CONTACT BLOG SPOT Archives - Page 48 of 70

Caption: An Air Force F/A-18A Hornet aircraft from No. 77 Squadron taxis for the final time at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales.

Top 10 Iconic RAAF Aircraft – 10: F/A-18A/B Hornet

25/03/202107/05/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 4140 Views 0 Comments

As the Royal Australian Air Force celebrates its Centenary on 31 March 2021, they have compiled their Top Ten most

Wilma Ayles, centre, supported by her daughter Evelyn Schuetze, receives an Air Force 2021 memento from Senior ADF Officer Amberley Group Captain Iain Carty at Cooroy, Queensland. Photo by Leading Aircraftwoman Emma Schwenke.

ADF People History

A determination to serve

23/03/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 1575 Views 0 Comments

Eighty years ago, Wilma ‘Billie’ Ayles (nee Galloway) convinced her sister, Heather, to join her in applying to be a

Senior Australian Defence Force Officer - Edinburgh precinct Air Commodore Ross Bender with Flight Lieutenant Lauren Hartley after she had her head shaved to raise money for the Lung Foundation Australia. Photo by Corporal Brenton Kwaterski.

ADF People Health and Wellbeing

Head shave helps others breathe easy

18/03/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 2049 Views 0 Comments

It was Flight Lieutenant Lauren Hartley’s father’s battle with lung disease that motivated her to have her head shaved to

HMAS Cerberus Museum Manager Commander John Goss with historic items from HMVS Cerberus in the HMAS Cerberus Museum in Westernport, Victoria. Photo by Leading Seaman Bonny Gassner.

History News Royal Australian Navy

Stamp marks arrival of Cerberus 150 years ago

18/03/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 1804 Views 0 Comments

Australia Post will issue a stamp on March 22 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Her Majesty’s Victorian Ship (HMVS)

ADF medic Private Christie Rayner, from the Joint Health Unit - North Queensland, administers the COVID-19 vaccine to Lorna Pollack at the Blue Care aged-care facility in Ingham, Queensland.

ADF Health and Wellbeing News

ADF teams injected into vaccine rollout

17/03/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 1781 Views 1 Comment

The ADF has begun deploying teams to aged and disability care facilities around Australia in support of the Government’s COVID-19

Gerry Shepherd with the scale model of HMAS Bataan he presented to the Navy History Section at the Sea Power Centre, Canberra. Photo by Sergeant Sebastian Beurich.

ADF People History

A homage to HMAS Bataan

17/03/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 2294 Views 0 Comments

Gerry Shepherd was a bit miffed he had to wait 13 months to join the Navy while those from other

Anniversary of the 'Breaker Morant injustice'

Letters to the Editor

‘Breaker Morant’ trio injustice as it reflects on alleged SAS war crimes

28/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2422 Views 0 Comments

A reflection on the execution anniversary of Lieutenants Harry ‘Breaker’ Morant, Peter Handcock and Imprisonment of Lieutenant George Witton.

Leopard tank. Photo by Corporal Jason Logue.

Letters to the Editor

Hello from an ex army reservist, 10/27 Bn

28/02/202128/02/2021 ken 1592 Views 0 Comments

I am writing to you guys of this paper, it is going well I used to get it on parade

The Grumpy Old Men Coffee Club in Cleveland, Queensland.

Letters to the Editor

Greetings from the Grumpy Old Men Coffee Club

27/02/202127/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2997 Views 1 Comment

The Grumpy Old Men Coffee Club (GOMCC) is a group of Veterans who meet twice a week at the Gym in Cleveland [in Brisbane’s south].

Letters to the Editor

Will battalions’ order of battle be adjusted to reflect LAND 400?

21/02/202121/02/2021 Geoffrey Chester 1858 Views 0 Comments LAND 400 Phase 3

Will battalions’ etc order of battle be adjusted to reflect the structural changes down at section level when Land 400 vehicles are bought?

Editor's Blog

CONTACT was shut down by Facebook – and I really don’t care

19/02/202127/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2455 Views 7 Comments

The reason I don’t care that Facebook shut down our FB page is because its just one tool we use to guide people to where the real action is.

Sir Jeffrey Armiger

Guess who? – Guess why? – Mr Holmes?

17/02/202117/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 4802 Views 2 Comments

The following statement was issued by the most senior Public Servant in Defence today – but with zero preamble, zero

Leading Aircraftman Nick Atterton cleans the windows on an AP-3C Orion in the Middle East. Photo by Able Seaman Paul Berry.

Letters to the Editor

DVA will clean the windows I can reach, but won’t clean those I can’t

17/02/202117/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2810 Views 0 Comments By Tim Pickering

Thanks for publishing my letter – Why my Defence doctor sacked me as a patient – yesterday, Brian. Another thing you might find funny…

Letters to the Editor

Why my Defence doctor ‘sacked me’ as a patient

16/02/202116/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2268 Views 1 Comment By Tim Pickering

Re your story “Veteran refused care – because DVA paying”. It’s not just mental health support that medical practitioners are declining.

Letters to the Editor

Invitation to Sailing Navy Dayz

14/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 1888 Views 0 Comments

Hello all. 28 January 2021 was day ONE of many positive days ahead. I started this boat-restoration project, initially for myself

CONTACT Editor Brian Hartigan (not a Nasho) on the bayonet assault course with SLR, 1990.

Letters to the Editor

Is Lateral Transfer from foreign military to ADF too hard?

14/02/202114/02/2021 Jon Felton 6445 Views 5 Comments

Can anyone enlighten me on the criteria for Lateral Transfer? I have a few mates who have enquired about changing from the NZDF to the ADF.

Soldiers from the 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, (Queensland Mounted Infantry), leave hotel quarantine in Brisbane after supporting Operation COVID-19 Assist in Victoria for 10 weeks. Photo by Corporal Nicole Dorrett.

Letters to the Editor

Rumours re Op COVID-19 Assist medal

11/02/202111/02/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 10372 Views 2 Comments COVID-19

There are a lot of rumors going around about ADF members assigned to COVID ASSIST may get the National Emergency Medal. Is this true?

Letters to the Editor

EF88 (not?) missing from Weapons of the ADF

02/02/202102/02/2021 David McNamara 1356 Views 0 Comments

Hi mate I received your weapons of the ADF a couple of weeks ago and its great. However I did

The Private P.Z. Trzecinski Bridge on the New England Highway, near Maitland, NSW. Photo from warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au

Lest We Forget

A hell of a way to get your name on a bridge

31/01/202131/01/2021 Posted by Brian Hartigan 2245 Views 0 Comments By Tomas 'Paddy' Hamilton

In the town where I once lived they built a bridge, named the Private Ziggy Trzecinski Bridge, after my mate killed in Vietnam.

A Canberra Bomber at RAAF Base Amberley. Photo by Corporal Errol Jones.

Tall Tale or True

Dodging a Court Martial – just!

31/01/202101/02/2021 Arthur Comer 2127 Views 1 Comment By Arthur 'Gus' Comer

In 1962 I was a warrant officer, Radio Tech Air, teaching at the RAAF School of Radio, Laverton. One feature