By
FLTLT John Hacking
AFTER
22 years of service, Squadron Leader Geoff Jackson, Commanding
Officer of No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron, has left the Permanent
Air Force and handed over command of 23SQN to Squadron Leader
Randall Wright.
During a handover ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley, SQNLDR Jackson
said that being CO of 23SQN was the highlight of his long and
varied Service career.
Joining the Air Force as a military dog handler in 1982, he was
commissioned in 1984 and became a C-130 Hercules navigator with
No. 37 Squadron.
In addition to his flying duties, he also showed an aptitude for
languages, completing Thai and Japanese language training at the
ADF School of Languages.
His dedication was rewarded with a two-year posting to the Australian
Defence Staff Office in Seoul, Korea.
In November 2000, he was appointed CO of 23SQN.
Reflecting on his time commanding the squadron, he said one of
the things that remained most in his memory was the squadron’s
response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World
Trade Centre.
“Within three hours of the request for help from the base
commander, 23SQN managed to amass over 50 members ready and willing
to make a contribution to base security,” SQNLDR Jackson
said.
“This contribution lasted for several weeks with members
juggling their civilian employment and family commitments in order
to provide support to the base.”
One of the most important initiatives that SQNLDR Jackson instituted
during his tenure at 23SQN was Exercise Dauntless, a yearly deployment
to a forward operating base in a tactical environment.
“What we are building at 23SQN is a balanced expeditionary
capability that can support the permanent Air Force,” he
said.
“Exercise Dauntless allows us to practise our broad range
of skills in a realistic environment.”
After handing over 23SQN to SQNLDR Wright, SQNLDR Jackson, his
wife Mary and their three sons are moving to a custard-apple farm
near Lismore in northern NSW.
He will forge a new career combining farming, life coaching and
work with the Reserves.
Bid
for continuous service
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Squadron
Leader Geoff Jackson inspects members of 23SQN during the
handover ceremony at RAAF Base Amberley.
Photo by WOFF Bob Marsh
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BIDS
for Continuous Full Time Service (CFTS) for Reserves are being
called.
This will cover the period following operational standby in early
2004 until the end of the financial year.
Air Force is in the excellent position of having very good retention
and recruitment. The downside of this is that there is less scope
for CFTS.
It is even more important, therefore, to ensure the highest priority
bids are satisfied.
Bids are considered twice yearly for all applications for CFTS.
Personnel wishing to be considered for CFTS should ensure they
have a current medical and have identified a suitable vacant PAF
position. They should submit their applications through their
chain of command to Command Headquarters for comments and allocation
of a priority.
Those
who are interested in bidding are encouraged to begin their applications
early.
Reserve
transfers take note
PERSONNEL
transferring from the Permanent Air Force or one element of the
Reserves to another should be aware that an approval to transfer
does not constitute approval to begin work.
Similarly, there is no compulsion on the delegate to backdate
applications for transfer where someone has commenced working
prematurely.
Personnel wishing to work as a Reservist should ensure timely
and correctly completed submission of their application and ensure
all approvals have been granted before beginning work.
Personnel can work as Standby Reserve, Reserve Staff Group, Active
Reserve and Specialist Reserve.
