Southern Cross Gliding Club hosted the NSW Safety Summit at its new facility at Camden Airport on 12 October. The summit was followed by a networking event and the Gliding Australia 75th Anniversary Dinner.
Angus Taylor, federal MP for Hume, came to visit. Angus was helpful in the grant process for the new Southern Cross club house that opened recently. With him are Doug Flockhart and the President of Southern Cross GC Steven Waller.
This was the fourth event in the Safety Summit series, which has so far included Brisbane in April, Jandakot in June, Murray Bridge in August as well as Camden. A mini-summit was also held at Lake Keepit SC in May following an instructor’s course.
CEO Doug Flockhart said, "The Skyward Summits hosted by Gliding Australia have been a resounding success. Attendance at each summit has been excellent, ensuring that all key participants were present to facilitate the effective transfer of information. The interaction between presenters and attendees met expectations, fostering productive, two-way discussions that have enriched the entire experience.
"Support from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has been both welcomed and highly relevant, contributing valuable insights that have bolstered the quality of the summits. These events have strengthened communication within the gliding community while reaffirming the important partnership with CASA to enhance safety and operational standards in the sport. The only outstanding event to complete this successful series is scheduled to be staged in Victoria in the New Year, which we eagerly anticipate."
The Safety Summit was attended by glider pilots from all over NSW.
GA Safety Manager Drew McKinnie said, “I like the way the series has evolved. We have adapted to different presenters and adjusted to address emerging issues while keeping common foundations on the overall strategy and priorities. We have also met member feedback regarding the need to build beneficial face-to-face contact with a much broader target audience.
“I look forward to the final event for Victorian members in 2025 – the date and time for this meeting will be advised. What really matters is the cascade effects from these events – how much the attendees share with their club colleagues, and the changes and improved collective safety practices they implement. It’s certainly important to understand why things can go wrong, yet it’s equally important to build on positive capabilities to do things right and to do differently next time.”
Drew McKinnie, GA Safety Manager, talked safety trends and priorities and other topics during the day.
The day included a mix of presentations and discussions focusing on the latest in safety protocols, technological advances and community-building strategies. It was also a great networking event, where glider pilots from around NSW met and talked with GA Department heads.
Awareness and Ideas About Safety
The Summit aimed to heighten awareness of the full range of safety issues and stimulate new thoughts to plan for the future.
After an introduction from CEO Doug Flockhart, the day began with a talk from Drew McKinnie, setting the scene and presenting safety imperatives, trends and priorities. The summit continued with a series of presentations and discussions.
Important features of the event included a presentation from Aaron Stroop Chair of Operations with Dave Boulter EMO who talked about Operations Issues, SOAR reporting trends and safety focus areas. Also, Anthony Smith Chair Airworthiness gave a Pawnee airworthiness update and discussed further airworthiness issues and safety focus areas.
Terry Horsam, a Safety Adviser from CASA, made a presentation on gliding and mixed operations safety as well as CASA’s safety awareness and education resources. He particularly focused on communication, stressing the challenges and requirements of successful radio communication in the air.
Terry Horsam from CASA
In the afternoon, Anthony Smith raised topics on FLARM, FLARM testing and cross country and performance flying safety. He also talked about Part 149 and its adoption by GA – how it has been implemented, and ongoing ramifications for the sport.
Robbie Bull Regional Manager Soaring Development NSW and Matthew Atkinson Assistant RMO SD gave an update on performance flying coaching.
Drew McKinnie then made a further presentation on positive safety culture changes and education and awareness challenges.
GA 75 Celebration Dinner
After a full and fascinating day of presentations and discussions, the attendees were free to mingle and network before dinner was served.
The dinner was followed by a series of presentations from clubs around NSW, sharing the history of their organisations. Dave Boulter talked about the beginnings of Southern Cross GC. The origins of the club can be traced back to Sydney Button, who built a primary glider in 1941 near Mascot Airport. The Amalgamated Wireless Australia Gliding Club, which had started in July 1944, purchased Button's Primary Glider and eventually changed their name to Southern Cross Gliding Club in 1948.
The club moved from Fleurs Airstrip to Camden in 1953, where student pilots dragged the primary aircraft up and down the main strip on a 25m long wire and tried not to crunch it down too hard as they learned to glide. A picture of this beloved machine is placed on the clubhouse wall. Powered aircraft traffic in those days was a single Tiger Moth per fortnight.
An enjoyable dinner in the new Southern Cross club house.
Camden Takes Off
By the early 1950s the club bought a Kookaburra. After also buying a winch, they could increase their membership to 40, but no more until they bought a Grunau Baby in 1957. Dave spoke about the people and the spirit of the early years, describing in particular some famous members including Werner Geisler and Roger Woods.
Drew McKinnie then stood up to talk about the origins of Canberra GC. The club was formed in 1962 when members flew from a series of airfields before moving to the Cooma area in 1975. It was there that they realised that they were in ‘the weather factory’ and began to explore the enormous potential for exhilarating, high-altitude soaring in the wave. They finally moved to their current site at Bunyan in 1982. Drew mentioned veteran pilot Col Vassarotti who has only recently stopped gliding after 65 years of gliding.
Col told the group a bit about his beginnings in gliding. By the age of 17, he had decided he wanted to learn to fly, but finding a place to learn was not easy. He contacted a pilot who was flying out of Camden and eventually found the fledgling Southern Cross club. He was also there for the beginnings of Canberra GC and has been a major personality in the sport ever since. His presence on gliding fields will be sorely missed.
Grant Nelson gave the history of Temora GC.
Stories … and More Stories
Jonty Boshier from Bathurst Soaring Club described how three gliding groups came together and merged to became BSC in 1973. Another famous personality, Monty Cotton, was instrumental in the beginning of the club. In 1976 Werner Geisler started discussions with Roger Piper, the descendant of Major Piper, an early colonialist soldier from whom Point Piper on Sydney Harbour gets its name. The club bought land near Bathurst from Roger Piper and since 1974, BSC has been located at Piper’s Field.
Matthew Atkinson talked about Lake Keepit SC. This club was formed when five clubs in northern NSW amalgamated and eventually moved to Lake Keepit in 1976. Club members including Ian McPhee and Nick Hatfield have been with the club for more than 50 years.
The most dramatic event in the club’s history was probably the great fire that was deliberately lit and engulfed their hangar and destroyed many gliders.
Michael Woolley from Central Coast SC recounted several harrowing tales of floods and winch wire entanglements with electricity lines. Eventually the club moved to higher ground at its current home of Mangrove Mountain, and has run the Glorious Gloucester ridge camp for 40 years.
RIGHT: The French contingent, Betty Brassier from BSC, Jean-Yves Provost and Richard and Nicole Shemtob from Southern Cross.
Our History and Future
The founding stories of all the clubs were detailed and fascinating. It is interesting to look back to see where the gliding movement in Australia began. It became clear that without that foundation, without the effort and determination of particular people throughout the past 75 years, our sport would be very different and our freedom to fly may never have come about.
The generous presentations from club members included far too many stories and information to write here. However, over the coming issues of Gliding Australia Magazine I will include the histories of some of our clubs Australia-wide.
Beryl Hartley gave the history of Narromine GC.
Sean Young