OZBUSDRIVER
28th Sep 2006, 09:46
Dear Members of the Aviation Community,
As the Secretary of the Point Cook Flying Club, I feel it necessary to let you all know of the happening at Point Cook. But firstly, for those who may not be aware, Point Cook is located in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, is a field that is owned by the Department of Defence (RAAF), and is the Birth Place of Australian Military Aviation. It is credited with being the oldest continuously operating Military Airfield in the world, and now with the civil activities and air movements, that could also (arguably) extend to a civil claim as well.
On August 10th of this year, with out warning, the DOD via their agents did serve a notice of “Vacate” on all tenants of the Southern Tarmac. This included the PCFC rooms and the Hanger that the Club has leased from the DOD, and also the Hangers that a number of small businesses have leased for quiet some time. No reason was given at the time, although, we have heard through a variety of sources, but nothing as yet confirmed, that the order was given due to the “unsafe” nature of the Bellman Hangers, which date back to WWII.
Since this time, the PCFC and the business affected have been fighting this notice. The Club in itself has managed to get a stay of eviction (until June 2007), and we believe that this has been possible due to the efforts of our members and other community groups who use our facilities (free of charge) writing to as many Members of Parliament as they can. Of course, this information has also made it to the media, with at least 1 of our members and also a community group receiving a personal phone call from a local federal MP.
Regretfully, the hangers at this stage of the fight have yet to be secured. The Club, along with other hanger tenants, which includes a Flying School offering ultra light and G.A. flight training (with year 12 students studying aviation, not to mention all the other students, myself included), a Micro Light school who has a special student with disabilities, a LAME, and joyflight operators offering rides in the likes of Australian Heritage Warbirds (Mustang, Chipmonk, and Tigermoths ) have commissioned an Engineers report at our cost to dispute the report that the DOD have done, should the reason for the “vacate” order be due to the “safety concerns” as the unconfirmed reports have suggested.
The main reason for this information being circulated is to ask you for your support. We encourage you all to send a letter to your local MP, and to Senator Sandy Macdonald urging them to not only change their mind, but also open the doors to reasonable negotiation with all parties concerned. The members of the Club are very proud of our Heritage, of the location and the history of the facility we have. We, along with the hanger tenants often encourage visitors to the base to visit the RAAF museum, and we all spend a good deal of time informing them of the history of the base, and answer a variety of questions to this effect. We are very pleased to have met many men who trained at Point Cook during the war, and to hear their stories. To lose a part of our heritage, as we are threatened with would be a huge loss to the aviation community as a whole, and to the larger community who enjoy our facilities.
Please help support us in our fight, should you need any further information, contact the club on the address / phone number below.
Thankyou for your support in anticipation.
Ken Crisp.
Point Cook Flying Club Inc
PO Box 6172
Point Cook, Vic, 3030
(03) 9395 1735
eMail: [email protected]
Web: www.pointcook.org
As the Secretary of the Point Cook Flying Club, I feel it necessary to let you all know of the happening at Point Cook. But firstly, for those who may not be aware, Point Cook is located in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, is a field that is owned by the Department of Defence (RAAF), and is the Birth Place of Australian Military Aviation. It is credited with being the oldest continuously operating Military Airfield in the world, and now with the civil activities and air movements, that could also (arguably) extend to a civil claim as well.
On August 10th of this year, with out warning, the DOD via their agents did serve a notice of “Vacate” on all tenants of the Southern Tarmac. This included the PCFC rooms and the Hanger that the Club has leased from the DOD, and also the Hangers that a number of small businesses have leased for quiet some time. No reason was given at the time, although, we have heard through a variety of sources, but nothing as yet confirmed, that the order was given due to the “unsafe” nature of the Bellman Hangers, which date back to WWII.
Since this time, the PCFC and the business affected have been fighting this notice. The Club in itself has managed to get a stay of eviction (until June 2007), and we believe that this has been possible due to the efforts of our members and other community groups who use our facilities (free of charge) writing to as many Members of Parliament as they can. Of course, this information has also made it to the media, with at least 1 of our members and also a community group receiving a personal phone call from a local federal MP.
Regretfully, the hangers at this stage of the fight have yet to be secured. The Club, along with other hanger tenants, which includes a Flying School offering ultra light and G.A. flight training (with year 12 students studying aviation, not to mention all the other students, myself included), a Micro Light school who has a special student with disabilities, a LAME, and joyflight operators offering rides in the likes of Australian Heritage Warbirds (Mustang, Chipmonk, and Tigermoths ) have commissioned an Engineers report at our cost to dispute the report that the DOD have done, should the reason for the “vacate” order be due to the “safety concerns” as the unconfirmed reports have suggested.
The main reason for this information being circulated is to ask you for your support. We encourage you all to send a letter to your local MP, and to Senator Sandy Macdonald urging them to not only change their mind, but also open the doors to reasonable negotiation with all parties concerned. The members of the Club are very proud of our Heritage, of the location and the history of the facility we have. We, along with the hanger tenants often encourage visitors to the base to visit the RAAF museum, and we all spend a good deal of time informing them of the history of the base, and answer a variety of questions to this effect. We are very pleased to have met many men who trained at Point Cook during the war, and to hear their stories. To lose a part of our heritage, as we are threatened with would be a huge loss to the aviation community as a whole, and to the larger community who enjoy our facilities.
Please help support us in our fight, should you need any further information, contact the club on the address / phone number below.
Thankyou for your support in anticipation.
Ken Crisp.
Point Cook Flying Club Inc
PO Box 6172
Point Cook, Vic, 3030
(03) 9395 1735
eMail: [email protected]
Web: www.pointcook.org