak over Bologna, Italy where he bailed out and became a POW at Stalag Luft III at Sagan (now Zagan), Poland.• He was released at the end of the war and discharged as flight lieutenant in December 1945.• After completing a psychol-ogy degree, he returned to Air Force as an education officer. • He served 22 more years reaching the rank of group captain and is believed to be the sole surviving pilot of 451 SQN.• Mr Arnel’s father served in WWI and his late son was a Vietnam veteran.

Above: Alexander Arnel with his Hurricane. Right: at home in Canberra waving to well-wish-ers who drove past his Canberra home exercising social distancing. Below: in uniform.

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18 Features

A 24-YEAR-OLD meteorological officer leading 28 airmen in a 58-day evasion of Japanese on Timor spawned a podcast about

one of the greatest escapes of the Pacific War.

The six-part series Trapped was released on March 4 at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) and produced by Melbourne author Tom Trumble.

For Mr Trumble, bringing the story of his grandfather, FLTLT Bryan Rofe, to life started when he was a boy and saw a photo from 1963.

“I asked my grandmother, ‘Who’s that next to my grandfather?’ and she said, ‘That’s the man who rescued him.’,” Mr Trumble said.

“It was taken in Washington DC where Bryan met Hiram Cassedy, captain

Tuning in to a great escape

of the submarine USS Searaven that res-cued him and his men.

“That was the second time they met, the first being in the dead of night off the Timor coast.

“There were great photos of the airmen too, somehow surviving the two months trapped behind enemy lines and swim-ming out to the submarine, but that photo of Cassedy and my grandfather was the Timor story for me.”

Mr Trumble wanted to create an immersive experience and a sense of being in their shoes.

“We’ll never really know what it’s like to be in their situation or any combat situ-ation unless it’s been lived,” he said.

“But I could use sound to enhance the feeling for listeners – a Zero fighter strik-ing, bombs dropping, shells being lobbed

from ships, jungle noises and the submarine.

“These tricks of audio along with recordings of news broadcasts and music from the period made it thrilling.”

Seven Australian servicemen joined the group along the way, including two downed pilots.

After being on the run for weeks and failed rescues, the last thing the men expected was evacuation by submarine.

“They are swimming through a nearly 5m surf and shark-infested waters in the dead of night to get out to the sub, when they’re all malaria stricken. Four don’t make it,” Mr Trumble said.

“One of the survivors I inter-viewed said, ‘Thank God for the Yanks, because no one else would be crazy enough to try and rescue us’.”

For the Searaven crew, it was a risky operation.

“They were extremely close to a Japanese naval area with enemy reconnaissance overhead. They didn’t know if they were being lured into a trap,” he said.

“A plausible theory on the sub-marine was maybe the Australians were compromised and being tor-tured into luring it in.”

About 18 months ago, Mr Trumble pitched his podcast idea to the AWM.

“I was looking for producing partners and co-sponsors and tim-ing was perfect because they were embarking on a program to enhance their digital elements,” he said.

He used sound effects at his dis-posal and mates as voice actors.

“You hear the low-altitude for-mation of planes passing overhead disgorging its paratroopers, then the men in a truck looking up and screaming as all hell breaks loose,” Mr Trumble said.

“They helped with creating a sense of urgency, panic and fear at various points, like when the airmen got caught under a paratroop drop.

“In contrast, they also sang Along the Road to Gundagai around a campfire. It was a lot of fun to do.”

The story was first released as Mr Trumble’s 2013 book Rescue at 2100 Hours.

“I tried to write the book in a way that was accurate but also a page-turner,” he said.

“Because of the first-hand pri-

mary source material and recordings of some survivors I had, I felt it had all the ingredients for more. The podcast is just the latest version of how I’m telling the story.”

He had to reconsider what was most important.

“With taking a 350-page book and whittling it down to six 30-minute episodes, you have to be extremely selective about what goes in,” Mr Trumble said.

“Obviously, a lot of the thrilling stuff goes in, but I wanted to give a sense of my grandfather’s character transformation.

“He went in as a popular and intelligent young man, yet emerg-ing much older than his 24 years with extraordinary experience from which he gained a lot of insight about how to lead, but also the downside with the ongoing trauma of malarial attacks for the rest of his life.”

While researching in 2011, Mr Trumble followed in the airmen’s footsteps by visiting some Timorese villages. He delved into archives and libraries in Australia and America and meeting survivors or relatives.

“Then I struck gold by coming across a book by a Japanese naval paratrooper responsible for rounding up all displaced Allied servicemen on Timor in February 1942,” he said.

“He was an elite soldier in the

Japanese Navy’s first light airborne infantry unit and had written a lot about his experience.

“Along with testimony and inter-rogations of war criminals, I could paint a detailed picture – a brilliant soldier but ruthless and violent.

“It was also the first time a submarine had been used to rescue displaced soldiers on an island to Australia’s north, or in the Pacific.

“So the Japanese didn’t find out, it was classified and records kept, which were valuable to me.”

Mr Rofe finished the war as squadron leader then worked in “a whole lot of other things we know less about”.

“He became director of Australia’s Antarctic Division, put Australia’s first satellite into space and was involved in the Maralinga bomb tests,” Mr Trumble said.

“We had a theory, kind of a joke, that he might have been a spy, he was always off on these long trips overseas and went to amazing places, like meeting Neil Armstrong six months after returning from the moon.

“I found out during the research for the book he could speak Russian and no one knew, so it lends weight to this idea.

“He died at 53, probably from his time in Maralinga as a lot of those guys developed premature cancers, because he was in good health otherwise.”

What is it?TRAPPED is the survival story of FLTLT Bryan Rofe and his men trying to evade the Japanese on Timor in February 1942.

A planned evacuation of 29 airmen keeping the airstrip operational until the last moment is thwarted.

Led by a 24-year-old mete-orological officer, the airmen make for remote jungle along the north-west coast but attempts at rescue fail.

Over 58 days, starving and their bodies afflicted with malaria, dysentery and tropical ulcers, the men push to their limits with eight on the brink of death.

Sent to hunt them down, a 300-strong Japanese patrol is closing in and hope nearly fades, when they receive a strange signal.

Outside the 5m surf and in shark-infested waters, an American submarine shows up, but they have to get to it.

The six-part podcast is avail-able online. It can be found by searching “Trapped” on Apple Podcasts, Google Play or Spotify.

Creating a podcast on a WWII evacuation has been a personal journey, CPL Veronica O’Hara writes.

Airmen on the beach at Kapsali, Dutch Timor in March, 1942, the night before the scheduled evacuation by flying boat that never happened because of the raid on Broome.

RCE 19April 30, 2020AIR F Features

CPL Yuhang Ding believes different backgrounds can lead to a new path for solutions, FLTLT Jessica Aldred writes.

A different perspective

MUTUAL learning was the theme of the day when students from NRL Cowboys House spent the day at RAAF Base Townsville on March 5.

The NRL Cowboys House pro-vides supported accommodation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth from some of North Queensland’s most remote locations and enables access to secondary schooling in Townsville.

No. 383 Squadron CO WGCDR Alan Brown said the visit formed part of the squadron’s regional Indigenous Engagement Program

Remote learning: dropping by for a quick yarnFLTLT Courtney Jay where it engaged with local and

northern Indigenous organisations.“Our engagements are very

focused on two-way conversations, where students are able to learn about the Air Force and the various careers available, and our 383SQN members learn from the students,” WGCDR Brown said.

“The majority of students we engage and talk to through our pro-gram are from the Gulf and Cape York, so it is very interesting listen-ing to their stories and understand-ing their culture.

“When the students first arrived at base we started with ice breaker

games and then conducted a yarn-ing circle where we talk about who we are, where we come from and what we would like to do in the future. This enables everyone to learn about each other equally.”

To ensure the students got the most out of the visit, which took place before social distancing was announced, other squadrons got involved to demonstrate the diver-sity of life in the Air Force.

2SECFOR conducted a military working dog demonstration while 452SQN took the students for a tour of the air traffic control tower. Also on show was 383SQN capa-

bilities with a Base-X tent set up as an operations room, a tour of the new L121 vehicles, trying on body armour and a camouflage and con-cealment activity.

House parent at NRL Cowboys House Desmond Adidi spoke of the real world learning gained by the students during their visit.

“The kids just loved the day at RAAF Base Townsville, it was really fantastic for them,” Mr Adidi said.

“In community there isn’t a lot of choice and they begin to think that’s normal, that there is nothing more.

“Whereas there’s a big world of opportunity and our young people

just need to be shown. I believe many of the kids who came today are considering a career with Defence.

“It was great to hear first-hand from serving ADF members about their stories and how they came to be with Defence and made a career out of it.”

Future engagements with NRL Cowboys House are planned, with 383SQN hoping to establish a strong connection with the organi-sation, similar to the established relationship they have with Clontarf Academy through Kirwan High School.

GROWING up in a military family and then joining the ADF is common among many serving members but

for CPL Yuhang Ding, there is one minor difference – his grandfathers served in the Chinese military and CPL Ding spent much of his child-hood living on Chinese air force bases where his father worked as a civil pilot.

Moving to Australia as a 17-year-old, CPL Ding completed year 12 and began his university degree.

“I finished year 12 in Melbourne and started at RMIT doing an aero-space engineering degree,” CPL Ding said.

“But I left uni after my first year due to family financial difficulty.

“I have always wanted to get a job working with aircraft since then, but I first trained as a hairdresser as that was a skills shortage job that would help me stay in Australia.”

In 2007, CPL Ding became an Australian permanent resident and five days later, he applied to join the ADF. He believes that different perspectives help to find the best solution for Air Force.

“People with diverse backgrounds provide and contribute different ideas and solutions on different issues and topics,” CPL Ding said.

“This means we get more ideas and solutions, which gives us more choices for the best solution, so we can achieve the best results.”

CPL Ding said Air Force was strengthened by having people with different upbringings.

“It was a difficult time in my life to experience the culture difference between China and Australia, but it means I bring a different perspective to situations,” CPL Ding said.

“Every person has different quali-ties and abilities; the different personal backgrounds and experiences are

the important contributing factors. I attended a session with other members with diverse backgrounds to openly discuss our own positive and negative experiences, and it made me feel that our commanders care about making the workplace more inclusive and care about us as individuals.”

More stories from members can be found in the Air Force Diversity and Inclusion Guide at: http://drnet.defence.gov.au/raaf/AirForce/PERSAF/PersonnelBranch-AF/Pages/Resources.aspx

The Directorate of Organisational Behaviour and Culture – Air Force has developed the Air Force Diversity and Inclusion Guide which discusses diversity of thought, perspectives and approaches using examples, members’ stories and a range of online resources including Ted Talks and useful templates.

The Guide

CPL Yuhang Ding, who grew up on air bases in China and once trained as a hairdresser, is now an aviation technician with No. 33 Squadron. Photo: CPL Jesse Kane

AIRAIRFF RCERCEApril 30, 2020

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recognise ‘incredible

efforts’Pages 2-5CPL Casey Forster, of No. 28 Squadron,

has scooped the SQNLDR W.T. Riggs Trophy in the 2019 Air Force Proficiency and Leadership Awards for photograph of the year. CPL Forster’s photo, taken in June, features LAC Jason Smith and Peter in front of a No. 37 Squadron C-130J Hercules during an Indigenous community engagement visit to Gilgandra, NSW.