// 2009—The Year That Was
W/O Keith Gell
By W/O Keith Gell, Warrant Officer of the Air Force
Christmas is nearly upon us, so it’s time to reflect and highlight some of the Royal New Zealand Air Force activities for the year.
No 3 Squadron: Well done—your reputation always making the RNZAF proud.
No 5 Squadron: Awesome—more Search and Rescue activity than what we wanted, however you folk stepped up.
No 6 Squadron: You’re an excellent example to the world in helicopter operations at sea. It’s time someone wrote a book about it.
No 40 Squadron: It’s all good—you’re doing the business all around the world. I‘m sure our allies think we have 20 transport aircraft.
Expeditionary Support Squadron: What a big year you’ve had. I can now see a joined up Squadron. Great leadership displayed.
Integrated Mission Support Squadron: What a sexy place to work, in my eyes.
Maintenance Wing: Great work team—you’re the backbone for our force elements.
Material Support Wing: Nothing flies without supply. I don’t know how you do it sometimes. Awesome leadership displayed on your alcohol campaign. Special mention goes to our Logistics Squadron at Woodbourne.
Directorate of Aeronautical Configuration: World class Airworthiness System. Your role is hard to explain to folk outside of the aviation industry. You’re unsung heroes, in my world.
Ground Training Wing: Well done—you do world class training. Great courage displayed leading the Air Force in organisational structure change.
Flying Training Wing: Well done instructors—you’ve had another busy year producing world class pilots. Hats off to the survival school also.
Operational Support Wings: You’re the glue that binds us together. Uncertainty in some areas, however I believe you have become stronger. Well done also to the medical trade, I can now see some purpose.
Training Group Headquarters: Great work everyone—staff work, Defence Transformation Project, Enterprise New Zealand. Who said you folk work in a sleepy hole?
Operational Support Group Headquarters: For a relatively new Headquarters, great work is being delivered. Well done to Rosemary Fletcher on the catering contract. Noticeable changes everywhere.
485 Wing: Great work has been done by these teams—Operational Airworthiness, Safety and Health, Introduction to Service. Plenty of stuff going on—professionalism springs to mind.
Commander Logistics: What an awesome team in Wellington—another bunch of unsung heroes. Anyone would think there are a thousand of you.
Air Staff: You exercise great Stewardship of our Air Force. It’s been a challenging year with money and personnel at the forefront, however, as you know, it’s about securing our future. You might need to invest in lotto tickets for next year!
‘Lest we forget’: F/S Andy Forster, AC Blake Hudson, and AC Mike Fraser.
It’s in difficult times like the death of our Service people that I see how strong we are as an Air Force family.
Finally, thanks everyone for another committed year and thank you for your service. Take care over the holiday period and look after each other.
For all the family members who support our personnel, thank you for your commitment.
For those that are on duty over the holiday break, thank you.