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THE TORNADO GR4 STORY
The tough decision to resign from my position as Manager of the RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum was an important step – and now in my sixties really the last opportunity I would have to follow my own heritage path and the establishment of MAHE – but I remain very proud of the changes and achievements the volunteers and I were able to make during my time at the museum – particularly the acquisition of the Hawker Hunter, secured from Nowra, and currently being restored at an off-site facility.
However, – I must confess that my role in bringing the Tornado GR4 to Bull Creek is my proudest personal achievement.
But why mention the Tornado GR4?
Well – it is because the sentiment behind the Tornado GR4 coming to Bull Creek is also the start point for our first MAHE experience – the sentiment behind the GR4 Story and MAHE is really one in the same with regard to Australian Airmen in Europe WW2 and our first Bomber Command Airfields Tour experience – being the special relationship between the RAF and the RAAF, that has existed since WW1(Flying Corps) and reinforced significantly during WW2.
Being from the UK and a member of the Air Training Corps in my youth, it is perhaps no surprise that, now living in Australia, the importance of the history and ongoing relationship between the RAAF and the RAF would have such an influence – and my argument around the Tornado GR4 was really just a simple extension of that – the gifting of the Tornado GR4 to the RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum I felt would provide a tangible reminder of that ongoing relationship.
In itself it is also an interesting story in that everything starts from an idea – in my case over coffee one Sunday morning reading the words of Group Captain Leonard Cheshire VC and his comments about Australian Airmen – the influence, skill and leadership they brought to Bomber command during WW2.
With the RAF Tornado GR4s being retired from service in 2019 I decided to email a letter to the RAF outlining my thoughts and reason for the RAF considering our Bull Creek museum as a potential recipient of a Tornado GR4. I knew the allocation of a RAF aircraft to Australia would normally sit well outside the usual parameters for consideration and that my proposal would at best be a long shot – but nevertheless I decided to send it anyway – I even chose not to inform anyone else at RAAFA or the volunteers for that matter as I thought it was unlikely to lead to anything – I wasn’t exactly confident!
However, the saying ”If you don’t try” came to mind a few weeks later when out of the blue I received a call from a senior officer and leader of the the RAF Heritage team (WGCDR Erica Ferguson) – 45 minutes later it was clear we were on the same page – we both agreed on the sentiment and reasoning behind the request – underpinning the importance of the sacrifices made by Australian Airmen in WW2 and the ongoing relationship between the RAAF and the RAF – and eventually after a not insignificant number of discussions and video conferences, the project received a green light – and, as they say, the rest is history – with the Tornado GR4 arriving in Bull Creek in 2022.
What is also important to note is the level of effort the RAF Heritage and JARTS Teams (led by WO Keith Davies) went to in order to make this project happen – going well beyond what they would normally expect to do when reallocating an aircraft within the UK – they are of course highly professional and when tasked to do something the RAF will invariably always find a way to do it – but their determination to “make it work” in this particular case I am sure was strengthened by that special and historic relationship.
I should also add that although I may have started the ball rolling, credit must also go to the museum volunteers – on a RAF “reconnaissance” mission to the museum prior to official confirmation the volunteers made an enormous impression on the RAF – and of course nothing could have happened without RAAFA’s support for which I am very grateful – both for their positivity and financial backing towards the project.
Indeed, it was a proud moment to be invited to attend the RAF/RAAFA Tornado GR4 Handover Ceremony in 2022 and listen to RAAFA’s Vice President Pat Hall’s speech and his kind words – that combined with the many handshakes that followed with the volunteers and the RAF personnel made it a most memorable day.
It is wonderful to see the Tornado GR4 now displayed at the museum – and to see that a simple idea one Sunday morning could lead to both Chiefs of the RAF and the RAAF attending a ceremony at the museum in Bull Creek in February 2023 – including words from Air Marshall Mel Upfield AO DSC, RAAF Ret’d.
“The sentiment behind the handover of the Tornado GR4 by the RAF to RAAFA is one of generosity and a deep friendship and partnership between not just our air forces, but also our nations.
Indeed, today has been a real thrill and a unique blend of joy, excitement and deep emotion. As an aviator, a previous Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force and a proud Australian, I feel honored to be part of this momentous occasion.”
This event and comments made are really the conclusion of the Tornado GR4 story – from a simple thought – reflecting the sentiment I hoped would be reciprocated by others – it has been wonderful to see