Aviators in Australia Day Awards

[Jungmeister]

Sincere congratulations to John Freeman and Barry Lodge for their Medals (AOM) Order of Australia in the 2008 list.

John Freeman's was for work done in the Agricultural Flying Industry (Low Flying) and Barry Lodge's was for service to the RFDS.

Both pilots are well known in South Australia.

The full citations are listed here:
http://www.gg.gov.au/res/File/PDFs/honours/ad08/Media%20notes%20OAM%20(F-L)%20(final)-web.pdf

[linedriva]

Congratulations to both gentlemen. John did a low level approval for me when I was training for my first job many years ago. Even though I now fly nowhere near the ground (apart from takeoff and landing!), I still remember alot of what he taught me.:D:ok:

[Stationair8]

Always good to see people recogonised for their efforts in the aviation industry.
Better than some public servant or politician who has spent his life doing sweet F@@k all.
I still thought David Hicks would have got for Australian of the year and Bindi Irwin or Corey from Narre warren would have been junior Australian of the year.

[MTOW]

I still thought David Hicks would have got for Australian of the year and Bindi Irwin or Corey from Narre warren would have been junior Australian of the year....that would have been almost as cringeworthy as the two "SORRY"s scrawled across the sky over Sydney today.

Who comes up with these ideas?

[Stationair8]

David hicks will lead this years Anzac Day Parade.

[teresa green]

Would have liked to see Col Paye get a gong. Isn't David Hicks at Duntroon teaching "handling missiles in unfriendly terrain" ?

[Frank Burden]

Congratulations to both. It is hard to get the recognition of your peers in Australia so well done on your hard work and it being recognised by others.

Nomadic Frank

[Capt Kremin]

The Service Honours are always a bit of a joke. We have combat forces deployed in some nasty parts of the world doing amazing things and yet the majority of the awards are for services to box-packing and the like.

"Order of Australia is presented to Squadron Leader Barking-Looney for resolutely maintaining warehouse stocks of essential supplies and resisting all attempts to issue said supplies them to the squadrons that desperately need them."

I once endured a base parade at a RAAF base where the highlight was the presentation of an award to an ATCO. (Nothing against ATCO's here but it illustrates the way these things happen.)

"Flying Officer Chumley was duty tower controller whe a Caribou became airborne and began to issue large clouds of white smoke from one of its engines. The aircraft began a low level circuit and attempt to land on the opposite runway. Flying Officer Chumley, realised what the aircraft was attempting and without contact with the aircraft, made sure that the runway was clear and alerted the base fire-fighting equipment."

Ok, the ATCO did his job and realised that the Caribou crew was too busy to contact the tower in their haste to get back on the ground. Well done. I stood waiting for the award to the crew of the aircraft, you know, the guys who lives had actually been in danger, the guys who made sure the aircraft returned safely and didn't crash into Richmond township.

Nothing. Not a sausage. (crickets chirping). Its the way of the world I guess, but it does't make sense.

[flying-spike]

ATCO......ATCO......... They named a demountable after him didn't they?:8

[baffler15]

The Service Honours are always a bit of a joke. We have combat forces deployed in some nasty parts of the world doing amazing things and yet the majority of the awards are for services to box-packing and the like.
Obviously you didn't look hard enough in places like here (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/gallantry-of-the-highest-order/2008/01/25/1201157668282.html) and find the Medal for Gallantry that was awarded to an Australian Army Chinook pilot. The third highest Australian honour for gallantry, with only about 30 awarded since its introduction. Not to be sneezed at, Capt Kremin!

The Baffler :ok:

P.S. - I get what you're saying with the whole ATCO thing though. Are you sure that wasn't just one of the RAAF lame-arse "good show" awards? They're commonly awarded for the doing of ones job!