History – CONTACT magazine

James Scarlett, 9th Baron Arbinger, observes the AE1 submarine stained glass window in the HMAS Kuttabul Chapel, NSW. Story by Lieutenant Marcus Middleton. Photos by Leading Seaman David Cox.

AUKUS pact represents long family legacy

29/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 187 Views 0 Comments AUKUS, HMAS Kuttabul

For most, the AUKUS submarine partnership is an alliance between like-minded nations. CAPTION: James Scarlett, 9th Baron Arbinger, observes the

A black-and-white newspaper clipping from a 1980s Army Newspaper showing military personnel.

Australian Army History News

Defence funds newspapers digitisation

13/01/202617/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 899 Views 0 Comments

Step back in time this summer with Defence early service newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia’s armed forces and

Royal Australian Air Force members help a civilian during the nationwide floods in 1974.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

Eight squadrons in biggest mercy operation

13/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 781 Views 0 Comments

Step back in time this summer with defence early Service Newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia’s armed forces and

Former Navy clearance Diver Wally Reynolds, right, with Phillip Meade after he descended 327 feet to set an Australian aqualung diving record 12 miles off the coast of Newport, NSW. Story by Corporal Darryl Gallagher.

History News Royal Australian Navy

Navy diving records broken then and now

13/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 663 Views 0 Comments

Step back in time this summer with defence early Service Newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia’s armed forces and

A photo from the 1984 newspaper article.

Australian Army History News

The 30-year-old mystery of the wallet

13/01/202613/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 644 Views 0 Comments

Step back in time this summer with defence early Service Newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia’s armed forces and

A soldier rides a Mechanical Mule in a 1960 photo from the Australian Army newspaper, now digitised through Trove.

Australian Army History News

From Mechanical Mule to modern mobility

13/01/202613/01/2026 Posted by Mike Hughes 593 Views 0 Comments Canungra

Step back in time this summer with defence early Service Newspapers, which capture the spirit of Australia’s armed forces and

Ceremonial Sunset and official reception mark 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy Recruit School at HMAS Cerberus, Victoria. Story by Sub-Lieutenant Jonathan Rendell. Photos by Leading Seaman Sittichai Sakonpoonpol.

History News Royal Australian Navy

Recruit School – 100 years of shaping Navy’s future

19/12/202519/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1093 Views 0 Comments Chief of Navy, HMAS Cerberus

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond hosted an official reception and Ceremonial Sunset on December 11 to honour 100

Operation Linesmen and Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense personnel salute remains recovered from White Horse Hill in the Korean DMZ. Story and photos by Lieutenant Commander Brendan Trembath.

Asia Australian Army History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Air Force

ADF aids KIA recovery from Korean DMZ

19/12/202520/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1304 Views 0 Comments Korean War, Operation Linesmen

Seventy-five years after the Korean War started, the Australian Defence Force has supported a successful remains recovery mission on a

World War 2 veteran Valerie Ireland joins Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Chris Smith for a tour of Fleet Base East and the RAN Heritage Centre. Story by Lieutenant Hinako Shiraishi.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Navy

Veteran’s reunion after 80 years

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1270 Views 0 Comments Fleet Base East, Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre, WWII

Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Christopher Smith recently welcomed 100-year-old World War 2 veteran Valerie Ireland, née Blackett, back to Fleet

Clive Wawn Junior holding the ‘short snorter’ with Squadron Leader Andrew Chadwick at the RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre. Story and photos by Flying Officer Casie Scott.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

A ‘short snorter’ with a powerful story

18/12/202518/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1255 Views 0 Comments RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre (RTAHC), WWII

An extraordinary piece of wartime history is now on display at the RAAF Townsville Aviation Heritage Centre: a 10-shilling ‘short

Royal Australian Air Force officers Air Commodore Adam Spinks, left, and Air Commodore Bill Hayden unveil the Australian Armourers Association plaque at the RAAF Memorial Grove, Canberra. Story and photos by Corporal Michael Rogers.

History Lest We Forget News Royal Australian Air Force

Memorial enshrines Air Force ‘gunnies’

12/12/202512/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1187 Views 0 Comments

More than a century after Australian aircrew first dropped bombs over the Middle East, a memorial has been dedicated to

Combat assault dog, Fax, posthumously receives an Australian Animal Distinguished Service Medal at a ceremony at Special Air Service Regiment in Perth. Story by Major S.

Australian Army History Lest We Forget News

Combat assault dog honoured

10/12/202510/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1622 Views 1 Comment Afghanistan, Australian Animal Distinguished Service Award, Military Working Dogs

In a moving ceremony in Perth last month, Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) combat assault dog, Fax, posthumously received the

A relative of Flight Lieutenant Ross Frayne – a World War 2 and Korean War veteran who died in a crash at RAAF Base Mallala in 1955 – places a poppy on a commemorative wreath at the new Air Force memorial at the South Australian Aviation Museum. Story by Group Captain Greg Weller.

ADF People History Lest We Forget Royal Australian Air Force

Air Force commemorates peacetime sacrifice

03/12/202503/12/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1933 Views 1 Comment Aircraft Research and Development Unit, RAAF Edinburgh, South Australian Aviation Museum

Attendees gathered at the South Australian Aviation Museum (SAAM) to witness the Dedication and Inaugural Commemorative Service of a new

Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell presents 101-year-old Air Force veteran Charles Reif with an Aussie Hero Quilt. Story by Elise Monge. Photo by Flight Sergeant Rodney Welch.

ADF People History Royal Australian Air Force

A lifetime of dedication to country and service

25/11/202525/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 924 Views 0 Comments Aussie Hero Quilts, Chief of Air Force

When Charles Reif enlisted in the Air Force in 1946 at 22 years old as an aircraftman electrical mechanic, he

Three Royal Australian Air Force MQ-4C Triton aircraft on the taxiway at RAAF Base Tindal, NT. Story by Flight Lieutenant Grace Casey-Maughan. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Mikaela Fernlund.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

9 Squadron’s all-seeing unseen new role

25/11/202530/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1410 Views 1 Comment MQ-4C Triton, No. 9 Squadron, Northrop Grumman Australia, RAAF Edinburgh, RAAF Tindal, Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS)

In June 2023, 9 Squadron was reformed at RAAF Base Edinburgh (with a detachment at RAAF Base Tindal) to operate

Commanding Officer 100 Squadron Wing Commander Richard Brougham presents a 100 Squadron challenge coin to James Birt. Story and photos by Flying Officer Michael Thomas.

ADF People History Royal Australian Air Force

Connecting then and now

21/11/202521/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 1374 Views 0 Comments No. 100 Squadron, WWII

It’s been more than 80 years since James Birt was defending our nation in World War 2, yet he can

The Colour Party presents the 9 Squadron Standard as a Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter conducts a flyover at the Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide to mark the squadron’s reformation. Story by Flying Officer Shanea Zeegers. Photo by Flight Sergeant Rob Hack.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

9 Squadron flies again

21/11/202521/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 5256 Views 4 Comments MQ-4C Triton, No. 9 Squadron

9 Squadron has officially reformed, marking its proud return to Air Force service with a ceremony at Torrens Parade Ground,

Air Mobility Training and Development Unit personnel gather for a group photo at RAAF Base Richmond, NSW. Photos by Leading Aircraftwoman Aiesha White-Kratz.

History News Royal Australian Air Force

Sixty years of developing and delivering

21/11/202521/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 833 Views 0 Comments Air Mobility Training and Development Unit (AMTDU), RAAF Richmond

Current and past members of Air Mobility Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) came together at RAAF Base Richmond recently to

Sandy Sandford, a former Regimental Sergeant Major of Trentham Military Camp in New Zealand, sells poppies in Melbourne ahead of Remembrance Day. Story by Major Carla Armenti. Photo by Corporal Cameron Pegg.

Australian Army History News

Royal visit evokes fond memory for veteran

18/11/202518/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 731 Views 0 Comments Remembrance Day

As the Royal Australian Corps of Signals (RASIGS) celebrates its centenary with parades and activities across the country to commemorate

Author and former broadcaster Mike Carlton speaks to the audience at Indo Pacific 2025. Photos by Able Seaman Taylor Johnson.

History News Royal Australian Navy

Mike Carlton honoured at Indo Pacific 2025

14/11/202514/11/2025 Posted by Mike Hughes 808 Views 0 Comments Chief of Navy, Indo Pacific

An author, historian and journalist known for his stories of the people behind some of Navy’s most notable missions has

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