Ballarat Heritage Week
“Entertainment of the Air” was the headline event on 17-18 May of Ballarat Heritage Week, and with the “Gooney Bird” DC-3 front and centre, aviation enthusiasts descended on Ballarat’s airport precinct from far and wide. Ballarat Branch President, Peter Dowling, tell us more.
With a tight timeline leading up to the event, Ballarat Council, the Air Force Association Ballarat and the Commercial Manager of the aerodrome worked to provide an event at the airport celebrating its history. It was determined that the headline act would be the chartering of the “Gooney Bird” DC-3 bringing aviation enthusiasts out of Essendon Airport.
The event was promoted by Ballarat Council with a huge billboard in Victoria Street displaying the DC-3 to traffic approaching Ballarat from the east prior to the event.
There was tireless activity and organisation by Air Force Association members Steve Carter, Mark Pilkington, Sharon Carpenter, Leigh Edmonds and Peter Dowling, in conjunction with Jonnie Wilshire, the Commercial Manager of the airport.
Following an almost unprecedented period of warm, dry weather in Ballarat, the weekend of the event was cold, wet and windy. With a nail-biting wait in Essendon for icy conditions to clear, the Gooney Bird was finally in the air and on its way to Ballarat, nearly an hour late.
Joy flights on the DC-3 were sold out for both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. A Tiger Moth and trainer arrived from Lethbridge Airfield to complement the flying excitement.
For this inaugural event, it was estimated there was more than 4000 attendees over the two days.
As well as Council-organised events, entertainment and food/drink stations, most of the tenants at the airport took the opportunity to showcase their interest groups and associations.
The Air Force Association Ballarat rents space in Hut 48 and provided a continuous loop video of the history of the airport as a Wireless Air Gunner Training School (1WAGS).
A theatre group, Legends of the Sky, provided two performances of the great 1934 air race on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon in Hut 48 while the museum also experienced great interest from the Ballarat public, both at the weekend of the airport display and the following weekend marking the end of Heritage week.
One of the most impressive details was the determination of some to experience the DC-3 flight. Two nonagenarian members of the Air Force Association Ballarat experience flights. A friend of an Association member was so enthusiastic, she managed to board the plane even with substantial mobility issues. She later reported that it was an amazing highlight of her life, and she would not have missed it for anything.
Above: The “Gooney Bird” DC-3 was a popular attraction at Ballarat Heritage Week.
Above: Neil Leckie provided a service in the Air Force rooms to assist people to find the military history of their friends and relatives.
Above: In the hangars, feature posters of historical 1WAGS personnel, including a tribute to Frederick Spafford of “Dam Busters” fame and a banner were provided to the Airport Aviation Museum for display in that space, presaging the opportunity for greater co-ordination of the history of the airport.
There are more great photos of the Entertainment of the Skies event in the latest Ballarat Branch newsletter. Click here to read.