2019 RAAF History & Heritage Publishing Symposium.

[colford]

The Royal Australian Air Force History & Heritage Branch will be holding their first History & Heritage Publishing Symposium at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra on 10-12 July 2019.

To quote from their information released most recently:

Description

The 2019 Air Force History and Heritage Publishing Symposium will enable the Air Force History and Heritage Branch to engage with the broader community interested in the Air Force history with a view to:

- providing an insight into the roles and responsibilities of the Branch, in particular its Directorate of History Services and the Air Force Historian
- enabling networking opportunities between the Branch, writers, researchers, historians, publishers and other interested stakeholders
- establishing a forecast of publications on Air Force history that warrant further attention, research and publishing, be that within Air Force or the broader community.

The symposium will be of interest to:

Historians and authors researching Air Force history
Publishers of Air Force history publications
Staff from the history and social sciences departments of interested universities
Writers, editors and publishers of magazines on Australian aviation and air force history
Members of the Air Force and other Defence Services
Representatives from National Archives of Australia, National Library of Australia, Australian War Memorial
Representatives from interested Air Force associations

End quote.

This symposium has particular importance with the Centenary of the RAAF in 2021, so they are looking at what publications might be timed to coincide with this major milestone in RAAF History, and also to more broadly discuss what the RAAF History & Heritage Branch is thinking in terms of their output and activities for 2021. To some degree they are trying guage interest in areas of RAAF History & Heritage that may warrant new research and publications to co-incide with the Centenary, whether they do it in-house or assist in some way other interested parties getting RAAF histories to publication. This may even extend to updated and enhanced editions of previous histories or published works to incorporate new material or expanded timelines. They are also looking more broadly at what may constitute "publishing", so electronic media, documentaries, etc.

They are looking to include around the symposium a couple of side activities, potentially an evening event in the ANZAC Hall at the AWM in the shadow of Lancaster G for George; a visit to the AWM Mitchell Annex; and possibly one-on-one sessions with some key people from the RAAF History & Heritage Branch, AWM, Australian Archives and similar.

They have set up a registration page on Eventbrite.

www.eventbrite.com.au/e/2019-raaf-history-and-heritage-publishing-symposium-tickets-58634350922

I am aware already of a number of Australian aviation researchers, writers, illustrators, journalists and those with an interest in the subject planning to attend the symposium.

[colford]

It has been a couple of very interesting days attending the symposium. It was great to catch up face to face with Planecrazy who was also attending. A wide cross section of the Australian aviation history community, plus a couple of overseas visitors had the opportunity to meet, mix, discuss and pose questions with each other and the members of the RAAF History and Heritage Branch. Was good to hear about some of the publishing plans for the centenary of the RAAF in 2021 and hear a little bit about the events planned for the centenary. Australian International Airshow at Avalon in March 2021 and an airshow at RAAF Amberley in early October 2021 are going to be the biggest events, but a range of other events at various locations across Australia will ensure all parts of the country will see some aspects of the RAAF centenary.

The desire of the RAAF to engage with the aviation history community, amateurs, professionals and everyone in between is most heartening. I think for those interested in aviation history in Australia, the next few years are going to be exciting.

Had quite a few very interesting discussions with other participants, and a number of them are involved in a range of very interesting projects, research, publishing, aviation museums and progress on some very exciting warbird subjects.

Next symposium is planned for 2021.

[Dave Homewood]

Quite a few forum members seem to have been there.

[mcmaster]

Thanks for the update from the Symposium Col. Although I should be slowing the years down I can't wait for 2021 to come around. If we can get a Mirage flying would make it even more special. 😀

[colford]

Mcmaster, I don't know about the possibility of a Miracle being made airworthy by then, but I am aware of two projects to try and get Fanta Cans back in the air, one with a definite 2021 deadline and a big 'R' on the tail. One could always dream about a Mirage returning to the skies, they used to put on a good airshow performance.

[planecrazy]

A visit for a winter holiday coensided with the symposium, must thank Col for
posting about it, a very inspiring experience which was so well done by the
RAAF staff.

A highlight for this attendee being access to the Australian War Memorial’s
storage facility to see the items held there, a real treasure trove!

I don’t know the history of these items in some circumstances not real sure what a
lot of the below items actually are, so please feel free jump in if you can enlighten?
1/

2/

3/ A forest of props


4/ Japanese made reverse engineered Damiliar Benz inverted V12.


5/

6/ A couple of German self propelled missiles.


7/

8/ German guided bomb.


9/ This bomb labled largest bomb used by the Germans in WWII.


10/ Interested if anyone could shead some light on firstly who this bomb was
made by and what the attachement on the nose is for, almost looks like it can
be folded to one side?


More soon...........

[Dave Homewood]

It is an amazing place there, eh!

[planecrazy]

Yes an amazing place, the facility consists of three large buildings, being storage
there are different eras in all of these buildings
10/

11/

12/

13/

14/ This Caribou the first aeroplane to land on Lord Howe Island’s then incomplete
runway in 1974, served the RAAF for 45 years.


Off topic, as in non aviation but hopefully of interest, Tanks.

15/

16/

17/

18/ Australian manufacture Sentur tank, from memory, one of around 80 built
powered by three, yes three V8 Caddilac engines!


19/ Vietnam era Aussie Centurion.


20/ She has some unique mods including cut up star pickets welded to the front
deck as mud scrapers for your boots!

[planecrazy]

The Australian War Memorial, it is believed holds the largest collection of WWI
artillery pieces in existence, too many to show here but literary a forest of guns!
21/

22/ This is a replacement barrel and it’s carriage for the above piece.


23/

24/

25/

26/ A boat and bike.


27/

28/

29/ Special Forces Landie.


30/ Special Forces six wheeler.


32/ Sobering one to finish with, damaged Australian built Bushmaster, had a IED
blow up underneath her, credit to the design, thankfully only one crew member
with minor injuries.

[nuuumannn]

Lovely pictures, Planecrazy, really good to see. I'll add what I can regards to detail.

1/ Deperdussin fuselage, one of the first Australian service aircraft, used for taxiing training at Point Cook.

2/ Le Rhone 9J rotary radial, or possibly Oberursel UR 2, which was a copy of the 9J; both looked the same.

4/ Kawasaki Ha40, powered the Ki 61 fighter.

6/ Messerschmitt Enzian surface-to-air missile.

7/ Hs 293 air-to-surface missile.

8/ Fritz X air-to-surface missile.

9/ SB2500 2,500kg (5,500lb) armour piercing bomb, similar to SC2500 only with steel casing.

10/ Not the faintest idea, it might not be a bomb at all. The tail casing behind is German, but not sure which, possibly SC1800?

10/ Aussie Beaufort.

11/ Fairey Firefly.

12/ Bottom is Pilatus Porter, top is Ki-57 Topsy Japanese transport.

13/ Aussie Canberra.

15/ Renault FT-17.

16/ Type 94 tankette.

17/ Matilda.

Can't help with the field guns, sorry.

[planecrazy]

Wow thanks for all that detail great stuff and very interesting, you didn't even miss a beat with my two 10s!

[exkiwiforces]

Pic 21-22 are WW1 German heavy’s
Pic 23, looks like a WW1 German Howitzer or a possible WW1 French 75mm Gun? But will need to see the breech to confirm
Pic 24, is a WW2 Jap Mountain gun
Pic 25, is a WW2 German Pak 37 Anti Tank Gun

The Bushmaster has a 100% survival rate compared to all other MRAP vehicles that serve in The Ghan and Iraq. I had one of my ex troops who transfer over to the RAAC who was blown up twice in one day and still survived on a bullshit political operation prior to the drawdown of the Australian Combat Forces in the Ghan. The first incident happened about 1-2kms from the FOB ( Forward Operation Base) they were operating from, where the vehicle he was driving hit an IED and which it the rescue/ recovery crews about 2-3 hrs to extract him from his bushie as the front window weighs a couple of ton. Once the rescue/ recovery crews pull him at of that vehicle and then stabilise him due to his injuries. The rescue/ recovery crew place him on the top litter of the Ambo version of the Bushmaster to send him back to the FOB. On the return trip about 600- 800m’s short of the FOB the Ambo hit another undetected IED, where the force of the explosion meant he hit the roof of the Bushie with an all mighty force cause more injuries as the stupid medic’s didn’t strap him as per the TTP’s (SOP’s in old money) as they were only 1-2km’s from the FOB where they have just come from.

[exkiwiforces]

Just another thing, I’m told that the AWM may have one of our (2AFDS) 110 Landrover Gun Buggie from East Timor from INTERFET hiding at the AWM Annex or it maybe at the RAAF Museum Pt Cook?

[Mustang51]

Beaufort is nice but what a pity they scrapped the real "Scotty's Homing Pidgeon" - one of highest mission bombers in S W Pacific because of some 'alleged" corrosion as well as Betty, Sally and others.......