Cadets hear of battle in skies

Starting out: Cadets Monika Geschke and Nicholas Clark speak with WW2 bomber crewman Flying Officer Laurie Woods on their first day at Amberley yesterday.

Sarah Harvey

AIR Force members chat all the time at Ipswich's RAAF Base Amberley.

But it's not very often you'll find three World War II veterans speaking with an eager bunch of teenage Australian Air Force Cadets at the very start of their flying careers.

Their ages and experiences may be at polar opposites, but there was common ground between the two groups when they met at Amberley yesterday.

Dive-bomber pilot Lindsay Richards, Lancaster bomber rear gunner Robert Chester-Master OAM, and Lancaster bomb aimer Laurie Woods DFC had the cadets enthralled with their stories.

The 25 cadets, who were at the base as part of a training course, listened as the trio related their stories, including bombing missions over Germany and being shot out of the sky by German guns.

For Mr Chester-Master, the tail gunner who survived the aforementioned blasting from the sky over Belgium, yesterday's meeting was a great opportunity to meet the younger generations.

“It really is to be encouraged. They are the future of the air force,” he said.

Mr Woods, a member of the Bomber Command in WWII, said it made him proud to see today's teenagers join up to the force. He had some simple advice for the cadets.

“Learn as much as you can, concentrate on the job, and that's it,” he said.

Cadets Monika Geschke and Nicholas Clark said they appreciated the time the veteran airmen spent with them.

From June 25 to July 3 the cadets will undergo a week-long flying training course at RAAF Base Amberley.