Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 34

Page 12

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2 Squadron.

 

As well as Caribous and helicopters, the RAAF sent No. 2 Squadron to Vietnam in April 1967. Equipped with Canberra bombers and flying out of Phan Rang Air Base on South Vietnam’s southern coast, some 250 kilometres north-east of Saigon, No. 2 Squadron operated day and night missions destroying a wide range of infrastructure targets as well as attacking Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops. The squadron served with the United States Air Force’s 35th Tactical Fighter Wing until leaving Vietnam on 14 June 1971. Five members of the Squadron died during the war, two on operations.

 

2 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps (known as 68 Australian Squadron, Royal Flying Corps until January 1918) formed in Egypt in September 1916.   Squadron pilots were largely drawn from Australian Light Horse units (if you could ride a horse you could fly a plane??), while many of the ground staff had served with the pioneer Australian squadron Half Flight.   The squadron left for training in the United Kingdom2 Sqn pilots, 1918 soon after its formation and deployed to Baizieux, France in September 1917.

 

2 Sqn pilots in 1918,

with their mascot.

 

Equipped with DH 5 and, later, SE 5a aircraft, No 2 Squadron earned distinction flying in both ground-attack and aerial-combat operations on the Western Front.   The squadron's most successful period occurred from April 1918, when it moved to La Bellevue airfield.  In June 1918 Major Roy Phillip’s shot down four enemy aircraft, including two Fokker triplanes, in a single day.

 

The squadron was disbanded in July 1922.

 

No 2 Squadron reformed at Laverton in Victoria on 1 May 1937 and was equipped with Hawker Demon aircraft.   At the outbreak of the Second World War the squadron patrolled Australian waters using Avro Anson aircraft.   Re-equipped with Lockheed Hudsons, it moved to Darwin in April 1941. In December 1941 a squadron detachment was sent forward to Timor to cover Australian troops in the area.

 

Enemy air raids and the rapid Japanese advance nevertheless forced the detachment back to Darwin in February 1942.

 B25 Bomber

During 1942 and 1943 No 2 Squadron flew bombing, ground-attack, anti-shipping, and reconnaissance missions over the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies.

 

As a result of these operations the squadron was awarded the US Presidential Unit Citation in July 1943 for "outstanding performance of duty in action".

 

Having begun to train with Beaufort aircraft, in May 1944 the squadron converted to B 25 Mitchell bombers, one of the best twin-engined medium bombers of World War II, which they operated until the end of the war.   The squadron disbanded again in May 1946

 

In September 1948 No 21 Squadron became No 2 (Bomber) Squadron. At this stage the squadron used Lincoln aircraft.   In 1958 the squadron, equipped with Canberra bombers since December 1953, deployed to Butterworth airbase in Malaya as part of the Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve.

 

In April 1967 No 2 Squadron deployed to South Vietnam where initially it conducted high-altitude radar-controlled missions at night, before an outstandingly successful adoption of low-level daylight bombing. Over a four-year period in Vietnam the squadron flew an average of eight missions every day.  Despite flying nearly 12,000 combat missions, the squadron remarkably lost only two-aircraft in the conflict: onRAAF Wedgetaile disappeared on a night-bombing mission; and the other was shot down by a surface-to-air missile near the demilitarised zone in March 1971.

 

No 2 Squadron returned to Australia from Vietnam in June 1971 and disbanded again the following month only to be reformed once again in January 2000, this time to operate the Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft (AEW&C). 

 

 

 

Small Business.

 

Do you own a small business with fewer than 20 employees, if so, you could be eligible for the Australian Government’s “Small Business Superannuation Clearing House”. The Clearing House is a free service that lets you pay your employees’ super contributions in one single electronic payment. Here’s how it works.

 

Most employees now have the right to nominate their own super fund and if you have 19 or less employees chances are you could have up to 19 different funds into which you have to deposit your contribution.

 

If you decide to use the Government’s Clearing House, you only need to make the one payment (your total contribution for all your employees for the period) and the Clearing House will distribute the funds to the individual super funds.

 

The benefits are:

       I

  • It is free

  • It is simple to use

  • It is optional

  • It helps you meet your super guarantee obligations

  • It reduces the time and paperwork involved in making multiple payments to different super funds, and,

  • You only have to make one electronic payment to the Clearing House

 

If you wish to use it, this is how you do it.

 

  • Go to www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/super - enter your details and a user ID and a password will be emailed to you.

  • When you receive your user ID and password, logon to the Clearing House website again and complete the registration.

  • Enter the details about each of your employees.

  • Each super payment period (usually quarterly), log onto the site, enter the amounts due to each employee, transfer the total amount to the Clearing House and the Clearing House will guarantee that the amounts will be paid to the individual super funds.

You can get further information by ringing 1300 660 048 or by emailing your queries to SBSCHenquiries@medicareaustralia.gov.au

 

Definitions.

 

Flabbergasted , adj.   Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

 

 

 

Digital TV.

 

 

In Australia, by the end of 2013, the old analogue TV signals will be a thing of the past and everyone will be watching the new digital TV which offers more channels, better quality sound and clearer pictures.

 

The changeover has already started and in some areas, such as Broken Hill, you can no longer watch the old analogue system. If you wish to know when your area will be totally digital, click HERE.

 

B&W TV

Digital TV is far better than the old system, it’s like going from the old B&W TV we had prior to 1975 to colour, it’s that good – but there’s a catch. The old receivers will not work under the new system so you will need to either buy a new set, (LCD or plasma) or get a “set top box” which will convert the digital signal to analogue and allow you to watch it on your old set.

 

However, if you do not have access to digital TV on any of the sets you own, and you do not wish to buy one of the new sets just yet (they are still coming down in price) and if, during the rollout period for your region, you are receiving the maximum rate of one of the following payments:

 

·       Age pension

·       Disability Support Pension

·       Carer payment

·       DVA Service Pension

·       DVA Income Support Supplement

 

you may be eligible for the Government’s Household Assistance Scheme which will provide you with a high definition (HD) set top box free of charge.

 

The scheme started in January 2010 in the Mildura/Sunraysia area, which was the first area in Australia to switch over to digital and it works like this.

 

If you fit the criteria above, call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 201 013 and the Gov’t will arrange for an experienced contractor to install and demonstrate a HD set top box to your existing TV set and if necessary, will also provide a UHF antenna and cable.

 

You can find further info on the scheme HERE

 

Negligent, adj.   Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.

 

 

Winnings and pensions.

 

Like a win on a poker machine or a successful day at Randwick, any winnings you may get are regarded as “Good Fortune” and are not counted as income, unless youRandwick receive ongoing payments. The same applies to inheritances, winning prizes or receiving awards.

 

But!!  If a prize from lotto, or a scratchie or whatever is paid by regular payments rather than a single lump sum, income will be assessed on the amount received for each period.

 

And!!!  Regardless of whether winnings are assessed as income or not, they may be assessable as an asset if there is a significant change in your assets as a result of the win.

 

For example, if you win a $50,000 lottery prize and put the money in the bank or invest it, it will be deemed to be earning income and that deemed income many affect the amount of pension paid to you.

 

Clear???   Didn’t think so, better to ring Centrelink on 13 2300 if you have any queries.

 

Willy-nilly , adj.   Impotent.

 

Target email.Target logo

 

There is a nasty malicious rumour, which concerns Target stores, doing the e-rounds at the moment. We don’t have any sort of association with Target so this is not some sort of paid advertisement, it’s just that we don’t like seeing junk like this being spread around damaging someone/thing’s good name. We’re always a bit suspicious of this type of email anyway and we did some checking and we are pleased to say, it’s all a heap of garbage.

 

The email says something like: 

 

 

 

'Recently we asked the local TARGET store to be a proud sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during our spring recognition event.

We received the following reply from the local TARGET management:

' Veterans do not meet our area of giving.

We only donate to the arts, social action groups, gay and lesbian causes and education.'

 

 

The email has a lot more garbage in the body and it concludes with:

 

Now, I'm thinking again. If TARGET cannot support American or Aussie Veterans,

 then why should my family and I support their stores by spending our

 hard earned American/Aussie dollars in their stores???

Wasn't it last Christmas that Target refused to let

the Salvation Army ring their bells in front of their stores?

 

 

Our advice!!   if you get this email, sent it to its rightful place – the dump heap…….

 

 

 

The Aussie Flag.Aust Flag

 

There’s a bloke called Larry Hannigan who has made an audio tape about the origin and use of the Aussie Flag. It is actually very moving and you can hear it HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Wallaby Airlines

 

Terry Walters, who was a groundy in Vung Tau from June 1968 to June 1969 sent us the photo below which was attached to Air Movements in Vung Tau.

 

Wallaby airlines, Vung Tau

 

I was having great fun driving in the snow this morning. I was skidding, performing 360’s and drifting the back end on every corner, before the police stopped me and promptly arrested me. One of the passengers on my bus must've phoned them.

 

 

International Space Station.

 

Stuart Ritchie says, “Look at what happened from 1998 until 2008. In just ten years it has grown and grown. Watch the pieces come together as they are sent up from Earth. This is the International Space  Station (ISS) Assembly diagram, piece by piece. I had no idea the Space Station had grown to this size. What a piece of engineering!!”

 

You can see it HERE

 

 

 

Normandy.

 

Mick Lawson has sent us a Power Point presentation which shows various locations in Normandy as they were back when the ‘Allies” landed in 1944 with comparison photos of the same site as it is today. Mick says it’s pretty neat being able to go back to the exact location 66 years later - most of it looks like nothing ever happened. Very interesting!!

 

You can see it HERE

 

 

 

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