July 6, 2015
Wondai marked a milestone on Sunday when it held its 10th annual Reserve Forces Day commemoration … and guests came from all over Queensland for the occasion.
Reserve Forces Day commemorates the two million Australian men and women who have served in the Army, Navy and Air Force Reserves since 1948, as well as the many thousands who have served in the CMF and other volunteer formations over the years.
The theme of this year’s commemoration was the Mesopotamian Half-Flight, a World War I campaign by Australian aviators which has been overshadowed in the nation’s attention on Gallipoli.
The Half-Flight was a group of four airmen and 41 support staff from the Australian Flying Corps.
In February 1915, the British Government of India requested the supply of an Australian Air Force unit to support the Indian Army’s campaign against the Turks in Mesopotamia (now present-day Iraq).
India supplied the aircraft – largely obsolete and under-powered biplanes unsuitable for desert flying conditions – and the Australians flew them.
The pilots suffered a 75 per cent casualty rate and most of the support staff were either killed or taken as prisoners-of-war before the doomed operation ended.
On Sunday, reservists, members of the public and invited guests gathered at the Wondai Cenotaph at 10:00am for the traditional flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony to begin the event.
This was followed by a parade from the Post Office which was reviewed by RAAF Wing Commander John Gill and Barry Collins from the Naval Association of Australia.
The parade was followed by a Recognition Service in Coronation Park led by former Wondai RSL president Wally Knight.
It included an address by Wing Commander Gill on the Mesopotamian Half-Flight; prayers led by Chaplain Vic Chapman; a reading of The Ode; the playing of The Last Post, Reveille and the national anthem; a benediction led by Vic Chapman; and then a performance of “Sunset” to mark the end of Reserve Forces Day – an arrangement that originated with the Mediterranean Fleet when it was stationed at Malta in 1932.
After this, guests enjoyed a post-parade get-together at the Wondai Diggers Club.
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