RAAF's culture on show

Defence artist Jeff Issacs stands with his work Opening at Parliament House 9 May 1927.

The Royal Australian Air Force boasts a culture rich in community, humanity and diversity; these strengths are highlighted in the Fairbairn exhibition commemorating 60 years of service to the RAAF and Canberra region.

On the evening of 30 November, Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Angus Houston officially opened the Time and Place display housed at the Canberra Museum and Gallery.

The Gallery, adjacent to Canberra Theatre, provides a crisp and modern setting to juxtapose the historical context of Time and Place.

Time and Place has continuity in its storytelling. 'It demonstrates the links between civilian and military life in Canberra, profiling the contribution that serving members and their families have made to the local community.'

Members associated with the Base have loaned many of the exhibits. Some of these works include smaller items of personal value: medals, a ceremonial sword and the first envelope postmarked RAAF Fairbairn on 19 September 1941.

The work of Defence artist Jeff Isaacs also features in the exhibition, including Opening at Parliament House 9 May 1927, which has hung in the Officer's Mess since 1988.

Other pieces in the exhibition include blue prints for the 1927 RAAF camp at the Queanbeyan and Majura Roads junction; the helicopter rotor blade that has taken pride of place in the Sergeants' Mess; and aerial photography that captures a 60-year period of growth for RAAF Fairbairn.

The Base was named in honour of James Valentine Fairbairn, Australia's first Minister for Air and Civil Aviation (1939). A WW I pilot, Fairbairn was shot down and captured by German forces.

On return, he pursued an active public life and entered Federal Parliament in 1934. His reputation in civil aviation was acknowledged with the launch of the Empire Air Training Scheme. Fairbairn perished when the Lockheed Hudson in which he and other dignitaries were travelling crashed. Snippets of history such as these breathe life into what would otherwise be a collection of memorabilia.

Long retired Bruce Townsend, posted to Fairbairn, 1952, commented, 'People forget; when it's happening you tend to get caught in the moment.' Many ex-servicemen and women who perused the displays and expressed delight at their direct connection, reiterated the sentiment.

As to the sentiments of the harried project manager and curator; Jane Hingston was tired but thrilled, with an exhibition that is all to her credit.

Time and Place will continue at the Canberra Museum and Gallery until 24 February. The associated commemorative book will be launched later in 2002. The book will expand on exhibition themes, providing more detail and additional reflections on the RAAF Fairbairn story.

Story and photograph by Amber McKinnon