Frequent
flyers
Two
RAN aviators reached a milestone in their careers recently while
serving in HMAS Newcastle
(CAPT Trevor Jones) during Operation Catalyst.
LEUT John Raffin, Seahawk Pilot and LEUT Marcus Baxter, Seahawk
TACCO (tactician) each clocked up 1000 military flying hours during
their time in the Northern Persian Gulf.
Eagle
turns 50
February
16 marked the 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the Australian-American
Memorial in Canberra.
Affectionately known as “The Eagle” the monument was
opened by Her Majesty the Queen on February 16, 1954.
It was designed to express the deep gratitude felt by Australians
to American service personnel for their assistance to Australia
during the War in the Pacific from 1941-1945.
Health
review
A
review of the Defence Health Service (DHS) is being conducted
to evaluate whether its existing capabilities are able to meet
Defence’s needs in the short to medium term.
Major General JP Stevens (ret’d) is conducting the review,
scheduled for completion by March 31, 2004.
Director General DHS Air Commodore Tony Austin said CDF initiated
the review to establish how the changes over the past 10 years
or so to the DHS had impacted on support to the ADF.
Parko
wins
Able
Seaman Marine Technician Michael ‘Parko’ Parkinson of
HMAS Parramatta (CMDR Michael Noonan) became the inaugural winner
of the Parramatta Shield in a ceremony held at sea on the eve
of Parramatta’s work-up in the WAXA.
In addition to the award, AB Parkinson also received a Commanding
Officer’s commendation.
The Parramatta Shield is awarded to the member of ship’s
company who has contributed the most to the ship. The award is
decided by a vote conducted by the ship’s company.
Briefs
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