My Story

Contents:

2 Sqn - 1968.  Help needed!

37 Sqn celebrates two milestones.

FltLt Stephanie Hume.

My Story: Terri-Ann Eden-Jones.

Captain Terri-Ann Eden-Jones (Army Reserve)

Terri-Ann  was born in Swan Hill Victoria.  The family moved from Swan Hill to Kerang, about 60km away, when she was 4 years old as her dad, who had a number of jobs, working on the land, a truckie and even started an apprenticeship to be a butcher, moved around a bit. She started school in Kerang and remembers when in Prep being called up to the Principal’s office, with my dad, because she wouldn’t answer the teacher when she was called Terri.

After about 2 years in Kerang, the family moved to Bacchus March (about 250km away) where she completed primary school then went on to Footscray Girls High, travelling to and from home every day via train, Bacchus Marsh being about 50km NW of Melbourne. She had to work at the Bacchus Marsh lion park to earn enough money for the train fare and her school uniform.

Being a lover of animals, she got her first horse in 1971, while still living in Bacchus March, with the horse stabled in the family home back yard, which luckily was big enough.

Unfortunately she didn’t get on with her mother and at age 16 decided to “run away”. She hitch-hiked all over Victoria, ending up in Mildura picking grapes. She says that put her off grapes for years.

When she was about 17 years, she moved to Melbourne and got a job in Flemington and one day got a nice surprise when she looked up at a customer and saw her father. There was some fence mending and at age 18 she moved back to Bacchus March and started working for Telecom in Melbourne.  She still had her horse.

About this time she also joined the Army reserve as a Clerk Admin with 11 platoon RVR. She eventually got bored working for Telecom and enrolled at the Bendigo home and hospital for the aged – training as a nurse. She enjoyed the nursing vocation and decided to move to Bendigo to cut out the daily travel and after a while put in for a transfer to 15 Transport Squadron as an Army driver, eventually being trained to drive most of the Army’s heavy vehicles.

While with 15 Transport Squadron, she met and started to see a driver at 3 Training Group and eventually they got married in the large Cathedral in Bendigo. In 1993, several months after they were married, her husband transferred over to the regular Army. Then later in the year, their daughter was born and her husband was posted to Holsworthy which necessitated a move up to Sydney. Terri-Ann was transferred to 3 Transport Squadron as a driver and instructor and posted to the Barracks in Padstow, a suburb of Sydney.

Her husband spent quite a lot of time away on exercises and while he was away on an exercise in Shoalwater Bay, she decided she was tired of being a full time mother with several jobs so as to earn an income, she decided she wanted to study and so enrolled in the first ever uni educated nurse course. On completion of the course, she was commissioned in the permanent Army and became the Army’s first undergraduate Nursing Officer.

Her husband wasn’t happy with her making decisions without his consent, so he walked out. Terri-Ann spent the next 24 months in and out of the family law court in Sydney after which (1989) Army gave her and daughter Rebecca a compassionate posting to Albury/Wodonga where she enrolled Rebeca at the St Monica’s primary school in Albury Wodonga. One eventful day, on returning to Albury Wodonga after a day with the Court, they were involved in a very serious car accident. While travelling under an overpass, a car travelling on the overhead road, skidded out of control and left the overhead road and fell, landing on the car being driven by Terri-Ann. Her daughter was killed instantly and she herself spent the next 6 months in hospital, 3 weeks of which were spent in a coma. It was suggested that she would never walk, talk or work again but thankfully they never showed her the memo and after months of determination she was up and about again.

Army policy back then stated you had to discharge after a 6 month break due to illness, but luckily she was able to “fake” it and stay in. She returned to work at Wodonga and became friendly with a man she met in Sydney, this time a Scotsman who would eventually become her second husband. In 1990 she was married in Scotland after which she was posted to Brisbane. She and her new husband had 2 children, one in 1992 and another in 1993. A few more postings followed until 1993 when she left the full time Army and once again joined the Reserve.

Today, with the rank of Captain, she is still involved with the Army Reserve doing investigations.

She started her own business in 1998, as a Continence (bowles and bladder) consultant and is now the preferred provider of health training for Disability Services Qld Support Workers as well as other NGOs. During this time, she completed a degree in Adult and Workplace Education and a post graduate in Continence.

In 2000 she became involved with the Qld RSL in Leyburn and then became the President of the Blackall sub branch, a position she has held for the past 5 yeras.  In 2000 she participated in the Federation Parade in Canberra, representing QUR (Qld University Regiment) and caried the Queen’s Colours.

After the disastrous 2011 floods in Brisbane, she lost her business, it was washed away and with no income she was in dire straits and very close to losing her house. Unable to meet the repayments she was forced to rent out her home and started living on the road. She did that for 4 years, during that time getting a job in Townsville as a clinical nurse consultant with Qld health.

Eventually she was able to move back into her home, which had not been looked after by the tenants – but at least she hadn’t lost it.

Since 2015 she has travelled between Brisbane, Townsville, Longreach, Blackall and Melbourne doing various RSL and contract nursing jobs. In 2022, she assisted a colleague who was doing his PHD studying the benefits of ballet to service vets who suffered from PTSD and traumatic injury,

She is still involved with the RSL, still holding the position of President of the Blackall RSL and is involved in planning the Scootaville events – fund raisers for Legacy.

How to know when Jesus has been in your liquor store.

Love of engineering fuels success.

As a flight test engineer in the Air Force, Flight Lieutenant Steph Hume describes her job as bridging the gap between the operational world and the engineering world.

Based at the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU) at RAAF Base Edinburgh, Flight Lieutenant Hume has played a crucial role in the testing and evaluation of a range of Air Force capabilities.

“We are responsible for the definition, planning and execution of flight tests, as well as the data analysis and presentation of results obtained during the test program,” Flight Lieutenant Hume said. “During testing, as a flight test engineer I might be located on board the aircraft or in a control room, tracking the status of the flight test in real time.”

Originally from Forestdale (south of Brisbane) in Queensland, Stephanie Hume joined the Air Force during her gap year, studying a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), before working as an armament engineering officer in the Guided Weapons Branch.

She has since been involved in important projects including aircraft life-support equipment testing, MQ-28 Ghost Bat trials, as well as working with the University of Canberra on the development of a cockpit sensor. Following a 12-month intensive course at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, US, she commenced as a flight test engineer at engineering fuels at ARDU in 2022.

“I have always loved aircraft, flying and engineering, so the next logical step was to undertake a job that put all these interests and disciplines together,” Steph said.

Earlier this year, she led a highly trained team during air-to-air refuelling trials in a combined operation with the Japanese Air Self Défense Force. The trials had RAAF KC-30A tankers refuelling Japanese F-15 fighters while in flight – a significant strategic development in the compatibility of the two nations’ forces. As the flight test lead, Stephanie was responsible for the overall management of the operation, which included planning and executing the test along with organising and managing the integrated test team.

Flight Lieutenant Hume recommends being a flight test engineer to anyone considering a career in engineering. “The variety and complexity of tasks that you can be involved with is extremely broad,” she said. “I have the opportunity to put my technical knowledge into practice – and being an engineer that flies is pretty great.

“I think I have the coolest engineering role in air force.”

2Sqn, 1968.

Tom Grieves got in touch, he says: “I am seeking an original copy of the 1969 2SQN group photo for 1968 with CO Whitehead. The War Memorial don’t have these group photos and don’t seem interested in having them, however, the Squadron seem to have an interest to display them at the squadron.

I have high resolution copies of 1968 with CO Evans, and 1969 with CO Boast that I hope to frame and present to 2SQN but I’d like to get hold a better quality copy of the photo below.”

If anyone can help, please let us know and we’ll pass on your details to Tom.

Squadron celebrates two milestones

Past and present RAAF Base Richmond personnel attended a function to celebrate the C-130 Hercules’ 65 years of operation in Australia. Hosted by the 37 Squadron RAAF Association on the 8^th September, the event paid tribute to the C-130 platform which played a significant role within 36 and 37 Squadrons. From current and retired pilots, navigators, flight engineers, loadmasters and maintenance personnel to commanding officers, air commodores and air vice-marshals, about 150 attendees gathered to recount their stories of C-130 Hercules’ operations since the first (and best – tb) variants were received in 1958.

Warrant Officer (retd) Keith Beardsmore served 26 years with RAAF and was one of a few chosen to train as a radio technician (Air) on the initial C-130A in the United States. Keith said: “I joined the Air Training Corps as a 14-year-old cadet, then the Air Force as an apprentice and soon after completed my three-year radio apprenticeship, I felt lucky to be one of six radio technicians with 36 Squadron to be deployed to the US to learn all about the C-130A Hercules.”

Upon returning to Australia with the 12 C-130As, Keith recalls being on its first official flight from RAAF Base Richmond to RAAF Base Butterworth in British Malaya (now Malaysia). The flight was a demonstration of the C-130s long-haul capability, the first of many hours that contributed to today’s 858,600-plus flight hours in Defence operations and integration with partner nations.

The Hercules milestone wasn't the only one of significance for 37 squadron this year, as it recently celebrated 80 years since its formation. In recognition of this milestone, the squadron hosted a family day at RAAF Base Richmond on the 9^th September. There were clear skies and wide smiles for the C-130J Hercules’ family flights, with passengers enjoying views of the Hawkesbury area as the ramp was lowered.

Other activities included C-130J and DA40 static displays, a virtual-reality flight simulator, weapons display, the chance to get up close with military working dogs, aeromedical evacuation displays, fire trucks, an ambulance and even a petting zoo. It was also an opportunity for squadron members to showcase their working environment to loved ones and for Defence to say thank you to the families.

37 Squadron is currently tasked with airlift in Australia and overseas, transporting troops and cargo, and conducting medical evacuation and search-and-rescue missions. Taskings are often at short-notice and sometimes for extended periods of time. The current Commanding Officer 37 Squadron Wing Commander Charles Freebairn acknowledged the impact on families and support people. “Deploying with, at times, little notice means Defence families have to be adaptable,” Wing Commander Freebairn said. “We are incredibly grateful for the behind-the-scenes support families continue to give.”

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