Stories of Interest
Here you will find a wide variety of stories about the people and events who have shaped our Air Force history. If you have a story to share, please email us at office@afavic.org.au
Aces & Innovators - Peter Stuart Isaacson AM, DFC, AFC, DFM
We look at the life and career of flying ace, Peter Isaacson, the ninth AFA Victoria president from 1956 to 1959.
Read more...RAF Tornado (GR4) Gifted to Australia
The Royal Air Force has donated a Tornado GR4 to the AFA (WA Division) Aviation Heritage Museum.
Read more...The Story of an Australian KIA at the Battle of Britain.
Research into Richard (“Dickie”) Reynell RAF 32091 - an Aussie pilot killed in action in the Battle of Britain in 1940 - revealed a unique story of a remarkable individual who became one of the “The Few” that were both test pilots and fighter pilots.
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Aces & Innovators of the RAAF: Sir Lawrence Wackett
Sir Lawrence James Wackett KBE, DFC, AFC (1896 – 1982) is widely regarded as "father of the Australian aircraft industry". He has been described as "one of the towering figures in the history of Australian aviation covering virtually all aspects of activities: pilot, designer of airframes and engines, entrepreneur and manager.
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Aces & Innovators of the RAAF: Captain Arthur Henry (Harry) Cobby
Captain (later Air Commodore) Harry Cobby GM, CBE, DSO, DFC and 2 Bars, MID, US Medal of Freedom was President of the Victorian Division of the Air Force Association from 1944 to 1946. He served in the Australian Flying Corps in the First World War and in the RAAF during the Second World War.
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Air Force Centenary - 31 March 2021
The Royal Australian Air Force will mark its 100th anniversary with a spectacular flypast over Canberra.
Read more...Saved from the Rubbish Bin – The Boys of Hut 15
Some time ago, a builder, who was demolishing an old suburban house in Melbourne, noticed an envelope with faded snapshots dumped in a rubbish bin. Here is the story behind some more of those old photos.
Read more...“The Luck of the Draw” (Pt 2) - from the logbooks of a WWII Catalina engineer.
Part 2 of our story from the logbooks of Allan Cooke, Catalina Flying Boat Engineer, during WWII.
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“The Luck of the Draw” (pt 1) - A Story from the Catalina Archives
Philip Cooke shares a story from one of the detailed logbooks his father, 20 SQN 1st Engineer Allan George Cooke, kept during his WWII service as member of a Catalina flying boat crew.
Read more...ANZAC Day: WW2 Veteran Jack Bell Speaks With 3AW
WW2 and RAAF veteran Jack Bell shared his experiences as a PoW and his message of compassion, respect and honour with 3AW's Neil Mitchell.
Read more...Vale Dudley Marrows, DSO DFC Legion de Honor.
WWII war hero and Sunderland flying boat captain with 461 Squadron, Dudley Marrows, passed away on 11 March, aged 101.
Official Opening of Historic Airport Hut 48, Ballarat
The Ballarat Branch hosted an official opening of their newly allocated rooms in the recently restored Airport Hut 48 at the Ballarat Aerodrome on Thursday 28 March, with guest speaker WWII veteran, Mr Jack Bell, 101.
Read more...Rise of the Phoenix - The Story Continues (Part 2)
Earlier this year, we brought you Part 1 of the story of the restoration of Australia's only surviving B-24 Liberator, Part 2 continues the story...
Read more...The B24 Liberator Memorial Gains Museum Accreditation
The B24 Liberator Memorial Australia joins the 75 Victorian collections accredited by Australian Museums and Galleries in Victoria.
Read more...Hundreds Gather to Remember WW1 Armistice - November 2018
On Sunday 4thNovember, almost 700 people made the journey to RAAF Base Point Cook to mark the centenary of the signing of the WW1 Armistice on 11 November and honour the memory of those who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Read more...A song for veterans launched at the Shrine
Melbourne singer/songwriter Mike Brady (Up There Cazaly) launched his new song “This Place” in October at the Shrine of Remembrance.
Read more...Vale Keith Watts: A Son Remembers His Dad
Keith Watts, WWII Veteran and Life Member of the Air Force Association, passed away in September at 103 years of age. His son David remembers him...
Read more...Historic Painting Presented to the Association
A stunning Norman Clifford painting of RAAF Base Point Cook as it was in 1914 has been presented to the Air Force Association – Victoria by AIRCDRE E J (Ted) Bushell AM (retd).
Read more...The Australian Flying Corps Memorial, RAAF Base Point Cook
The Australian Flying Corps Memorial was funded by the Australian Flying Corps Association and created to honour the airmen who fought so valiantly for the noble purpose of preserving freedom.
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Stories of the Armistice: The Cost of War
The graves and memorials of brave Australian troops – many unknown and unidentified - lay scattered across northern France and Belgium reminding us of the price paid by a small distant brave nation for its involvement in the Great War.
Read more...Stories of the Armistice: The Signing of The WW1 Armistice
Close to midnight on the 7th of November 1918, a German delegation crossed the front line with white flags flying, where a train was waiting to take them to a secret rendezvous in the great forest of Compiègne in France.
Read more...Stories of the Armistice: The Birth of the Australian Flying Corps
Following the decision that the armed forces of the British Empire should exploit the air as a means of warfare, the Australian Flying Corps was established on 20 September 1912.
Read more...Stories of the Armistice: The Australian Flying Corps in the Great War.
Four operational Australian Flying Corps squadrons left Australia in 1916 bound for combat in the Great War.
Comments (0) Read more...Saving Boxer 22 - The Largest Rescue Mission of the Vietnam War
In December 1969 the effort to recover two downed US Air Force airmen snowballed into their largest search and rescue mission of the Vietnam War.
Read more...75th Anniversary of Hell Fire Pass and Thai-Burma Railway
A national commemorative service to mark the 75th anniversary of Hellfire Pass and the completion of the Thai–Burma Railway will be held on 16 October 2018 at the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Ballarat.
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