Lifting
the bar
Eighty
years since RAAF Base Richmond became home of the first Air Force
element in 1925, Michael Brooke looks at what has become one of
Australia’s busiest air bases.
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SGT
David Sheen, from the Richmond detachment of No. 1 Air Terminal
Squadron, loads rations for emergency humanitarian relief
in Indonesia into a No. 33 Squadron B-707.
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Photo
by LACW Christine Williams
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WHEN
the personnel of RAAF Base Richmond kick off the base’s 80th
anniversary celebrations later this year, they will also be celebrating
the world-class outcomes they have achieved in support of ADF
deployments around the globe.
RAAF Base Richmond, about 50km north-west of Sydney, has a long
and distinguished history, beginning 80 years ago when the first
Air Force element, No. 3 Squadron, was formed there in 1925.
During World War II, RAAF Base Richmond developed into a base
of major importance in Australia’s defence, and has since
evolved from a combat centre to become the
hub of Air Force transport and logistical support for ADF deployments.
The personnel of RAAF Base Richmond have been on high operational
tempo since the ADF deployed to East Timor in 1999 and have been
warned by the Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd,
to expect to continue working around the clock in support of operations
in the Middle East.
RAAF Base Richmond is home to Headquarters Air Lift Group and
associated units being No. 84 Wing (comprising Nos. 32, 33 and
34 Squadrons), No. 85 Wing (comprising No. 285 Squadron and Air
Movements Training and Development Unit) and No. 86 Wing (comprising
Nos. 36, 37 and 38 Squadrons).
Air Lift Group’s assets include C-130H and C-130J transport
aircraft, as well as B707-338C tankers and Caribous, which provided
vital air logistics support for ADF peace-keeping missions and
disaster relief operations around the world.
But it’s the dedication to duty of RAAF Base Richmond’s
2500 personnel that allows the base to operate at such a high
operational tempo and enables the Air Force to achieve world-class
outcomes in support of ADF deployments.
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