CAF goes over the edge

By David Sibley

* CAF Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd took the plunge during a recent visit to RAAF Base Wagga, abseiling from the water tower with the help of base PTIs.

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Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd enjoys the view on the way down.

CAF before and after the tower jump.

CAF before and after the tower jump.

Photos by LACW Christine Williams

AIR Force’s senior leaders don’t know it yet but they will be following Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd over the edge.

In this case, the edge happens to be the top of the water tower at RAAF Base Wagga – for which you need an abseiling rope to drop 50m.

Air Marshal Shepherd made good his promise to the base physical training instructors (PTIs), by abseiling off the water tower on October 27 during his latest visit to review the RAAF School of Technical Training’s parade for graduating avionics and aircraft technicians.

In late July, during his first visit to RAAF Base Wagga as Chief, he had witnessed a tower jump by the base PTIs and decided if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for him.

The lack of any abseiling experience did not deter the Chief.

After a short but thorough training session with senior PTI Flight Sergeant Lou Debono, Air Marshal Shepherd hooked on to his rope and stepped off, accompanied by the base Warrant Officer Disciplinary, Warrant Officer Cal Lippiatt, and Warrant Officer Allan Denning from the School of Postgraduate Studies.

Base PTIs Corporals Ben Angliss, Lee Taylor and Geoff Hanckel kept a watchful eye as he descended.

The Chief said that, as he went over the edge, he was concentrating deeply on “not stuffing up in front of the Wagga team, my ADC, Flight Lieutenant Lauretta Webster, and my Strategic Communications Adviser, Caroline Chalker”.

On reaching the bottom, he felt two emotions – elation and then despair.

“I realised that in order to have a second go, which I did, I would have to climb all the way up those stairs again,” he said.

Air Marshal Shepherd said in terms of fear, abseiling down the water tower was not as frightening as “missing my wife’s birthday”.

He agreed that abseiling should be compulsory for all officers of star rank in the Air Force.

“Just wait until the Senior Leadership Team visit Wagga on November 30 and December 1,” he said.

The Chief said he would not be challenging Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief of Navy Vice-Admiral Russ Shalders or Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Peter Leahy to take the Wagga water tower challenge.

“I want to keep all the glory as the most senior ADF officer ever to have done it,” he said.

To acknowledge his first abseil, he received a certificate commemorating the tower jump.

Before he took the plunge, Air Marshal Shepherd reviewed the graduation parade for 9/04 Avionics Technician and 12/04 Aircraft Technicians.

During the parade, the Chief presented Leading Seaman Steven Davison with the RAAF School of Technical Training Commanding Officer’s award and Seaman Tracey Knight with the Dux award, after she achieved an outstanding aggregate mark of 88.77 per cent.

He said the graduates should be extremely proud of their achievements and acknowledged the efforts of the military instructors, the trainers from the National Aerospace Training Centre of Excellence and base support staff.

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