Reflecting on three decades in RAAF this Anzac Day

For Bolton Clarke Rosebrook aged care resident and veteran Noel, a chance glimpse of a recruitment advertisement led to almost three decades of service in the Australian Air Force.

Raised in Port Fairy, Victoria, Noel says he “just happened to stumble across an advertisement” that led to the beginning of an international military career.

“I had just finished secondary school in Warrnambool when I saw the ad for a RAAF apprenticeship so I applied and after several months I was accepted,” he says.

“I had grown up in the small town of Port Fairy so it was a big move going over to Wagga Wagga to train when I was 15.

“I ended up being there for three years before I graduated as an armament fitter and was posted to RAAF Base Laverton back in Victoria.”

Noel worked his way up through the ranks, getting to know about different parts of the aircraft industry while travelling around Australia with his work.

“I was posted to Richmond in New South Wales as an air electronics officer in Neptune anti-submarine aircraft,” he recalls.

“After several years of doing that, I was commissioned as a Pilot Officer and they sent me to the United States.

“I didn’t realise it at the time but that was the start of my real RAAF travels.

“I ended up going to California, Colorado, Hawaii, the Philippines, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and New Zealand – all over the place.”

Noel served with the USAF during the Vietnam War before returning to Queensland and meeting his third child with wife Denise, who was born while he was away.

“By this stage, I had become a navigator in 1 Squadron and flew in F4E Phantom aircraft – to learn this I really became a student again.

“With an experienced pilot, we would do night dive bombing practice where we would climb up to 20,000 feet and then dive down at 500 knots, dropping six or seven bombs.”

After 27 years in the Air Force, Noel retired along with his wife Denise and together they continued to enjoy traveling the world, recently celebrating their 60^th anniversary.

Noel will join fellow residents to mark Anzac Day with a private service at Rosebrook.