Radschool

Newsletter

Vol 9

Page 5

The F111.

John Haris continues his memories from 1967 when he and others were sent to the US to bring home the F111.

Back at Amberley, and with some technical help from two General Dynamic engineers from Fort Worth, we installed the computer master and slave stations and practiced our diagnostic procedures in readiness for the first wave of four F111 due to arrive in September 1968.

Due to quality shortfalls in the aircraft, our RAAF accepting committee could not and would not take delivery until problems were resolved. As time went on, we practiced our diagnostic procedures again and again, then we played volleyball, then cards, then we painted the hallways of our new building and did yard work and of course we polished the floors over and over again. Some of our RadTechs were temporarily assigned back to other squadrons while waiting and waiting to see our first F111 in Australia.  In the meanwhile, the USAF had accepted their F111's and several crashed in Vietnam.

When we all left Australia to commence F111 training, every technician was proud and enthusiastic to service our F111 aircraft at the highest possible level and better than the US or New Zealand squadrons. After doing meaningless chores for over three years morale really dropped to an all time low.  I remember a social club meeting that became a big argument about the contributions to the coffee club.  We were asking for $1.00 a fortnight, but the low morale spurred disagreements about who used sugar or milk and how many cups a day everyone drank and some people wanted to pay different amounts.   Everyone left the meeting very unhappy.  Many of my friends who had previously planned a lifetime career in the RAAF took discharges when their enlistments were up. 

Around September 1970, the RAAF selected another group of technicians, including me, to return to the US for training on the F4 which we would lease for 2 years or until our twenty-four F111's were delivered.   I would have had only six months to service the F4 after training and before the end of my second enlistment, so I applied for an early discharge as it would have been a waste of RAAF training costs and I was  planning to move back to San Antonio with my wife and family as soon as possible anyway.  My early discharge was approved and I departed Australia the evening of my final day in the RAAF.  Because of the international date line, I spent most of Friday Jan 29th 1971 getting cleared from Amberley and then next morning my family and I stepped off the aircraft in Honolulu to spend the same day, Jan 29th, as a civilian driving around the island and enjoying Hawaiian beaches.  A week before my discharge, Kev (The Beast) and about eight of my squadron friends gave me a send-off party in the form of a pub crawl and our ambition was to have one drink at every pub in Ipswich and surrounding areas. Although we had a memorable night of friendship and a numerous "$5 knock-downs" we failed our original mission and made our last toast to each other at the Walloon Hotel in the bush near Amberley.

Like comments from other ex-Radtech members, I too miss the action and team spirit of the RAAF. It was the best time in my life and I would do it all over again if I could relive my life.  The only thing that I regret about my RAAF days is that I never saw an F111 in Australia nor the chance to work on one, even though I was assigned to the F111 Squadron for over three years.

Fifteen years after my discharge I drove up to Amberley to visit my old base and discovered  modern buildings and very different from the base that I remembered.  When I approached the guard house to enter the base I was asked who I was visiting and why and eventually denied entry.  How dare they deny me entry to my base where I worked, lived and played for so many years. This was a real shock and I finally realized that I wasn't in the RAAF any more.

While reliving my F111 trip to the States and transferring my memories to paper,  I have deliberately omitted a number of incidents to protect the guilty and only they will know who and why.  In the States, we were welcomed by both men and women who all held Australian servicemen in high esteem.  When I originally flew to the USA for F111 training,  I would never have believed that I would eventually live there.

 I really appreciate the time and effort that some people have contributed to this Radschool magazine and the reunions so that we can keep in touch and revisit  friends from the good old days. 

John Harris  A19816

Roy Dash, the Sgt who’s job was to keep the troops in order while on the trip to the USA to get the F111’s, is shown here at the muster for the RAAF’s 80th anniversary march through the streets of Brisbane. John Butler—now Brisbane City Council’s emergency procedures manager is on the right along with some other familiar faces

Mick Nicholls eyeing off one of the tool boards inside the F111 mntce section at Amberley…..”If only I’d brought the bloody ute…….”

The way it was. Photo above is of Alec Young, and (we think) was taken at Radschool when it was at Ballarat way back in 1948. Love the hat….any-one know Alec these days….