 | Fleet Air Arm |
| Fleet Air Arm |
Theo Bushe-Jones, life member and inaugural president of the Association, describes the beginnings of the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia -
In the 1960s and 70s, a group of ex-birdies would meet annually at the Embassy Ballroom, Perth, Western Australia, for a naval ball.
A suggestion was put forward at the 1975 ball that as there was a large group of ex-birdies in the state, we should form our own association and bring everyone together for the good and welfare of each other's company.
It fell to me to contact as many ex-birdies as we could name and find their reaction to an association.
We found enough people to hold an informal meeting and it was decided to go ahead with the formation. A list of those who had served at the naval air station at Nowra and aboard HMA Ships Sydney, Vengeance and Melbourne was produced.
I again went to the electoral rolls and obtained the addresses of all the persons put forward and this, along with a search of telephone directories, turned up the phone numbers, so a ring-around to all was undertaken.
A meeting was conducted with a good turn-out and it was decided to form our own association with membership to the Naval Association as a separate sub-branch and the to the Air Force Association as a separate sub-branch, to encourage membership by all naval personnel who had served with the air branch of the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy.
A committee and office bearers were selected to work on getting a divisional reunion organised.
Admiral Sir Victor Smith AC KBE CB DSC was to be approached to see if he would be the patron. It was agreed that the association was to be called the Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia, with the view that we contact other states to form their own division and in the future, when all states came into the fold, that the federal body be transferred to Nowra as the air branch had started there.
An approach to the Air Force Association Club at Bull Creek to hold the reunion dinner at their premises met with their full approval and plans were set afoot.
Admiral VAT Smith was contacted and asked if he would be our patron and if he would attend our reunion dinner as we were able to obtain air fares and accommodation.
On arrival at Perth airport, Admiral Smith was met by the elected members and an interview was conducted by the press.
The dinner was a roaring success and VAT Smith's speech went over well. The place was packed to the rafters and the Air Force Association could not get over the amount of booze consumed. I doubt that it was ever beaten.
Our first recorded general meeting was on 17 February 1977. Meetings were held at Bull Creek until there was a lot of infighting within the Air Force and we parted company.
Hilton Devereux took on the task of having the association incorporated and did an excellent job with his connections at Crown Law.
By this time contact had been made with similar persons in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.
George Smith went to South Australia to talk with that group and I spoke with Clem Conlan and the Victorian group. Both groups found the idea of a united FAAA of Australia to be a good one and the divisions were formed and given their certificates.
Along with Geoff Vickridge, John Green, George Smith and Ron Tate we were able to obtain a flight courtesy of the RAAF - a Hercules to Williamtown and thence to Nowra by Caribou. There we met up with Juke Matterson.
A meeting of representatives from the officer association, Brian McKeon and Warrick Robinson, along with Mike Thorn, Geoff Vickridge, John Green, Ron Tate, George Smith and I from Western Australia was held, where it was decided to form a New South Wales division incorporating both the officers association and all ranks. This was in 1986. We attended a dinner at Bombaderry RSL with VAT Smith.
New South Wales was granted its charter on the 11 April 1989.
At the Fleet Air Arm's 50th anniversary in 1998, it was decided that as we had become a national organisation that the national body should be at Nowra where Australian naval aviation had begun.
All monies held in the national name and all paper work, registration and membership cards were transferred to Nowra.
From this, the association has grown with the ACT, Tasmania and Queensland also forming their own divisions.
Theo Bushe-Jones, Association Life Member.
Theo Bushe-Jones, Stan Brown, Tom Bennet, Ted Boyd
B. Cusack
Bryan Dunne, Ted Davis, Bill Dunlop, Hilton Deveraux
Ray Edwards, Darrell Evans
Bill Gault, Ted Gruscott
Des Harvey, Peter Hill, Ross Hewitt, Snow Hall, Ron Hayes, Jim Hawkins
Alex Jenkins
Jim King, Les Kitson
Tom Mitchell, Don Miller, Gregor McQuie
Bob Pattenden, L. Phillips
Jack Suriano, Kerry Sojan, Eddie Shackelton, Syd Salt, Bob Stewart, John Selsmark
Ron Tate, Rod Turpin, Keith W. Taylor
Barry Walden, Brian Worthington, Fred Woodward
Naval Association - Jack Skinner, E. Green, P. Johnson, Vic Gibson, Pat Dingham, Bob Hobbs, George V. Smith
Air Force Association - Geoff Harris, Les Gordon, Meg Olive, K McCaul, Tom Manning
Patron Admiral Sir V. A. T. Smith AC KBE CB DSC
Members in attendence -
Theo Bushe-Jones (President), Pappy Gault (Vice President), Des Harvey (Junior Vice President),
Tom Mitchell (Treasurer), Keith W. Taylor (Secretary), Jack Suriano (Publicity Officer), Jim Hawkins (Committee), Bob Pattenden (Committee), Bill Dunlop (Committee)
Colin Bushe-Jones, Ted Boyd, Stan Brown, Kevin Baxter, Tom Bennett
Ron Cole, Stan Corboy, Jim Caldwell, Terry Coleman, Arthur Cook
Brian Dunne, Ted Davis, Jack Duperouzal, Barrie Dunbar, Alfie Diver, Ken Duncan, Hilton Devereaux, Bruce Dyer
Daryl Evans
Kevin Foley, John Fletcher
Ken Gay, Chris Green
Gabby Hayes, Alan Hill, Snow Hall, Lionel Harris, Peter Hill, Keith Harris, Ross Hewitt, Don Hall, Les Hodgson
Brian Jost
Jim King, Les Kitson
Bob Manners, Keith Murdoch, Don Miller, Eric McKenzie
Mike Perkins, Graeme Price, Bruce Proud
Terry Rumens, Henry Russell
Kerry Sojan, John Selsmark, Eddy Shackelton
Rod Turpin, Ted Truscott, Ron Tate, Keith T. Taylor, Eddy Taylor
Fred Woodward, Alan White, Bon Wood, Brian Worthington
See also:
About the FAAAA
Fleet Air Arm History