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Gareth McCray OAM invites all of us to remember ANZAC Day 2026.

Dawn Service Radio Presentation - Gareth McCray OAM

Remembrance Day 2024 Oration by Gareth McCray OAM.

ANZAC Day 2024 Oratory - Gareth McCray OAM

Air Chief Marshal (retired) Mark Binskin AC is a highly decorated and respected senior executive and leader in the national security, defence and aerospace sectors. Most recently he was Chief of the Defence Force of Australia from 2014-2018, and earlier as Vice Chief of the Defence Force (2011-2014) and Chief of Air Force (2008-2011).

Air Vice Marshal Glen Braz AM, CSC, DSM, Air Commander Australia, is responsible to the Chief of Air Force for effectively preparing air combat forces.

23 January 1979!  I would be involved in a momentous day with a complete stranger, a compatriot aviator.  As with all momentous events, there was no inkling as to how the day would unfold.

Air Vice Marshal Glen Braz AM, CSC, DSM, Air Commander Australia, is responsible to the Chief of Air Force for effectively preparing air combat forces.

Air Marshal Ray Funnell, AC is a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force. He served as Chief of the Air Staff from 1987 until 1992.

Introducing Henry Young, a former Naval Seafire and Sea Fury pilot.  Henry served with both the Fleet Air Arms of the British and Australian navies during the last days of and after World War 2.

Vern Roberts reaches 100 in October! He is possibly the oldest living person who witnessed the signing of the Surrender in Morotai with General Sir Thomas Blamey and the Japanese Generals on September 9th 1945 .

Introducing AIR COMMODORE (ret) JOHN ODDIE AM, CSC

Air Force Association welcomes Mr Greg Hood AO  to our Podcast Program.

Introducing Wing Commander Philip Eldridge.  In Phil’s words, his initial claim to fame is that he successfully navigated an interesting and (at times) exciting childhood in Sydney’s western suburbs.  A visit to the RAAF Richmond Air show in the 80’s sealed his fate. At the time he was a student of the excellent Hurlstone Agricultural High School, but had less than optimal academic focus resulting in barely scraping a pass in his HSC.

Warrant Officer (retired) John McDougall.  John had an Air Force engineering and flying career spanning 25 years.  John completed three tours on Caribous in Vietnam between August 64 and April 68.  Also, John was deployed frequently to the difficult flying environment of Papua New Guinea.  He had many other notable deployments over his career including Kashmir, Sumatra, Sacramento and Idaho.

An Oratory from Gareth McCray OAM for ANZAC Day 2023

Brian Richards, ex Australian Air Force Engine Fitter and Vietnam Veteran Caribou Loadmaster/Flight Engineer.

Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld AO DSC   Recent Chief of Air Force Reflects

Acknowledgement: This account by Mr Neil Lindsay was recorded by AVM  Peter Scully (retired) on 5th December 1996.

Acknowledgement: This account by Mr Neil Lindsay was recorded by Air Vice Marshal  Peter Scully (retired) on 5th December 1996.

This is a 3 part Podcast on the WW2 flying history and prisoner of war history of Flight Lieutenant Robert Neil LINDSAY.  Neil flew with Bomber Command and after being shot down was a Prisoner of War in Germany. 

Introducing Ray and Pauline James

Introducing Air Commodore Tim Alsop

Welcome to Wing Commander Tim Ireland, Commanding Officer No 77 Squadron

Introducing Brian Lawrence. ex Air Force Warrant Officer 

Introducing John Lindner, A Life of Adventure and Excitement as an Air Force and Commercial Transport Pilot.

Introducing Air Commodore (retired) Kevin Henderson, Master Defence Studies.

Introducing WARRANT OFFICER RAYLEE SCOTT, AM.

Introducing Flight Lieutenant Suska Denham

  Introducing Wing Commander (retired) Michael (Mick) Stone.  Mick joined the Air Force as an apprentice in 1968.  He became an electrical fitter at Williamtown working on Mirage and Sabre aircraft.   In 1971, Mick went to Butterworth Malaysia working on Search and Rescue Hueys. This was his first involvement with helicopter aircrew: most were Vietnam veterans.

Introducing Group Captain Jason (Easty) Easthope, recent Chief of Staff, Air Combat Group

Introducing Wing Commander Don Pollock. 

Air Commodore Chris Sawade, CSC, joined the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1974 and on graduation from pilot training he was posted to fly helicopters with No 5 Squadron.

Introducing Air Commodore (retired) Chris Beatty DFC. AFC.  A Notable Flying Career

Group Captain Peter  (Spike) R Davies, CSC,  Chief of Staff, Air Combat Group

Introducing Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Retired)

Air Marshal (retired) Geoff Brown AO

AIR VICE-MARSHAL (retired) Bob RICHARDSON AO AFC

Air Marshal Gavin Neil "Leo" Davies, AO, CSC is a retired Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force.  

Air Vice Marshal DAVE ROGERS AM RAAF (Retd)

Introducing Group Captain Terry Wilson, AM AFC

Introducing Warrant Officer Gerry Mapstone OAM.

Air Commodore Nick Osborne

Introducing AIR VICE-MARSHAL JOE ‘VINNY’ IERVASI, AM, CSC,   

Introducing AIR COMMODORE BENJAMIN SLEEMAN, CSC, DSM,   Deputy Air Commander Australia

Introducing Michael Lea who is the current Collection and Content Manager at the Anzac Memorial.

Introducing Squadron Leader (ret) Ian Woods.    Ian gained substantial experience on Caribous during his time in the Air Force.  Caribous were of the famed Wallaby Airlines operated by the Air Force during the Vietnam war and revered elsewhere as one of the best Short Take Off and Landing aircraft in history.

Introducing Wing Commander (ret) Chris Mirow:      

Introducing Squadron Leader (ret)  Peter Armstrong.  The Australian Air Force needs personnel who can adapt to whatever type of demanding operations that they are chosen for.  Peter Armstrong, and his mate Peter Bradford, who features in a fellow Podcast, represent the best in pilots who were chosen to fly many different aeroplane types and operated them in a manner that excelled.

RAY SEAVER: KOREAN WAR FIGHTER PILOT

 Introducing Squadron Leader (ret) Peter Bradford. 

Introducing Brad Manera, the Senior Historian and Curator of the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park, Sydney.

Introducing Huck Ennis DFC (Garry Ennis)

CAPT the Hon PETER COLLINS AM RFD QC

Introducing Wing Commander (ret'd) Pete Bennetts

Introducing Flight Lieutenant Peter Nuske 

Introducing the Hon David Elliott MP.  

Wing Commander Al Taylor.  Flying is in his Blood. Fighter Pilot Extraordinaire

Introducing Wing Commander John Landale AFC.

Introducing Wing Commander Peter Spurgin (Retired). Peter has had a wide variety of Air Force Operations from flying fighters in Malaysia and Thailand to peacekeeping operations in the Sinai Desert and lastly with Care Flight.

Introducing Group Captain Paul McLeod, Intelligence Officer.

INTRODUCING WARRANT OFFICER KEN ROBERTSON,  OAM

Sandy Main has unique experiences on Helicopters from Vietnam to Papua New Guinea and then with the Royal Malaysian Air Force.  He did 2 tours with the United Nations on Helicopters

JACK LYNCH, MBE, Wing Commander (Ret)

RICHARD “Dick” CRESSWELL  DFC - 1920 to 2006.  Fighter Pilot.

Wing Commander (retired) Ken Mitchell,  DFC.   He flew Big Beasts, Fast Beasts and Slower Little Beasts

Ruth Taylor, Wing Commander (ret) has lived a very different life to most.  She has travelled the World succeeding in many challenges, taken on a role in, at that time, a male dominated Australian Air Force, flown frequently in fast jets, escorted Royalty, been promoted to Senior Rank, worked closely with the, at that time, Chief of the Air Force and mixed up in all these challenges, been a Mum.

Wing Commander (retired) David Robson

Group Captain RICHARD NEIL KELLOWAY  AM

Bert Milne has had a very adventurous life from growing up in Manangatang where he lived and worked on the family wheat/sheep property to flying Caribou Tactical Transport in Vietnam, where he had a major incident, to flying large jets with Qantas.

Welcome to Air Commodore Dave Pietsch (retired) AM

Introducing Ken Semmler - Fighter Pilot, Vietnam Veteran and Aid De Comp.

GROUP CAPTAIN (retired)  BRUCE MOUATT

Introducing Wing Commander (retired) Norm Goodall

Flight Sergeant Marion Hamilton is a Communications and Information’s Systems Operator, now known as Network Technician. Throughout her career, Flight Sergeant Hamilton has enjoyed a number of exciting and challenging roles and has been fortunate to have deployed on multiple operations abroad including one to the Middle East where she was responsible for providing technical support to the deployed elements throughout the Middle East.  

SGT Paul Gallaway.  Air Force Enthusiast and Motivated Technician

Phil Frawley is a human who was truly born to fly. As a young boy he spent countless hours building model airplanes and dreaming of the day when he would get to control an aircraft.  After five years as an aircraft technician, he was accepted into the Royal Australian Air Force 92 Pilots Course in July 1974.

Joined the RAAF in Feb 1980  and trained as an Education Assistant.

Steve Low AM  Wing Commander (ret).

Listen to Barry relates his stories about Mirage Fighters,  and as a Fighter Combat Instructor,  Capture his life as on F18 Hornets with carrier qualifications at Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-125, also known as the "Rough Raiders" based at Naval Air Station Lemoore.  And then Exchange duties at Marine Corp Air Station El Toro, California.

Bronwyn Marchant - Public Affairs Office, Air Combat Group

John (Truckie) Carr

SQUADRON LEADER LOUISE BURR

Wing Commander Bob Redman (AKA Rags) joined the RAAF in Aug 67.   He was awarded his wings in Dec 68 and was posted to 5 SQN Fairbairn ACT for conversion to Iroquois helicopters (UH-1B/D).

Sir Roden Cutler, VC, AK, KCMG, KCVO, CBE was an Australian diplomat, the longest serving Governor of New South Wales and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth armed forces.

John Quaife graduated from No. 112 Pilots Course in September 1981. After an initial posting to the Strike Reconnaissance Group, and a brief tour flying Canberra aircraft, his operational career has focussed on fighter operations; Quaife's initial fighter training was conducted on Mirage IIIO aircraft.

Air Vice-Marshal RB (Bob) Treloar, AO (Ret’D) Huey and Fast Jet Driver

Michael joined the RAAF in APR 2016 as an aircraft technician and after training was posted in JUL 17 to 2OCU, where he still is today.   He has been trained on the F18 and the F35, participated in four pilot operational conversion courses and one fighter combat instructor course, which was partly carried out in both Townsville and Darwin giving him the opportunity to travel around Australia.

Introducing LESLEY GENT  OAM

Introducing Wing Commander (ret) Matt Hall. 

Wing Commander Grant Burr 

Air Vice Marshal (retired) John Kindler AO, AFC 

Wing Commander (retired) Ron Haack

Since 2003, Grant Biles has been a Armament Technician on the F18 Classic Hornet. 

Flight Lieutenant Emily Willis, Fighter Pilot.  Emily joined the Australian Defence Force in 2011 as a General Service Officer under an Aviation Cadetship and graduated with a flying posting to the Defence Force Basic Flying Training School (BFTS). Finishing BFTS, she joined the RAAF as a pilot and continued training at 2 Flying Training School. She graduated to join 2 Operaional Conversion Unit in December 2017 and was then posted to F18s at 77SQN, Williamtown. 

Sister Joan LOUTIT, 2nd M.A.E.T.U. (Medical Air Evacuation Unit) R.A.A.F.

For personnel at RAAF Base Williamtown a low-flying F-35A Lightning II is hardly a remarkable sight, but a low pass conducted on August 28 held great significance for Wing Commander Darren Clare.

Wing Commander retired Jim Treadwell AFC  OAM,  a highly qualified and experienced Air Force pilot and leader.  He flew fighters for most of his life including Meteors, Sabres and Mirages.