6 May 2024
In amongst the amusements, exhibits and agricultural exhibits, RAAF Base Richmond’s interactive Defence display piqued the interest of Hawkesbury Show attendees, both big and small.
Multiple squadrons and units came together to engage with the local community, with the display featuring a 37 Squadron C-130J Hercules engine, a 22 Squadron Stryker fire truck, 65 Squadron air base recovery dozer, backhoe and bushmaster, Air Mobility Training and Development Unit air drop cargo, and Army’s 5th Combat Engineer Regiment metal detection equipment.
Community Liaison Officer 22 Squadron, Wing Commander Michael Stuart-Watt, said the participation emphasised an integration of one of Defence’s greatest assets: its people.
“It was an opportunity for RAAF Base Richmond personnel to collaboratively demonstrate our capabilities,” Wing Commander Stuart-Watt said.
“Participation changes year to year, but it is always immensely satisfying seeing the truly joint effort come together.
“Having the added support of 3 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets, the Australian Army Band Sydney and the Lancer Band, Parramatta was a highlight.”
Dating back to 1879 when the Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association was first formed, the show has been held alongside RAAF Base Richmond since its establishment in 1925.
Despite recent flooding in the area, the show brought ‘the country to the city’, attracting about 65,000 people from April 19 to 21.
Wing Commander Stuart-Watt said the show was a key annual event in the base’s community engagement calendar.
“As the largest regional show in NSW, the Hawkesbury Show presents an opportune way to showcase Defence,” Wing Commander Stuart-Watt said.
“Members are able to chat with the public about how the base and its people contribute to the local community, and beyond that, to the nation.”
