The target of $10,000 in funds raised by ‘There and Back’ for the RFDS has been achieved! Thank you to everyone who has contributed.
As if ‘There and Back’ hadn’t kicked enough goals, this final milestone rounds of the flight with a wonderful sense of completion. The most recent donation was made by someone preferring to remain anonymous, but was dedicated to the memory of my Dad and ...
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Today is my first full day at home since the around Australia flight concluded at Bundaberg last Sunday.
It has been a day of ‘administration’ and sending off those vital cheques to the RFDS. We are well within reach of the $10,000 target and the facility to donate to the RFDS will remain open a little longer, so please contribute and help ‘There and Back’ meet its fund-raising goal.
There ...
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Over the last few days I have received lots of support and good wishes from folks as far afield as Africa.
However, I received a very special wish from a little 6 year old girl from Bowral NSW named Ava. It came in the form of a card made with a lot of thought and a lot of effort.While the cover was adorned with an array of ...
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Yesterday was quite a day! So much so that the first spare minute to blog about ‘There and Back’ this morning came today!
Firstly, through a combination of cheques and online donations, a further $1,000 has been contributed to the Royal Flying Doctor’s cause. This amazing degree of generosity sees the total donations pass $3,000 and work is underway to have the website reflect the total sum raised ...
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With the days to There and Back’s departure on May 5th down to single digits, the interest from all quarters seems to be spiralling upwards.
However, rather than a peak of frenzied activity, this coming week is really an opportunity to double check the preparation and attend to the growing media interest . It is also important to be well rested for an undertaking ...
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As ANZAC Day dawned for another year, it once again called forth thoughts of those who have served and those who actively serve today both at home and abroad.
The day has always held special significance in our home and will again this year. Though my late father was never one to march, he would pay his respects quietly at the Dawn Service each year. He and ...
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Another milestone has been surpassed today when donations reached the $2,000 level!
Thank you to all those who have contributed. As departure looms on May 5th, this is a great start that can only be built upon further when the Jabiru’s wheels leave the ground at Bundaberg in 12 days time.
Thanks so much to one and all. Please dig deep and donate a ‘Dollar for the ...
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Captain Harry Butler’s Red Devil
As disappointing as yesterday’s announcement of the closure of Woomera’s airspace may be, there is no denying that when one door closes, another opens. My route will now head south from Streaky Bay to Port Lincoln on May 13th.
The next day I will pay a visit to Minlaton, the home and ...
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Aviation is a dynamic field of endeavour and today I am reminded of that in more ways than one.
Firstly, a sincere congratulations to Matt Hall with his superb performance to register second place in yesterday’s Red Bull Air Race in Perth. In a consumately professional performance, Matt flew a series of clean runs with ever-decreasing times to set the Perth crowd alight. The signs are ...
Continue Reading →It’s been a busy week for ‘There and Back’.
Liaising with the RAAF and Airservices Australia regarding clearances and landing approvals and even squeezing in a breakfast interview with ABC radio. As the days count down, the interest in the flight seems to be increasing exponentially, with the website recording a massive amount of visits and the emails flooding in. There are community groups and school ...
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As I make my way around Australia, I will take in the beautiful sights of this great land. I will also be visiting places that hold significance to aviation in this country, but in many cases have been lost to history.
The museums of Australia seek to ensure this doesn’t occur. Often staffed by volunteers and straining on an extremely tight budget, these wonderful institutions provide the lifeline for so many aircraft and artefacts that would otherwise have felt the scrappers ...
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Thanks to every one of you we’re well on the way to our target of $10,000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The May 5th departure is still some weeks off, but the interest out their in the community is evident by the emails, phone calls and donations that are coming in.
EVERYONE can play a part in the lead up to flying ‘There and Back’. Tell your friends, family ...
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When not visiting points of historical significance in Victoria this weekend, we found time to attend the Centenary Air Show at Melton.
From antique Avro Cadet’s to Chris Sperou’s thrilling aerobatics, there was something for everyone. On such a day the cameras are snapping at a very high rate, so check back at the ‘There and Back’ gallery as we post photos from an exciting day of aviation.
…and please don’t ...
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This rather average paddock is the site of a rather significant event.
The pine trees in the distance provided the backdrop to Harry Houdini’s first powered flight at Digger’s Rest Victoria on March 18th, 1910.
Driving down the road, if you blink you’ll miss the historic marker. Yet with a breeze blowing and a QANTAS 767 climbing overhead, you could almost imagine the fragile Voisin taking to the skies that ...
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Despite the weather’s best efforts to spoil the show, the flight test program for the Jabiru J230D is now complete! The aircraft is all set and ready to go and will make the trip to Temora for Natfly, which will provide an excellent opportunity to confirm performance and planning figures.
The attached photo shows the J230 sporting one of the fantastic colour schemes that new ...
Today marked 100 years since Harry Houdini took to the skies under power at Digger’s Rest in Victoria. That flight , in a Voisin biplane, set Australia on a very distinguished course as the young nation went onto become a pioneer in aviation with names like Hinkler, Kingsford Smith, Bonney and the Smith brothers all making their own indelible mark.
This centenary landmark is being marked by a Festival of Flight ...
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This is Dillon with his dog, McGee.
He typically represents the interest I have had from schoolchildren on opposite sides of the globe regarding the flight around Australia.
Yesterday was spent speaking with children at the local public school and those active minds raised a number of pertinent questions about flying light aircraft; many of which related to bathroom breaks! In the meantime, Dillon from New England in the United States started ...
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As the countdown to departure on May 5th continues, the Bundaberg News Mail continues to support ‘There and Back’.
Bundaberg is central to the centenary flight in so many ways. It is the home of the Jabiru Aircraft facility and the town which gave us the aviation pioneer, and my boyhood hero, Bert Hinkler.
Follow the link below to see the latest article in Bundaberg’s local ...
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It’s been a busy time here at ‘There and Back’.
With all of the operational planning in place, it’s been a matter of liaising with our good friends in the media and working on fund-raising to ensure that we do our utmost to raise funds for the RFDS.
Check out the final route and dates for ‘There and Back’ at www.thereandback.com.au Come out and see me ...
Hi All,
I thought I would share this shot that I took on descent into Melbourne recently. The vertical shaft is lying between two layers of stratiform cloud around 12,000 feet. It’s quite dramatic.
Cheers,
Owen.
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