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TRUE COLOURS:
Flight Lieutenant McIntyre carries the Queen’s Colour at a
ceremony at Wagga RAAF Base yesterday.Photo: Pictures: Kerrie Stewart
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Wagga RAAF celebrates soaring to role of Australia’s top recruit training unit
A MAJOR structural overhaul of the Royal Australian Air Force will see up to 1200 more recruits pass through the Wagga RAAF Base each year.
The Queen’s Colour was handed over to the Wagga base at a ceremony yesterday, signifying its new position in air force training.
From January 1, the Number One Recruit Training Unit will be at Wagga, and RAAF College headquarters will move to Wagga from Point Cook.
The Ground Training Wing will come under the RAAF College banner, creating a larger RAAF College.
Reviewing Officer Air Marshal Geoff Shepherd said the new College headquarters would make Wagga a “one-stop shop” for recruits, with postgraduate training held at the base since 2002.
He said the changes meant recruits could train at Wagga until they reached the rank of Wing Commander, instead of training elsewhere until they were ready for technical studies.
“It makes a lot of sense to streamline our training,” Air Marshal Shepherd said.
Facilities for recruit training are under construction in a $60 million project scheduled to be ready by January.
Air Marshal Shepherd said the building works were progressing on time and on budget.
The move to Wagga will reinforce the role of defence and boost the economy in the city, with recruits frequenting local businesses.
“It really signifies our ongoing commitment to regional Australia,” Air Marshal Shepherd said.
The two existing Air Force bands, the RAAF Central Band and the Air Command Band, will combine to form the Air Force Band based at Point Cook.
Recruits will participate in a 14-week training program at RAAF Base Wagga, with the first participants arriving in January and graduating in April.
Yesterday’s parade included 40 representatives from the Air Force, 30 from the Navy and 30 from the Army, with a pair of planes making two flyovers during the ceremony.
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