October, 2018 Newsletter
AGM 2018
You are invited to attend the 2018 Annual General Meeting. It will be held at the Restoration Hangar on Saturday, 17th November at 11 AM.
Light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the meeting.
To ensure we have a quorum we have included with this newsletter a Proxy Form. If you want to use your proxy please fill it out carefully and return it to PO Box 156, Werribee, 3030 or E-mail to the secretary by noon on Friday, 16 November 2018. All necessary details are on the form.
Changes to Constitution.
The Constitution has been updated and revised to take account of advice from Museums Australia (Victoria) and Not-for-Profit Law. Click here to read.
Committee for 2019.
As the number of Candidates equals the number of vacancies there will not be an election for the 2019 Executive and the Committee of Management. Following are brief resumes of those standing.
Executive.
# Lyn Gorman (President.
I am standing for re-election as president for 2018-19 because I believe my knowledge of our organization, my experience and skill set are valuable given the current stage of development of the B-24 Liberator Memorial Australia. We have continued to make steady progress with restoration of the B-24 Liberator bomber as well as excellent progress with the Airspeed Oxford. However, two critical matters have not been finalized.
One is the relocation, restoration and handover of Hangar 1. Considerable progress has been made this year and I will continue to participate in the process until the matter is concluded to the satisfaction of all parties.
The second item is our museum accreditation which I have closely monitored and contributed to. It is now possible that we will receive that accreditation before March 2019.
Other matters that will require my participation during 2019 are: increase in membership, additional hangar volunteers and improved exposure to local and international media.
I seek your ongoing support in these challenging times for our association.
#Graeme Collis (Vice-President).
For the last few years I have been on the general committee with duties as membership secretary, as well as contributing to marketing and security. We have seen great advances since my first involvement in the 1990s when we only had a wing and a hub cap. The hangar now contains three in work projects, the B-24, the Airspeed Oxford and the CAC Boomerang, displays of relevant artifacts and a profitable shop. I feel privileged to be associated with the B-24 in this exciting and pivotal time with the prospect of a relocated Hangar 1 and museum accreditation. There is more I can do so, with the encouragement of the executive team, I have decided to run for an executive position in the 2019 committee. Please accept my nomination as Vice-President. I will do my best in that role, as well as my current duties.
# Judith Gilbert (Secretary).
In 2005 I was elected Secretary of this organization and have served in the role ever since. I seek another term in office as I wish to be part of the team working with Melbourne Water and Heritage Victoria to successfully conclude the establishment of the museum precinct. I have been a member of this group since negotiations first started and want to be there when we finally reach the end.
As well as general secretarial duties/responsibilities I facilitate communication between Committee and the hangar groups and those important to the restoration that cannot attend the hangar regularly. I also organize and record the support group set up to assist in the establishment of the museum precinct.
I ask for your support for serving again on the Executive team.
# Gary Singline (Treasurer).
I would like to nominate for the position of Treasurer for the B-24 Liberator Memorial Australia Inc.
I have held the position on an ex-officio arrangement since February 2018.
I was - prior to retirement - a Certified Practising Accountant with a number of companies, including the Packaging industry, Food Manufacturing, Clothing and Stock Feed, giving me a breadth of experience in Accounting disciplines and procedures.
My hobby is related to the restoration and modification of old motor vehicles; which gives me an appreciation of the requirements of the restoration of a World War 2 Bomber.
Committee of Management.
# Tony Muller.
I have accepted the nomination for a position on the Committee for the year 2019 as I believe there is still a need for my experience. My background in management and team leadership, as well as my technical expertise, is vital in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition to museum accreditation as well as the preparation for the Hangar 1 relocation. I will maintain my activity as guest speaker and other activities including setting up and overseeing outside functions alongside my wife Margot. If re-elected I will continue overseeing the training of volunteers on the maintenance and overhaul of the various types of engines and turrets we operate. Also from early this year I have been helping with the advancement of the Airspeed Oxford project and I am currently part of the sub-committee set up to help coordinate the planning with the volunteers for the smooth transition from a set of sub-assemblies to a finished and displayable aircraft. Currently I am working to locate items for the reassembly of the retractable undercarriage and would like to continue in this role.
In December it will be the start of my 19th year of involvement with the B-24 Liberator restoration.
# John Keevins.
As convener of the Acquisition Group for two and a half years I have been responsible for organizing meetings, creating and distributing minutes and representing the group at Committee meetings. I am continuing my work cleaning and restoring piping and components in preparation for fitting them to the relevant aircraft system. I seek a further term on committee to further develop these roles.
# Ken Hindle
I began my involvement with the B-24 at the Weerama Festival in 1997 so you could say I am a bit of a veteran. Nat Eichler was my first point of contact. When he heard of my experience, he put me straight to work after completing the paperwork. I was a coordinator on the B-24 until work started on the Oxford. I now hold the position of Oxford coordinator. I have a small dedicated crew working with me. I was a committee member for several years representing the B-24. I wish to return to the committee to represent the Oxford.
# Paul Rourke.
I have been a long term member of the project since 1995 off and on, and since 2015 have been a full-time member of the restoration crew. For the last two years I have served as a Committee member.
# Ken Abbott.
About 15 years ago I discovered our B-24 restoration project through contact with my old ATC instructor, Ron Platt. At that time I was between jobs and working on the B-24 provided the push into a career move into aviation maintenance, first with Ansett then Qantas. I am now an aircraft engineer with various type licences. My projects in the hangar are various; the one I am currently working on is creating a safe and secure area for our technical manuals and donated artifacts to support our museum accreditation project.
# Lesley Knights.
I am interested in joining the Committee. I have been involved with the hangar for some years working in the shop and at events. I also assist with catering when we have functions at the hangar. I have good organizational skills having run a Post Office and been the manager of a business team for the local council during my employment in the UK.
I have served on the Committee of Friends of Werribee Park for eight years and have been President for five years supporting Parks Victoria and Wyndham Council at the Mansion and local events. I am very interested in the museum accreditation process and would like to be involved in this project.
New Item requiring identification.
One of ours this time. Sometime in the distant past we acquired this item along with several other items. It has been stored in an obscure stores area and has just emerged along with wings and horizontal tail-plane.
Please click here to view photo
It is about 25 ft long, professionally made, no part numbers visible, one wheel located on the centre of the fuselage and a release mechanism present at the nose and no moving flying controls. Any comments or clues would be appreciated.
A72-176 Liberator Report.
Fuselage and wings.
Due to the short time since the last Newsletter and the requirement to set up and restore the hangar to cater for the Military Re-enactment event, the resources for the tasks marked XXXXXXX were re-allocated in this instance.
Armament.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Front Turret.
Re-assembly of the turret continues with attention being paid to the readjustment of the chain drives for the armour plated glass.
Rear Turret.
Work continues on the ammo drive sprockets.
Upper escape hatch.
Continuing with re-fit.
Bomb racks, fit out.
It has been discovered that the forward and aft rack assemblies are of different modification levels and some of our small electrical components are not compatible.
Norden bomb sight, delivery demonstrations.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Oxford Report
The top skin of the starboard wing has been fitted and secured. Work has commenced on the manufacturing of the bottom skin and the preparation of the structure prior to fitting. The Oxford hangar area has been rearranged to ensure space is available to commence work on the fuselage frames in the near future.
Museum Precinct, Progress report (relocation of Hangar 1
There is encouraging progress regarding the dismantling, relocation (adjacent to our Hangar 2) and restoration of the larger Hangar 1 as part of our expanded museum precinct. We are having regular discussions with Melbourne Water and other stakeholders. A structural engineer’s report has been completed, and Melbourne Water will be applying to Heritage Victoria for the permit to move and restore Hangar 1.
Museum accreditation, Progress report.
Following a visit by the Museums Australia (Victoria) group last February, we have made consistent progress toward satisfying their requirements for formal accreditation of the B-24 Liberator Memorial Australia. In September two MA(Vic) representatives visited us to review our progress and discuss any outstanding requirements. We are on track to deal with these and become accredited by the 12-month deadline (March 2019).
A step back in time!
On 23 September we hosted the bi-annual Military Re-enactment group within our precinct.
This one was to commemorate the end of WW1.
Several groups and nations were represented with authentic uniforms, weapons and transport vehicles.
The photo - click here to view - was part of the Werribee Half Battery action display. They took the opportunity to demonstrate their restored 2 pounder cannon dating back to the late 1800s.
Other activities included the demonstration firings of a 25-Pounder cannon and our mid upper turret. Our thanks to Matt Heddle and his group for activating this event.
Vale_Robert (Bugs) Rose
It is with regret we have to inform members that Bob Rose passed away on 30 August 2018 with the funeral being held at Altona on 10 September. Bob was a long-term, well respected member of the restoration crew, Committee member of the restoration and Treasurer of the B-24 RAAFA Branch. He will be greatly missed by the hangar team. Our deepest sympathy to Bernice and Rebecca.
President’s Message
Next month we shall hold our Annual General Meeting (on 17 November) so this will be my last Newsletter message as President of the 2018 Committee. First, I thank all Committee members for their dedication and hard work. It is essential that associations such as ours have an active and involved Committee of Management. Second, I am sure readers of our regular Newsletters will have gained a sense of the wide range of activities undertaken at the hangar during 2018, of the variety of tasks completed and the many skills required in our project. We value the immense contribution by volunteers to undertakings such as ours; their work has been integral to the achievements of the B-24 Liberator Memorial Australia to date. Finally, it is exciting to consider the progress made in 2018 regarding the relocation and restoration of Hangar 1, the planned expansion of the B-24 Liberator museum precinct, and our formal accreditation as a museum through Museums Australia (Victoria). I encourage you to attend the AGM in November, but if you cannot be there, please return your proxy form so that your ‘voice will be heard’.
Notice: The hangar will close for the Christmas break on Thursday, 20 December 2018 and re-open on Tuesday, 8 January 2019. If you have visitors from interstate or overseas during that time who wish to see our restoration projects, please contact our Secretary and time of visit may be arranged.
