Air Force Association (Victorian Division)

FOUNDATION

PURPOSE

On the 19th March 1986 the RAAF Association constituted the RAAF Association Foundation.
The Association already had a Welfare Patriotic fund however this fund was restricted to provide welfare and support only to Veterans who had qualifying service under the Commonwealth Veterans Act.
The Foundation was constituted to support all past, present and future serving members of the Australian Defence Force.

PRESENT ACTIVITIES

RAAF LEADERSHIP AWARDS

To encourage and recognise outstanding leadership of a Junior Officer and a Non Commissioned Officer serving in Victoria, the Foundation, since 1991 has, in partnership with the Senior RAAF Officer in Victoria, annually awarded two leadership awards.

Australian Flying Corp Memorial Sword: awarded to a Junior Officer. The winner is presented with the Australian Flying Corps Sword and is entitled to hold and wear the Sword for the ensuing 12 months. The winner is also presented with a memento of the award to retain permanently.
Flight Sergeant Middleton VC Trophy: awarded to a Non Commissioned Officer. The winner is presented with the Flight Sergeant Middleton VC Trophy and is entitled to display the Trophy in the appropriate Mess or on-base Club for the ensuing 12 months. The winner is also presented with a memento of the award to retain permanently.

Recommendations for each award are submitted to the Air Force Association for final selection by a panel of former RAAF members selected by the Chairman of the Foundation. Candidates short-listed for selection are interviewed by the panel.
Following announcement of the awards, the presentations are, wherever possible, made by the Foundation Chairman to the awardees at a formal ceremony at their assigned Base

The 2008 awardees were:

Australian Flying Corp Memorial Sword: Flight Lieutenant Cameron Douglas – Surveillance Response Group Melbourne
Flight Sergeant Middleton VC Trophy: Sergeant Duncan Clarysse – Officers Training School East Sale

AIRCDRE Bill Belton AM (Retd), Foundation Chairman, Peter Colliver, Association President, with FLTLT Cameron Douglas after the 2008 presentationAIRCDRE Belton, with 2007 awardee CPL (on promotion to SGT) Steve Meyer of Combat Support Unit East Sale, Peter Colliver and Panel Member Richard Orr

FLYING SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG AUSTRALIANS

The Foundation and the Royal Victorian Aero Club (RVAC) together with the proud sponsor Mobil Aviation, are jointly encouraging young Australians to take up careers or long term recreational participation in aviation.

The Foundation has supported the Flying scholarship now for 11 years and has seen many young Australians gain their pilot license. While some are now well into their flying careers others are enjoying the freedom and enjoyment that recreational flight provides.

The scholarship is administered by a Joint Committee. The successful applicants are selected by a panel nominated by the Joint Committee.

The Scholarship Fund provides pilot training sufficient to undertake the General Flying Progress Flight Test (a minimum of 20 hours flight time) for three young Australians. The flying and associated training is conducted by undertaken at the RVAC.

For more detail go to: http://www.rvac.com.au/flying-scholarships

Three 2009 Scholarships were presented to the winners at a RVAC “Dawn Patrol” commemoration of the Battle of Britain held at the RVAC Facility at Moorabbin Airport on 9 September 2009. In his address, Bill Belton AM, RAAFA Foundation Chairman, said:

“Thank you to the RVAC Dawn Patrol Committee to again enable the Mobil Aviation Scholarship Awards to be included in this Breakfast event. This Scholarship for young Australians, initiated by members of the RVAC and the Air Force Association in Victoria, continues to be administered by a Joint Committee of both organisations.

The purpose of the Scholarship is to provide opportunity for young Australians, resident in Victoria, to achieve a start into aviation, that they may not otherwise be able to achieve. The Scholarship commemorates the contribution that young Australian aircrew have made in the defence and in the development of our nation, and it seeks to recognise the spirit, determination and values shown by these young aircrew.

Our expectation is that the Scholarship winners will have a focused passion for flying, building on knowledge achieved by their own efforts. We expect that the start we are providing will be continued through their efforts into commercial or military aviation careers or into dedicated recreational flyers. Since 1999, 21 young Australians have been given the opportunity to achieve flight training to the GFT Stage.

These Scholarships, each valued at about $6,500, are financially achieved through the generous support of our principal sponsor Mobil Aviation, together with contributions from The 460 Bomber Sqn Scholarship Trust, RVAC, Air Force Association’s Vic Div Foundation, Skyline Pilots Shop and Dr Greg Ellis.

The Scholarship process this year was achieved through the efforts of the Joint RVAC/RAAFA Committee, interviewers and advisers, including: John Chew, John McCrystal, Terry Boocock, Ron Tayles, Yogendra Kumar, Kerin Greenwood, John Baker, Paul Canavan and Nic Hope. For our eleventh year of the Scholarships, again all eligible applicants were interviewed to select finalists. Six finalists were interviewed earlier this month. The Panel Chair, Ron Tayles advised that he is very happy with the candidates selected this year and will watch with great interest as they progress at RVAC with their training. Three were selected for award today, with their scholarship to be undertaken at RVAC.

Before we introduce the Scholarship winners for this year, we wish to recognise the effort by John Baker who managed the Scholarship from 2000 to last year, through the significant development stage of the Scholarship. John’s characteristic discipline and his enthusiasm across the spectrum of aviation activities significantly contributed to the success of the Scholarship. Please join me in thanking John for his Chairmanship of the Scholarship.

Early this year the Scholarship Committee invited John Chew, a most experienced aviation practitioner and known to many, to Chair the Scholarship Committee. Thanks John.

The last of the updates is the commitment by RVAC and Air Force Association Victoria to continue the Joint Scholarship program. Stuart Rushton and I will sign a Cooperation Agreement at the conclusion of this Breakfast.

Now to the Scholarship winners for this year and the awards!”

The 2009 Scholarship winners are:

Dara Sanna from Canterbury Girls’ Secondary College,
Graham Bell from Viewbank College, and
Robin Haywood from University High School.

pictured here between Bill Belton (left), Yogendra Kumar of Mobil Aviation (centre) and John Chew (right) after receiving their awards. Also in the photo (on the immediate right of John Chew) is Ryan Murphy who received an Encouragement Award.

AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION VIETNAM VETERANS BURSARY

In 2009 the Foundation, together with the RAAF Vietnam Veterans Association (Vic) and the Vietnam and Associated Veterans Sub-Branch, instituted an annual bursary to provide financial assistance to direct relatives of Vietnam and later veterans seeking to progress their recognised vocation training. The Bursary will be administered on behalf of the Foundation by the RAAF Vietnam Veterans Association (RAAFVVA). The awards are expected to be announced in early 2010.

Applicants will be identified from those starting Year 11 High School studies, 1st Year University or an equivalent recognised TAFE or vocational training course. While academic merit will be a consideration, applicants needing financial assistance will be a priority.

The Bursaries will be presented at a joint RAAFA and RAAFVVA ceremony in February.

AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION VIETNAM VETERANS BURSARY

2010 Bursary Recipients

The Chairman RAAF Association (Vic) Foundation, Bill Belton AM, and the President of the RAAF Vietnam Veterans Association (Vic), Nick LeRay-Meyer AM, are pleased to announce that the successful Air Force Association Vietnam Veterans Bursary Recipients for 2010 are:

Ms Nadine Reichardt
undergraduate Bachelor of Arts/Law – Monash University;
Ms Meaghan Barrow
undergraduate Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience – Latrobe University; and
Ms Bronte Hudnott
undergraduate Bachelor of Music Performance – Victorian College of Arts.

In confirming the Selection Committee recommendations, of special note was the number of applicants in this the first year of the Bursary as well as their enthusiasm and commitment to achieve higher educational goals. Several applicants also demonstrated involvement in local and regional community activities; personal attributes that augurs well for the future.

The Bursary’s will be presented at a ceremony to be held at 2.00pm on Sunday 14th February 2010 at “The Victorian Air Forces’ Centre”, 24-36 Camberwell Road, East Hawthorn.

The two Associations thank all applicants and extend to the 2010 recipients our sincere congratulations.