By
Dr Chris Clark
AFTER
receiving the report of a comprehesive review of the Air Force’s
annual heritage awards carried out in late 2003, Deputy Chief
of Air Force has decided to launch a revised scheme in August
2005.
In the meantime, the awards competition will be held one more
year on the basis of previous arrangements. Entry forms will be
available shortly.
Because the heritage awards had been held since 1987 and were
showing signs of age, including a problem of attracting sufficient
entries for the photography category, a review was considered
necessary to ensure the scheme achieved its stated aim of enhancing
Air Force records and fostering and encouraging interest in Air
Force history and heritage.
Under the new scheme, photography will move to a separate competition.
Entries in the art and literature categories will continue to
compete for increased prize money, but be joined by a new grants
component designed to assist people seeking funding support for
innovative projects that further Air Force heritage in some significant
way.
The new scheme will become a biennial competition, with winners
announced in conjunction with the regular Air Force history conferences
held every two years. Provisions and conditions of entry for the
new scheme, which will be administered from the newly-formed Office
of Air Force History, will be finalised over the next nine months.
Inquiries marked “heritage awards” should be posted
to the Air Power Development Centre, Level 3, 205 Anketell Street,
Tuggeranong, ACT, 2900 or emailed to airpower@defence.gov.au.
