A Privilege.
A Privilege. I have written books in the past but when I was approached by the Air Force to write about RAAF operations in the Korean War, it was an absolute privilege. My involvement with the subject dates back to my childhood when veterans of …
One Year On.
One Year On. It’s both difficult to believe and somewhat unpleasant to recall that one year ago I was on the operating table undergoing major surgery. Now I am back training to fly once again. As I reflect upon the past 12 months, I prefer …
Treasured Memories in our Midst.
Treasured Memories in our Midst. The airfield has all but gone to bed. The drone of a lone aircraft flying circuits by night comes and goes, occasionally interrupting its own rhythm with a loud surge of power as it seeks to become airborne once again. …
Lest We Forget.
Lest We Forget. Another Remembrance Day has passed and another set of memories has been stirred. Memories of lined, leathery faces, now gone, who had entered the fray as young men and lived to return. My father’s brothers-in-arms. Their faded tales emerge from the mist …
Road to Nowhere.
“I’m on a road to nowhere” was a line famously made famous by Talking Heads in 1985. Eight years later, I felt that I was on a road to nowhere as I sat in a small clearing on the Great Dividing Range, south of Katoomba. …
One Year On.
At the time that I last parked the brakes on my Boeing 737, there were two things to which I was oblivious. Firstly, that it was the last time that I’d park the brakes. And secondly, it was Halloween. In retrospect, the time of …
US Air Medal – Five Years On.
US Air Medal – Five Years On. Even five years on, I find it difficult to believe. Having pursued so many dead ends, that the award of the US Air Medal should take place in 2018 after so many years of research was a landmark …
Stairs and Elevators.
Stairs and Elevators. I’ve often perceived personal progress as the comparison between stairs and elevators. Sometimes it’s a laborious climb and sometimes a quick, quiet rise. Which method you employ can be beyond your control, dependent upon the whims of luck, timing and even …
You’ll Never Know About the One that Kills You.
“If I felt or heard a thump, I knew I was still alive. I figured I’d never know about the one that killed me.” This is a quote of my father’s that now adorns a wall within the Australian War Memorial. As I reflected …
The Old Blokes in the Corner.
The Old Blokes in the Corner. I was fortunate in that the era in which I learnt to fly was populated by mentors with a wealth of experience. Back then, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) went through a series of name changes from the …
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