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Katie Woolf spoke with Commanding Officer of RAAF Darwin, Wing Commander Andrew Anthony · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Three sixty with Katie Wolf Thanks to Joyce Main Darwin
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  Speaker 1: home Z owned Stuart Highway beerromote.
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  Speaker 2: The Royal Australian Air Force celebrates its one hundredth birthday today.
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  Speaker 2: Now there are quite a few activities organized in Canberra,
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  Speaker 2: as I understand it, but as we know, our presence
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  Speaker 2: here in Darwin and Catherine is also incredibly important and
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  Speaker 2: joining me in the studio to tell us more about
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  Speaker 2: the Air Force celebrating one hundred years. Commanding Officer of
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  Speaker 2: the RBAF base here in Darwin, Wing Commander Andrew Anthony,
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning Katie, thanks so much for having me.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you so much for joining us. I know that
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  Speaker 2: one hundred years, it's obviously an incredibly long time. Can
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  Speaker 2: you tell us a little bit more about the number
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  Speaker 2: of assies who've served in the Air Force and I
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  Speaker 2: guess a bit more about the work that you.
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  Speaker 1: Do most certainly, Katie.
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  Speaker 3: So we have three hundred and fifty thousand Australians who
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  Speaker 3: have served in the Air Force over the years. Air
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  Speaker 3: Force was initiated in nineteen twenty one, of course, was
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  Speaker 3: the Australian Air Force at the time. Then in August
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  Speaker 3: nineteen twenty one got its title as the Royal Australian
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  Speaker 3: Air Force.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I mean one hundred years. It's such a long time.
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  Speaker 2: And as I mentioned, you know, Darwin and Catherine, we've
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  Speaker 2: got quite a large presence.
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  Speaker 3: Here, don't we most certainly, and of course the importance
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  Speaker 3: of the location in terms of the Air Force bases here.
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  Speaker 3: Raft based Darwin is the only remaining Air Force base
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  Speaker 3: that has seen combat, and of course Raft based Tindall
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  Speaker 3: is played an important role the airfield did during the
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  Speaker 3: war before it was reinvigorated to become the base that
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  Speaker 3: it is today to house seventy five squadron.
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  Speaker 2: Now where do we currently have members deployed.
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  Speaker 3: We have members deployed around the world and locally, so
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  Speaker 3: we have members deployed in the Middle East, supporting the
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  Speaker 3: United Nations missions in Sudan and even supporting domestic operations
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  Speaker 3: so Operation Resolute, looking after our borders and keeping Australian safe.
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  Speaker 2: It's such important work and I think we all realize that.
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  Speaker 2: And then, you know, so often I suppose we maybe
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  Speaker 2: just get used to having such a large present here
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin that we forget, you know, just how important
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  Speaker 2: our location is as well. Here in the territory, particularly
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  Speaker 2: in the top end. But I think that there'd be
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people listening who probably don't know a
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  Speaker 2: huge amount about what you guys do really day to day.
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  Speaker 2: Can you sort of give us a bit of insight.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, most certainly so.
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  Speaker 3: Raft based Darwin its primary role is as a mounting base,
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  Speaker 3: so we reflect back on Operation Astute with these team
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  Speaker 3: or Darwin acted as the base where a lot of
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  Speaker 3: aircraft came through to support that effort to our north.
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  Speaker 3: We also host a lot of exercises as the community
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  Speaker 3: will be well aware, we do make a lot of noise,
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  Speaker 3: but we like to give back to the community in
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  Speaker 3: terms of providing information on where aircraft might be in
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  Speaker 3: when so that those aviation enthusiasts can get to see
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  Speaker 3: a little bit of the cool kit that we operate.
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  Speaker 2: I've got a lot of friends who just love seeing
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  Speaker 2: those amazing aircraft and I think it would be such
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  Speaker 2: a well, I don't know if caols the right word.
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  Speaker 2: It to be a day's job as well, but it's
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  Speaker 2: such an interesting job. I would imagine for you personally,
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  Speaker 2: where has it taken you? And you know, tell us
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  Speaker 2: a bit about I guess your work that you've done here.
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  Speaker 3: So I joined in the late nineteen nineties. Yep, it's
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  Speaker 3: nae time. Have done interesting a lot of work with
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  Speaker 3: the army. So a key to success in today's military
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  Speaker 3: is to work together with the three services. So I've
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  Speaker 3: done a lot of work with Army and we have
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  Speaker 3: a really close relationship with Army and Navy here in
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  Speaker 3: the North. The pinnacle of my career has really been
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  Speaker 3: the working with the largest aviation search in history, which
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  Speaker 3: was the search for MH three seventy off the Western
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  Speaker 3: Australian coast. But I've also deployed into the Middle East.
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  Speaker 3: I've been to Darwin a number of times before coming
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  Speaker 3: here on posting supporting Operation Resolute and also with regional
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  Speaker 3: activities so Operation Gateway doing maritime patrols within our region
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  Speaker 3: out of Malaysia. It's also been an important role that
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  Speaker 3: the force contributes to.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, I mean there's such important roles and I
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  Speaker 2: think that sometimes we sort of forget that, you know,
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  Speaker 2: as aussi's that aren't part of the force, whether you're
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  Speaker 2: talking about you know, the r Double Air for whether
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  Speaker 2: you're talking about you know another like you said, the
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  Speaker 2: three that work together. It's really important work and sometimes
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  Speaker 2: we sort of forget day to day how important that
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  Speaker 2: work is. But there's so many different things that you
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  Speaker 2: guys sort of go off to as well over the
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  Speaker 2: years to help out. And I'm looking through some of
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  Speaker 2: the history. I mean things like the fact that obviously
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  Speaker 2: help out even I believe in Bali after those Balley bombings.
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  Speaker 2: People just don't realize that very often.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think, Yes, Katie, we're here to support the
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  Speaker 3: Australian public. Essentially, we really appreciate the support that we
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  Speaker 3: get from the Darwin community. So whilst it might not
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  Speaker 3: be foremost and center all the time, I am very
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  Speaker 3: confident that the community understands important role we play. We
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  Speaker 3: really appreciate their support and it allows us ultimately to
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  Speaker 3: provide back to the community.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it does have a few interesting little bits and
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  Speaker 2: pieces that I got sent through a bit. Few interesting
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  Speaker 2: facts I guess you'd say, are the RAAF Darwin shares
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  Speaker 2: its runway with the International Airport. Is that something that
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  Speaker 2: happens in other locations?
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  Speaker 1: It does? It does in Townsville and also in Newcastle.
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  Speaker 2: Are there other interesting little things that people might not
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  Speaker 2: be aware of?
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  Speaker 3: Certainly, So you mentioned that we have the civil terminal
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  Speaker 3: on the other side of the runway, so it's actually
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  Speaker 3: air Force air traffic controllers that keep us safe and
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  Speaker 3: keep aircraft separated as those aircraft both military and civil
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  Speaker 3: come into Reft based Darwin to land and continue on
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  Speaker 3: with their business. Twenty four to seven, three hundred and
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  Speaker 3: sixty five. I think the only time in recent memory
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  Speaker 3: they stopped being a three twenty four to seven outfit
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  Speaker 3: was due to COVID.
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  Speaker 2: Far out there you go and one hundred years. I
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  Speaker 2: know that there's quite a bit happening in Canberra today
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  Speaker 2: to commemorate what type of things are happening Australia wide
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  Speaker 2: for people to sort of to be able to commemorate
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  Speaker 2: these hundred very important years.
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  Speaker 1: Bigest event is happening in Canberra.
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  Speaker 3: We have a parade there where all of our unit
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  Speaker 3: colors are being presented or paraded for people to see.
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  Speaker 3: So if anyone's got time, encourage you to look at
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  Speaker 3: the coverage of that event.
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  Speaker 2: It's all right, you can say it AYBC nationally, that's
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  Speaker 2: all right, thank you.
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  Speaker 3: Even our Unit thirteen Squadron, the City of Darwin Squadron,
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  Speaker 3: has its colors being paraded in Canberra today.
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  Speaker 2: All good stuff.
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  Speaker 3: So that's a great milestones people want to look at that.
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  Speaker 3: But locally we do hope to have a Freedom of
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  Speaker 3: the City march through the town later in the year.
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  Speaker 3: We haven't got the date set in concrete for that,
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  Speaker 3: but once we do know, we'll certainly get information out.
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  Speaker 3: Love to have the public watch the Air Force parade
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  Speaker 3: through the team.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, You'll have to let us know and we'll
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  Speaker 2: make people aware well. Commanding Officer of the RUBAF Darwin Wing,
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  Speaker 2: Commander Andrew Anthony. I really appreciate your time this morning,
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  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for coming in.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks Ebs, Katie and I've got some Air Force flags
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  Speaker 3: and a comandar air for you so you can remember
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  Speaker 3: this day.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, and I think you know on behalf
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  Speaker 2: of the whole community. Thanks for the wonderful work that
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  Speaker 2: you guys do our pleasure.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks so much, Thank you,