Fleet Air Arm
Association of Australia
FAAAA Christmas Hampers
19 December 2003
In 2001, the Fleet Air Arm Association decided to provide gift hampers to RAN naval aviation men and women who would be on operations overseas at Christmas.
An appeal was made to a number of companies and government departments, and the response was most encouraging.
Donations were received from David Jones, Coles, Arnotts Biscuits, Woolworths, Lightstorm Photography, the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Australian War Memorial, the Royal Australian Navy and HMAS Albatross.
The FAAAA provided specially-printed T-shirts and water bottles. A hamper packing morning was held at the Museum of Flight on 10 December 2001, with the operation attended by the Minister of Veterans' Affairs, Mrs Danna Vale MP.
The response from the overseas recipients was excellent, and the decision was taken to repeat the project in 2002.
Once again the companies approached were very generous with their donations of goods, and the hampers were packed with all sorts of "goodies" and dispatched to the embarked Flights.
In 2003, one Flight is on active service overseas - aircrew on HMAS Melbourne are on Gulf operations in the Middle East.
Members of the FAAAA and HMAS Albatross joined at the Museum of Flight on 5 December 2003 to put together the donations which made up this year's package.
Donations were received this year from David Jones, Arnotts Biscuits, Woolworths, Department of Defence (Navy), Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Australian War Memorial and Lightstorm Photography of Nowra.
On initially carrying out a project, it is referred to as "an event". The second time it becomes "a fixture", and the third time it becomes a "tradition".
See also:
Pictures from 2002; and
Pictures from 2001; or
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