WRAAF Brisbane Branch Newsletter Oct – Dec 2015
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 1
Special WRAAF Reunion 2015 Edition
Message from our President
Rosie Forster
Welcome everyone to the last meeting for 2015. With only 41 days to Christmas one wonders where the year has gone.
It has been a busy time since our last meeting with the run up & ending with the Reunion. Firstly, my sincere thanks go to the committee for their wonderful support in making it a success. The feedback has been so positive & the Memorial Service was the icing on the cake. There were a few hiccups but that was to be expected & we overcame them.
I hope everyone enjoyed their time over the 3 days, as I did, it was so good catching up with old friends & making new ones. I thank all of you for help & support in making this Reunion a memorable one.
With the All Services Morning Tea being our last function for the year; looking back we have had a busy & exciting 2015.
In closing, I would like to wish you & your families a very merry Christmas & a happy & safe New Year & will see all of you in January.
Rosie
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2016 WRAAF Branch Meetings
New location for meetings
Meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday in January and then on the 2nd Saturdays in March, May, July, September & November at Ann Street Presbyterian Church Trust Offices Meeting Room at 143 Ann Street Brisbane (located between office tower at 145 Ann Street and the Church). Access is by Security Card so you will need to arrive by 9.50am at the latest and a Committee member will let you in.
16th Jan 2016
12th March 2016
14th May 2016
9th July 2016
10th Sept 2016
12th Nov 2016
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Newsletter Subscription $12.00.
For those not wanting to be a full or associate member of the WRAAF Branch but want to keep in touch with friends and the Air Force generally. You will receive 4 newsletters each year.
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AGM 2016
ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
POSITION
CONFIRMED
President
Carol McCool
Deputy President
Pam Condie
Treasurer
Truus Perry
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 2
Secretary
Jan Noack
Minute Secretary
Pam Condie
Assistant Treasurer
Jill Buckland
General Committee
Eunice Smith
General Committee
Gillian Shepherd
General Committee
Margaret Humphries
RAAFA Delegate
Carol McCool
RAAFA Delegate
Jill Buckland
CESW Delegate
Margaret Stevenson
CESW Delegate
Lyn Wilkes
Other positions
Health and Wellbeing Officer – Maureen Stewart
Honorary Auditor – Lorraine Claydon
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WRAAF NATIONAL REUNION – GOLD COAST, QLD
9 to 11 October 2015
A Reunion is defined as “a social gathering attended by members of a group of people who have not seen each other for some time”. Well on the second weekend in October almost 300 ex-WRAAFs did just that. We socialized with those we had seen a few weeks earlier, those we had caught up with at the last couple of reunions and in some cases with “girls” we hadn’t seen for 40 years.
The feedback has been fantastic and a great time was had by all. A lot of planning went into the Reunion and it started almost immediately after the Perth Reunion in 2013 when the Brisbane Branch offered to host 2015. Thanks go to our President Rosie Forster who raised the idea to undertake the reunion and to the Reunion Committee who formulated the plans and organized the venue, the food, the events etc.
Friday Night 9th October Meet and Greet
The Reunion Committee were at the Coolangatta Sands Hotel early to set up and compete the last few details for the Meet and Greet and ladies began lining up at the door well before the appointed time. By the time rolls were checked, names ticked off and merchandise picked up 258 of us were circulating around the room. There was lots of calling out names, searching faces to see if we recognized someone familiar and then shouts of joy and hugs when we re-connected with friends from decades ago. A few glasses of wine, nice finger food and lots of photos and then all too soon it was time to finish up, get some rest and regroup for sightseeing and Saturday night’s big dinner.
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 3
Saturday Night 10th October Dinner
Saturday’s weather was perfect for strolls along the beach and doing lunch and shopping before getting ready for Dinner. As with Friday night ladies were lined up early and this time 276 of us rocked up, dressed up and partied. We also had 2 serving airwomen who joined us. We had a witty and vibrant MC, Jill Chivers, who managed to keep us interested and made herself heard above 276 of us catching up and reminiscing. She also presided over what must have been the longest raffle in history. There were lots of great prizes thanks to the generosity of many of our members and many lucky ladies went home with handmade gifts and gift cards.
There was lots of circulating and catching up from where we had left off the night before. Jill Chivers introduced our guest speaker for the evening – Wing Commander Colleen Higginson (Staff Officer Workforce – Air Force Headquarters). Colleen is a 37 year veteran of the RAAF who joined as an ACW and is currently a WgCdr. Her talk covered those 37 years and the changes she has seen and the work she is currently doing. Her experiences are so different from those of many of us and she has achieved so much. She talked about retention strategies for women, diversity and career options. Many of us would have liked to have had the same opportunities but they were “different times’. However her closing remarks resonated with us and summed up the reason why we love these reunions – “However the one thing that has always, and will always remain, is the camaraderie shared between us women with all other women who have worked and continue to work in the Air Force no matter what year that has been. We are all members of a very unique fraternity and have come together this evening to continue the spirit and friendships of our careers and our loyalty to the Air Force …”
All too soon it was past 10pm and time to finish up, say goodbye, and swap email and phone numbers and head off. Many were travelling back to every state in Australia the next day and many were going to the
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 4
Memorial Service at the Currumbin RSL on Sunday. There was a call for another reunion in two years’ time and hopefully we will be able to say “See you in 2017 in ……….”
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Presentation at Dinner Saturday 10th October by special guest Wg Cdr Higginson
Wing Commander Colleen Higginson
Staff Officer Workforce – Air Force Headquarters
Presentation to WRAAF Reunion Dinner
10 October 2015
Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this evening at my first WRAAF Reunion. Rosie asked me to speak about some of my experiences since I joined the Air Force in January 1978 and how things have changed since I first joined. Tonight I will start by giving you an insight into my background and roles I have done in the Air Force and I will follow this by concentrating on the wonderful policies that are currently available to increase women’s recruitment and retention in the Air Force. When I look at the changes during my career, I believe many changes have been incremental; however in the last few years, the changes have been quite revolutionary, especially for women.
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 5
Myself… I grew up in Rockhampton and attended Central Girls primary school from 1963- 1969 and then I went to Rockhampton Girls Grammar school from 1970 – 1973. I came from a family of three girls, no brothers, and a mother who worked in our family business since I was born. When I left school, I started a Nursing career in 1974, however left to live in Brisbane and worked as a credit agency reporter. I returned to Rockhampton in early 1977 and by chance noticed an advertisement in the local paper about the Defence Force recruiting opportunities and I applied to join the Air Force as this seemed such an interesting career. I did not come from a military family, however yearned to live in the city once again; this seemed an exciting way to fulfill my ambitions. The Air Force was looking for Medical Clerks – I thought I could combine my Nursing and clerical background to be great in this role – however the recruiting officer was looking for Communications Operators (COMMSOPS) and convinced me I would be better suited to this work – it paid more than the Medical Clerk, so I agreed!
I joined the Air Force on 16 January 1978, having turned 20 years the week before. I left Rockhampton by train, was put up in the People’s Palace (now backpackers) and signed the Oath at Recruiting before we were flown to Melbourne. At Laverton, my first home in the Air Force was Block 100 where I was a member of 252 Recruiting Course. After graduating from the Recruiting Course on 27 Feb 1978, I moved to the blocks over the road, and started the COMMSOP training at School of Radio (RADS) in Laverton. After graduating as a COMMSOP, I was posted to RAAF Glenbrook to the RAAF Telecommunications Unit (RAAFTUS).
The first job I had as a COMMSOP was fun. I can remember one day you would be rostered onto SEND and you would stand and push the torn tape messages into the mainframe computer after writing the message details on a little pad which was checked by the CPL supervisor at various intervals throughout the day. The next day wasn’t all that much different, rostered onto RECEIVE, you would be take the torn tape messages from the computer, annotate the details on the little pad, and once again be checked by the CPL supervisor. The next day you would be rostered on to actually type the messages that were to be SENT – and gradually the full round of COMMSOP duties at that junior rank were performed.
I married at age 24 years – I was an LACW and my husband was a CPL COMMSOP. I was now working in the Air Operations Communication Centre (AOCC), a very satisfying role due to the immediate response of communicating with the aircraft. We were posted to Darwin in November 1984 – just before the house we were building was finalized – now this was a fairly typical thing that seemed to happen to people who bought/build houses and we had to rush the house so it could be rented out.
In Darwin, I became pregnant with my son Christopher who was born in September 1985. I took the three months Maternity Leave as well as two additional months of recreation leave, and returned to work feeling confident I was able to combine motherhood and work. I was a shift worker and had been approved to work a different shift to my husband, which enabled someone to always be at home during the night and therefore Christopher only needed childcare during the day. I believe returning to work as a married mother was the very first time I ever felt ‘different’ to my colleagues, and the first time I faced what I now realize was probably unconscious discrimination, however this was understandable given the era. My work supervisors, all male, had a perception that married mother’s should still be at home, and I faced difficult times balancing changing shifts and finding good childcare, and facing crises when Christopher was too ill and to attend crèche or Family Day care – and at times would have to fly my mother to Darwin from Rockhampton to help me continue.
At this juncture, I would like to acknowledge that many of you women here tonight may have felt discriminated in your career due to marriage and/or pregnancy, once again as it was the policy of the day, it was accepted. It was only after the Commonwealth Public Service allowed women to retain their positions
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 6
after marriage in 1966, that the Women Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF) instigated this policy in 1969. Up until then, many of you were required to leave your beloved Air Force careers because you had ‘fallen in love’ and married. The public service abolished automatic discharge on pregnancy in 1973 and the WRAAF followed this policy in 1974 – so I now acknowledge the difficult time this may have been for some of you who didn’t want leave the Air Force.
I continued my COMMSOP career, juggling the demands of parenthood and in 1987, recognizing shift work was going to be difficult to maintain as a parent, I started a part-time Bachelor of Public Administration at the local Charles Darwin University with a goal of commissioning as an Administration Officer. Most folk I worked with thought I was a bit crazy to study, especially with a small child, but I persevered and after three years of part-time (assisted by the Defence Assisted Study Scheme DASS) study, I was fortunate to be offered civil schooling to finish my degree full time, and I was then commissioned as an Administration Officer in 1991.
Attending the 17 weeks Officers Training course as a mature 33 year old mother of a six year old once was an amazing opportunity – we did wonderful things such as abseiling, cave climbing, cross-country skiing, and I remember Sir Edmund Hilary’s grandson as one of our mentors on the training. Officer’s training was a time when you were able to grow your confidence and do things you had never thought you could do – it was also a time when I needed to socialize with my younger peers. I was the oldest member on the course, and when we were all allowed to go into town, they were grateful to me as I was the one who would retire early to sleep in the car and drive everyone back to Point Cook when they finished.
I had my first two postings as an Officer in Darwin, one to 2CRU (Control and Reporting Unit – the Air Defence unit) on Lee Point Road and then the Base Support Centre on the RAAF Base at Darwin managing Air Force and financial administration. I continued in training courses away from Darwin – Basic administration for 6 weeks and Finance for 4 weeks and I also continued academic study.
I left the permanent RAAF in 1996 and became a Defence public servant managing the Pay Centre for Army and then the Housing Management section with a team of Air Force, Navy and Army and public servants. During this period I was a Reservist at the then 13SQN, and continued my development as a FLTLT Administration Officer.
I found myself a single parent in 1999, and was offered an opportunity to rejoin the Permanent Air Force, and was posted to RAAF Glenbrook – where my career had initially started. After this I have had other postings back to Darwin (XO/CO 396ECSS), Canberra (Coord and Committee Secretariat in AFHQ), back again to Darwin (DCO and NORCOM), Adelaide (SOPERS/CO HQAOSG) and I am now in Canberra in a Workforce position.
I have also had deployments to the Afghanistan and Iraq conflict – for both of these deployments I was the Financial Advisor – meaning I was in control of the money for Defence and the Australian Military Commander on these operations. I recall how shocked I was once when I was required to transport more than USD 10,000 from one UAE country to another and when I queried the bank manager on the feasibility of this with cognizance of our customs policy of not taking/bringing more that AUD 10,000 into/out of Australia. The manager said…in this country, some of our people take more than that on a weekend away with their families. Needless to say, the wealth of our host country was quite a shock to me.
I clearly remember the anticipation I felt during my first deployment when I needed go the US Bagram Afghanistan to do some financial work – I might add I really was quite excited but at the same time fairly frightened as this was ‘real time’ and I guess you are never really sure what can happen, and if your weapon
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 7
training had prepared you well enough. I can also remember when I was on the Iraq deployment when I was stationed in Qatar – I regularly needed to go to other locations, and flying to Kuwait when the entire city was under military control was interesting – the liberties I previously had to wander to the city were not enabled. I was now totally armed and dressed with Kevlar vests at all times. I can remember the anticipation when the base was under fire.
Before I move onto discuss the opportunities that have now been made available for women, I would like to read an interesting quote, cited by Bomford and published in the Australian, from Major Barbara Maxwell, Chief Instructor and Commanding Officer of the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) School in Sydney in 1972. Major Maxwell said of the women under her command:
We try to keep our girls soft and feminine… I think there are jobs for men and there are some for women… We do a lot of communications work and driving and catering, jobs that suit the mentalities and abilities of women…I just don’t like guns, I suppose. It isn’t very feminine is it? Shooting, I mean!
Whilst I joined the Air Force six years after this, I fitted into this category perfectly – I worked in communications and we did not have to handle a weapon or were expected to deploy to a war zone. So much has changed for women in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) in the years since Major Maxwell expressed her particular view of women’s roles in the army.
The role of women in the Australian military significantly began to change after 1975, which was the International Year of Women, and the WRAAF was abolished in 1977; the WAAC in 1979 and the WRANS in 1985, as female members were merged into the services. Equal pay was granted to all servicewomen in 1979.
Despite being integrated into the military, there were still restrictions on female service. The ADF was granted an exemption from the Sexual Discrimination Act when it was introduced in 1984 so that it could maintain gender-based restrictions against women serving in combat or combat-related positions. As a result of personnel shortages in the late 1980s the restriction against women in combat-related positions was dropped, and in 1990, Air Force women were for the first time allowed to serve in combat squadrons.
However it was not until the then Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, instigated several reviews into aspects of Defence and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) culture during 2011-2012 that there has been revolutionary changes for women. Reviews were held into the Treatment of Women at the Defence Force Academy; Review into the treatment of Women in the Defence Force (both by the then Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick) Review of the use of Alcohol; Review of pathways for women in the Defence APS; and the DLA paper review of sexual and other forms of abuse in Defence.
Defence responded to these reviews by implementing a program called, Pathway to Change: Evolving Defence Culture. Air Force implemented its own “New Horizon” program to implement the culture change for Air Force members and as a part of New Horizon there are several policies that are available to women to enhance their recruitment and retention.
Air Force has recognised the strong capability imperative required to improve the treatment of women in the ADF and to enhance their career opportunities. It also recognises that policies to attract, retain and give women more opportunities makes good sense when there is a shortage of personnel in, and wanting to come in, to the Air Force in a time when Australia itself is looking at having an unprecedented shortage of human resources in the next decade in most sectors. Competition for the talent required in the Air Force in the future will be difficult and therefore, Air Force needs to increase its number of women as a capability issue.
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 8
Women in Australia comprise 51% of the population, 46% of the workforce, but only about 15% of the ADF and 18% of the Air Force. Whilst this figure has grown from 15% women in the Air Force in 2000, it is optimal for Air Force to try to increase its participation of women to at least 25% in the near future.
Attraction/Recruiting Strategies
Flight and Tech Camps were instigated in 2013 to support the exposure of non-traditional careers to girls aged 16-18 years old. Their primary objective is to provide a hands-on, risk-free experiential learning opportunity for yond women to experience aviation and technical roles, particularly pilot, in the Air Force and give the girls an opportunity to discuss Air Force careers with women working in those fields.
Gap year. The Australian Defence Force Gap Year is an opportunity for young adults to experience military training, service and lifestyle. It targets those members of the Australian community between 17 and 24 years of age who have completed their Year 12 (or equivalent) education. The aim of the Gap Year is to provide young men and women with a meaningful experience to gain a better understanding of the opportunities available to them in the ADF, and to facilitate their potential selection for ongoing Permanent or Reserve service.
CAF Flying Scholarships Air Force is encouraging the development of young female pilots and two sponsored scholarships open to women under the age of 24. The scholarships are available through the Australian Women’s Pilots Association and provide a grant of $2000 for each recipient.
Graduate Pilot Scheme was introduced in 2013 and this program is a targeted pilot recruitment model that aims to encourage women already studying Bachelor of Aviation degrees to consider joining the Air Force as pilots. Air Force has partnered with Griffith University to offer this program and work is underway to implement similar programs at other aviation universities.
Why is the Air Force only targeting women? As I said before, the growth in the Australian labour force is slowing and with our aging population, the number of young people available to enter the Air Force is shrinking. Policies that improve female recruitment enable Air Force to tap into a significant pool of talented people who are not currently joining Defence, particularly in Air Crew specialisation.
Retention Strategies
The Women’s Integrated Networking Group (WINGS) program brings women of all employment groups and ranks together to provide mutual support and advice for having a lasting career in Air Force, whilst also offering the chance to hear from invited guest speakers at monthly sessions at all Air Force establishments. The program is designed to empower women in Air Force to build the support and mentoring networks required to sustain a long term career in Air Force.
Technet. Is a mentoring and networking group for airwomen in non-traditional roles? It offers an open environment for technical women to seek guidance, support and mentoring on a variety of topics for personal and professional development.
Women’s Forums. The initial forum was held in 2012 and has been held yearly. The focus is to provide opportunities for participants to engage with Air Force senior leaders as well as executives from external organisations such as UN Women, Australian Financial Review, and the ABC Network, banking, IBM as well as personal development and networking opportunities.
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 9
Promotion. The Air Force has achieved above-average promotion outcomes without the requirement for gender targets in the promotion process. In 2014, there were significant changes introduced within the promotion system to order to ensure transparency and equitable decision making. All promotion board members were provided with unconscious bias training as part of the pre-board awareness package.
Breastfeeding Accreditation. Air Force was last year accredited as a “Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace” by the Australian Breastfeeding Association, the first military organisation in the world to achieve such an accreditation. This recognition publicly demonstrates Air Force’s commitment and support to women returning to work following maternity leave.
Diversity Handbooks. To assist both staff and managers, Air Force has produced Diversity Guide Handbooks – titles include Breastfeeding, Sole and Non-Custodial Parents; A working parents toolkit; One titled Flying through Parenthood, and a guide for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender members.
Flexible Working Arrangements. Defence has policies which enable flexible working arrangements for all staff in some posting position. Not all postings and positions are able to accommodate this, and whilst you may be in one posting which allows it, the operational nature of the next posting may not support flexible working arrangements such as Part Time Work for two, three or four day weeks, Variable Working Hours, and working from home arrangements.
White Ribbon. Air Force is seeking to become a White Ribbon Accredited Workplace. White Ribbon is Australia’s only national, male-led primary prevention campaign to end men’s violence against women. White Ribbon workplaces recognise that violence against women is both a human rights and a workplace issue. AMG has been proactive in the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation program and the most visible aspect of their campaign was the pair of large white ribbons painted on a C130H and C-17, and associated flypasts.
Conclusion
I have seen quite a lot of change since I first started my Air Force career in January 1978 at RAAF Laverton. There has been an incremental change in policies over the years; however during the past four years there has really been a revolution of change in policies which have really benefited women. This has resulted in an increase of women in non-traditional roles, and the number of women pilots has increased from 19 in 2010 to 24 in 2014.
The retention policies that have been introduced are important to both men and women, but have been very successful for women. In Financial year 2011/2012 there was an 8.04 percentage of women separating from the Air Force, however during financial year 2013/2014 the separation rate has only been 5.18 percent of women.
Whilst women have always played an extremely important role throughout the entire time from when all of us have started our Air Force careers, women today are expected to perform in roles that were once as Major Barbara Maxwell would have said were not actual jobs for our girls who are soft and feminine…today women must use guns, whether this is considered feminine or not.
However the one thing that has always, and will always remain, is the camaraderie shared between us women with all other women who have worked and continue to work in the Air Force no matter what year that has been. We are all members of a very unique fraternity and have come together this evening to continue the spirit and friendships of our careers and our loyalty to the Air Force – I wish you all a most wonderful evening.
WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 10
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Sunday 11th October Memorial Service – Currumbin RSL (Rosemary Coleman)
The memorial service for the National WRAAF Reunion was held at the Currumbin RSL Club and proved to be a very fitting end to a wonderful weekend with 195 ladies attending. After the service the Reunion Committee received extensive comments, phone calls and praise for the service. However, the pivotal force behind the service was Mr Ron Workman, President of the Currumbin RSL Club who is also a long-time friend of Peg Lindsay and it was through Peg that Ron became involved. He proved to be an outstanding Master of Ceremonies but also a great organiser and a man of many contacts. Ron organised the cadet squadron from 213 Squadron Australian Air Force Cadets, Elanora Qld, and they did a superb job in the Catafalque and Flag Parties. It is lovely to see such enthusiastic young people taking part in these memorial services and carrying on the traditions of defence service. It is understood that the WRAAF Branch made a donation to 213 Squadron as a thank you for their participation and contribution to the service. A number of ladies were impressed with the music “Absent Friends” and we intend to contact Ron and ask him for details of this music. The poem “A Little Sprig of Wattle” was included as a contribution to the ANZAC Centenary. 186 ladies stayed on for the lunch afterwards and by all accounts it was a very enjoyable affair and rounded off the reunion weekend.
For more photos check out Lyn Mitchell’s website https://wraafreunion2015coolangatta.wordpress.com/
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WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 11
RAAF NEWS ONLINE
You can access the latest RAAF News – now simply called Air Force – online by going to
http://digital.realviewtechnologies.com/?xml=defencenews_airforce.xml
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RAAF RADSCHOOL MAGAZINE
You can check out the latest issue of the Radschool magazine by going to www.radschool.org.au, click on Magazines then follow the prompts to the latest volume.
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RAAF Amberley Museum
Remember to keep an eye on the website for updates on how the WRAAF collection is progressing at http://www.raafamberleyheritage.gov.au/women-in-the-air-force.aspx
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Health and Well-Being Officer
Maureen Stewart sends out birthday greetings and get well cards and regularly keeps in contact with members who are not faring too well. If you know someone who is not well, going or been to hospital or experienced a bereavement let Maureen know – morsy@optusnet.com.au
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Update Your Details
If you change your email or postal address or phone number PLEASE advise the Secretary ASAP – secretary@wraaf.org.au
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Important Email addresses
To contact our President, Treasurer or Secretary please use the following emails:
President@wraaf.org.au ; Treasurer@wraaf.org.au ; Secretary@wraaf.org.au
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Paying for functions, trips etc.
Payments for membership, functions, fees, clothing etc. can be made to the Treasurer at meetings or deposited (electronically or manually) into our Suncorp Account.
? Account Name: (WR) WRAAF Branch RAAFA Qld Div. BSB No. 484 799 Account No. 04107 1771
? Cheques made out to WRAAF Branch RAAFA Qld Div.
? Direct deposit – Put name on bottom of deposit slip, include reason – fees, functions etc. & contact Truus Perry – see below – notifying her you have made a deposit and what it is for.
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ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEES
Membership fees must reach our Treasurer in time to send form & fees to the RAAFA by mid-April. If not received by this time you become unfinancial and must rejoin RAAFA/WRAAF Branch on 1 July.
Full membership: $32.00 per year Associate membership/Newsletter Subscription: $12.00 per year
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WRAAF BRANCH BRISBANE
Newsletter – October to December 2015
Australian Flying Corps and Royal Australian Air Force Association Queensland Division
WRAAF Branch Newsletter –Oct to Dec 2015
Printed with the kind assistance of Councillor Bruce Casos, Division 4, ICC 12
YOUR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President: Carol McCool Phone: 0419 798 567 Email: president@wraaf.org.au
Deputy President: Pam Condie Email: pcondie@me.com.au
Secretary: Jan Noack Email: secretary@wraaf.org.au
Minute Secretary: Pam Condie Email: pcondie@me.com.au
Treasurer: Truus Perry Email: treasurer@wraaf.org.au
40 Sunnyside Road, Scarborough, Qld 4020
Assistant Treasurer: Jill Buckland Email: jillbuckland@bigpond.com *****
General Committee Members: Jill Buckland, Gillian Shepherd, Eunice Smith, Margaret Humphries
Please contact an Executive Committee member at any time if you have a question or query
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Please forward any items of interest for publication in the newsletter to secretary@wraaf.org.au with the subject heading “Newsletter”.
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The WRAAF Website is www.wraaf.org.au
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