RSL Liaison Officers

RAAF Amberley Base Excursion

 

RSL Liaison Officers Hannah Slade and Jorja Wallace were both fortunate to travel to the Amberley RAAF base on Thursday 29 April, along with students from Wavell SHS, Kedron SHS, Craigslea SHS, and Padua College.  The following report is a recount of the day by Hannah and Jorja.

 

We started our day catching the two Kedron Wavell Services Club minibuses, which meant we rode in style.  Once we arrived at the base, we were blown away by the size of the famous F-111, that was located at the entry to the base.  We then had to go through the security induction to gain access to the base.  After collecting our lanyards, we were dropped off at the Heritage Museum, where we learned a lot about the history of the RAAF and some of the planes and various air vehicles that were present in the wars.  We also raided the gift shop for badges, bears, key rings, and pencil sharpeners.  The next stop was the Restoration Hangar, where volunteers aged 60-92 could help rebuild various vehicles from previous wars - one was even made from an old chicken pen. 

Lunch was next at the Airmen's Mess, where we had huge plates of food served to us, whilst surrounded by all the servicemen and women on their lunch breaks.  To end the day, we drove around in our minibuses to see the accommodation, before being escorted out and handing our lanyards back to the directors.  We continued the tradition of getting a milkshake back at the RSL when we returned. 

 

We thank the Kedron Wavell RSL for sending us on this excursion, and are so honoured to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.