Days of Old (continued)
So life went on, work-party, work-sport, work-barbie, I was really in my element. I really loved the place, and finally 2 years and 5 months after arriving, it was my turn to be standing on the tarmac waiting for the bone shaker for the first leg of my return journey home. It's only now when I look back I realise I should have seen more of Australia. In the 2 1/2 years at Woomera I had only left the base four times. Two trips to Adelaide for the weekend. Three weeks one Christmas to Hobart and a quick trip to Andimooka (hope I spelt that right) after one all night party. (I had the chance for a two-week holiday at Brighton outside Adelaide which on reflection I should have taken but didn't).
I returned to my next posting at RAF College Cranwell (another training camp) but formed a very popular 5-man pop group (well it was the swinging 60's). But soon the Station Commander got a bit hacked off with all the telephone calls from various Clubs, Pubs and agents, and in a typical RAF manner found the solution to his problem by posting us all to all points east. I got posted to Borneo as an engineer/crewman on helicopters and spent nine months up-country with 42 marine commandos and the Gurkas. Needless to say I came back from there with a slightly different attitude to the RAF and life in general. After yet more training I was posted to RAF Wittering and for the last 10 years of my service I was involved with the introduction of the Harrier into the RAF and the maintenance of same on an Operational Conversion Unit.
Got married in 1969 (the same week men walked on the moon) moved
to my current house in Stamford in 1972, finally
packed up the medals (plus various bits of uniform I had to keep)
and after 25 years of being a member of the best club in the world, settled
into civvy street in 1980.
After 18 years at a major electronics company, I became the Logistics Manager for a leading edge packaging company, and have just moved yet again, this time as a member of the fundraising team at the RNIB at Peterborough.
That I suppose brings the story full circle, except I have two boys
(of whom I am immensely proud) who are both
scientists, one is involved in space research.
I suppose what I am really saying is that I am waiting for Woomera's space program to reactivate so I can encourage him to go for an attachment there, and maybe he might invite his old man out there for a few beers.
Regards
Ed Chapman
E-mail: edchapman571@hotmail.com
(2 January 2003)
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Memories of Woomera |
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