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January 2000

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Time Out
Wednesday, 26 January 2000

The past few days have been quite busy for me. The assessments for the course are now completed (IT pracs were completed Monday, and yesterday was the Fieldcraft exercises and assessments), and the cadets are preparing for Graduation Parade tomorrow evening.

I have also been able to get some time with the family. Leonie and Thomas came down to Perth on Friday, and, as there was a break in my timetable for the camp, I was able to spend Saturday night with them at Leonie's mothers. I think poor Thomas really missed me, as he was quite pleased to see me in the end, although I think he was a bit annoyed with me at first for having gone away! Anyway, we had a bonding time in the evening, as Leonie enjoyed a good break.

Back to camp on Sunday morning, made me realise that this camp has not been as enjoyable as I would have liked. The kids have been great - in fact, they are a really good bunch. Its more that I don't feel like part of the "In Crowd" with some of the other instructors. There have been a few comments made that have meade me feel very uncomfortable sometimes. I know i have a bit of a weight problem at the moment (and, yeah, I *do* need to do something about it), but it has made wearing my uniform a bit of a problem. So I can understand where the comments are coming from - but it still makes me a bit uncomfortable around certain people. I had a good chat with Teresa, the Squadrons Equities Officer, which helped. However, I can't say I'll be disappointed to get home on Friday.

Today is "Australia Day". I find the whole concept of what this day represents difficult to relate to - not the being Australian bit, I think we need a new day to represent that. Its just that today is no longer as unifying as it was - it means different things to some people. Chnage will happen oneday - but not for a while yet.

Flying High and Little Saigon
Friday, 21 January 2000

Janette and Larry were lucky enough to get backseat rides in PC-9's - the training aircraft used here by No 2 Flying Training School. Both are pilots themselves (Larry is Flight Commander of the Squadrons' Flying Instruction Flight, and Janette is a qualified flying instructor), so it was great for them. I would have loved to have gone too, but I am not able - too overweight! (Now there's an incentive to loose weight!) It seems that in order for the ejection seats to work correctly there is a height and weight range applicable to all crew. Anyway, I can dream...

I went along to the flight line to get some pictures before that went, which was an experience for me anyway, to see excatly how the flight line works. It was interesting (and quite funny) seeing them get dressed up in the G-suits (these are high performance aircraft capable of full aerobatics), as well as the pre-flight proceedures.

	This is Janette and her pilot going out to the flight line ready to go.
Larry's PC-9 taxiing ready for takeoff.

Last night we had a veritable feast of authentic Vietnamese food, courtesy of Lan and Roberta, two instructors on course. All afternoon, our block was a hive of activity, and cooking. The aromors were very enticing indeed - made the place smell like Little Saigon - delicious!

The course is going well, although through timetable rearrangements I haven't had a lot to do these past few days. In the coming days, however, I need to get all the cadets through their Instructional technique practicals.

Leonie and Thomas will be down in Perth today, so I am looking forward to Saturday evening, when I have arranged some more time off Base.

Another fine mess you've got me into...
Monday, 17 January 2000

The Base sprang to life today after the Summer/Christmas-New Year stand down period. Lots more activity! And the opening of the Officers Mess proper.

You see, up until now, there has been a single mess open for all ranks - there's been so few personnel on Base - the Officers Mess Annexe (otherwise known as the Studs Mess, and used by the student pilots during their flying courses). I always thought, if anyone wanted to invade Australia, the perfect time to do it would be mid-December to mid-January when everyone, including the military, are on holidays! - *grin*.

Anyway, now that the Base is fully operational again, all the messes are open again - the cadets and Airmen go to the Airmens Mess, Sergeants and Warrent Officers go to the Sergeants Mess, and Offices..., well, you get the idea. I think I have some pictures of the 'grand old Officers Mess' here at Pearce somewhere on my site - try the Backissues page and look for July 1998 - I think the links are there [aside: I'm writing this offline and my disk archives don't go back that far, so I can't easily check].

Without wanting to appear too elitist, it is nice to be back in a *civilised* mess (not that I have anything against Airmen/Women) - its just the more gentile atmosphere and customs of the O's is more to my liking - even if it does seem deathly quiet at times.

I mentioned the Airmen - and really we *do* all get along a bit better than the above would seem. Last night (Sunday) was the last night of the All-ranks Mess at the Studs, so of course we partied a bit - well, almost a bit too much. I lost count of the number of shooters, and other drinks we consumed, but the games room ended up being well patronised by the inebriated. Its amazing how your game of Pool improves proportionally with the amount of alcohol!

Today was also the day the Instructional Technique assessments which began with the Theory Test, and initial practicals. I have my results with the Training Officer this evening, so I can relax a bit more.

Tomorrow is a Range Day for the cadets rifle shooting, and since I'm not involved in that this year, I get a day off. I have arranged for a friend to come up from Perth to pick me up, and she has a 'net connection, so I might be able to get this up loaded. I call it my 'Sanity Leave Day'. After you have been here a week or so, you slowly start to go bonkers, being sensory deprived in a relatively cocooned environment that is a military base - I havn't heard a thing thats been going on in the world all week, not even the cricket results! Its partly because the focus is so much on the cadets and the course, and the difficulty in a country based instructor without transport getting off Base. So, Jenny, you are a sweetheart for rescuing me, even if it is only for one day!

Unseasonal weather
Friday, 14 January 2000

Its *not* supposed to rain at RAAF Pearce in January! It's supposed to be hot and sunny and sweaty and stuff like that! It's down right odd this rain we had this afternoon - of course it was accompanied by a severe thunderstorm - just heard that a couple of strikes blew holes on the tarmac. (Don't worry, I've waited until its passed before I've pulled the laptop out and written this entry.)

These last few days have been a bit more relaxing that on previous courses. I've actually had time to myself instead of being run off my feet. Last nigth we undertook the initial cadet interviews - assessing their personal attributes and suitability for promotion (it is a promotioanl course afterall). So far the entire group we have seems OK. But its early days yet - it's only a week into the course - exams and the pressure-cooker point doesn't come until later.

I have written to the family (well, Leonie once and Kathryn twice - she is still with Nanna in Perth), and made numerous phone calls, but I still miss them. It's lonely being here on Base, especially when other local instructors can come and go off Base as they want - I don't have transport and the Base is some kilometers north of even the outskirts of Perth. It would be nice just to get down to Midland for an hour or so, just to get away from things here. Not that its hard here or anything - it just seems all enclosing sometimes. I guess I'm lucky this time and at least I don't have to worry about anything other than my classes and stuff.

Oh!, before I forget - I got to be Parade Review Officer on the Squadron Daily Parade this morning! That involved me haveing to "inpect the troops" - normally the job of a more senior officer.

The rain will be gone soon - and then I'll probably be complaining about how hot and muggy it is!

Blister, anyone?
Tuesday, 11 January 2000

Well, its now three days into the camp at Pearce and already cadets are 'falling by the wayside' so to speak, with complaints of various soughts - mostly blisters on the feet. Its so unsual to get that this early into the three week camp. You expect it towards the end in week two and three (after there has been considerable drill on the parade ground), but not two or three days into the camp! Very odd. I have a few too, but I am managing them OK - for me its that I'm not used to wearing my cadet shoes all day.

Other than that, it has been pleasant enough so far. This year I have only been allocated as 2IC to one of the SNCO flights ("D" Flight), and am only lecturing in Instructional Technnique. We have 20 cadets to be put through this course. They seem OK at this point, but you always get impressions first up that usually prove accurate. There are a couple that will do well - their enthusiasim shows right from the word go - there are a few that will struggle, and maybe even not make it through - again, their lack of enthusiasim shows early. The majority will be somewhere in between, and will pass OK.

This morning we had our first full parade including instructors - went OK, except that I stuffed up the fall-out of the officers and marched the wrong way. I just kept on as I was going so as not to draw attention to the fact by abruptly changing direction - just make it look as if that was what I was supposed to do *grin*. The Detachment WOD had a word to me afterwards. "Yes, I realised it was the wrong way. It won't happen again." Needless to say, Drill is not one of my strong points in this organisation.

Why Two Kaye?
Thursday, 6 January 2000

OK, its a safe distance into the New year to write. Firstly, I've had time to take stock of where I'm at (and I'm back in Kalgoorlie for a while). Secondly, there has been enough time to let any problem with the "Why Two Kaye" bug to fade away. There has been much comment about how much money it all took - and *nothing* happened! Sheesh! What a waste of money that was! What a con! All I can say is, when you pay your insurance premium for whatever it is you are insuring, do you jump up and down and complain when nothing happens? I don't think so.

Any way, since I last wrote, the date has slipped over into the New Year - the Year 2000. I'm not gonna get into any debate about whether it IS infact the new millennium - thats a tired old debate that goes around in circles anyway - and who cares for that matter - only the pedants.

For my family and I, it was just another New Years Eve - with perhaps a bit more entertainment on the telly. Yes, thats right! Party of the Millennium happening right around the world and we stayed home? Well, it is a bit hard to drag kids out on a night like that, and with all the hype, it was just easier to stay at home. So we did.

I gotta admit the television coverage was interesting, if a bit disjointed at time and hard to follow as we leaped from timezone to timezone, from last rays of sunlight, to midnight to dawn, and back again in an exhausting string of places and people. Perhaps there was a tad too much of the same looking fireworks everywhere (and, yes, I do think maybe it IS a bit of a waste of money). For me, the most interesting part was the cultural and music performances shown.

I had to wake up Kathryn and Leonie just before midnight here - they had fallen asleep. I undertook the Scottish tradition of "First-footing" - first crossing of the household threshold in the New Year. I brought my symbolic piece of wood (for warmth in the colder climates - even though it was still hot and humid in Perth), and the coin for wealth in the coming New Year. These were give to the matriach of the household - in this case Leonies mother - in exchange for a drink (a sherry) and some Scotch shortbread - representing sustenance for the guest. I thought it added a nice traditional symbolism to the whole proceedings and, well, it meant something to me to keep alive a tradition that my Grandmother (of Scottish decent) had taught me.

After a very short sleep during which I managed to catch parts of the television coverage, we were up and out for breakfast at the Hillaries marina - I'm not sure why we chose there, I guess it was a place to take the kids for a short swim, and I do like poached eggs for breakfast.

The last few days were spent in Perth doing a few odd jobs like fixing a few things at Leonies mothers house where we were staying, and getting ready to come back to Kalgoorlie. Kathryn, as usual, stayed in Perth with her Nanna (athough its not quite so altruistic as that - ther is an alteria motive there - she has some friends in the neighbourhood).

Yesterday was spent catching up on three weeks of emails - half of which ended up in the email trashcan!

Tomorrow I head off to Pearce RAAF base for the annual cadet promotional couses. This year, as before, I will be instructing on the Senior NCO course. Hopefully I can keep this journal going throughout the time, if I get some spare moments, even if I can't post it all until I get back at the end of the month. At least you all will have something to read then anyway.