ABOUT US: A BRIEF HISTORY
The event officially accepted by the RAAF Association (RAAFA) as marking its commencement was a gathering in Melbourne outside St. Paul’s Cathedral. Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith and their crew had just completed the epoch-making first flight from England to Australia on 10 December 1919. Mr H.V. Leckie, a former member of the Australian Flying Corps (AFC), then living in Melbourne, believed that he and his fellow airmen should welcome the Smiths in a proper way fitting their achievements and to establish a lasting organisation to keep the ex-AFC members together.
Accordingly, Mr Leckie placed an advertisement in the paper asking the former members of the AFC, interested in forming an association, to meet him outside St. Paul’s Cathedral at a nominated time. Many of his former comrades turned up, including Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams who had been one of the first four Australians to fly Military Aircraft and had commanded No. 1 Squadron, AFC, during World War I. He was to play an outstandingly important part in the subsequent history of the yet to be formed Royal Australian Air Force.
As a result of this informal get-together, a dinner was arranged at which the AFC members entertained the Smiths and their crew. Following the dinner, attendees agreed to form the AFC Association in Victoria. Similar AFC Associations were established over the following months in the other States.
Throughout the subsequent inter-war years, the AFC Associations were linked with the aim of keeping the former members of the AFC together, through reunions and similar functions. In addition, the Associations assisted by raising funds to look after those of their members who needed assistance.
Following the formation of the Royal Australian Air Force the name Air Force Association was adopted along with a National Structure; comprising a Federal (later National) Council and State Divisions (made up of various Branches either locatlity based or unit orientated).
In 1991, the Association was renamed the Royal Australian Air Force Association (RAAFA).
To maintain relevance to the Air Force’s own branding, the Division in 2009 agreed to adopt the style “Air Force Association Victoria” for every day use while retaining the legal name for official purposes.