This morning (Friday, May 12) from 11am, residents in Broken Hill will be able to see and hear a P-8A Poseidon aircraft – operated by RAAF’s No. 11 and No. 292 Squadrons under the command of 92 Wing – in a flyover above the war memorial at Memorial Oval.
The flypast is part of the 100-year celebrations of Legacy Australia – with this year also marking 80 years of Legacy Broken Hill – and includes a Centenary Torch Relay in Adelaide, of which Secretary Treasurer of the Legacy Broken Hill branch, Mark Winen, will be representing the Silver City as a torch walker.
Mr Winen was approached by Legacy Club of South Australia and Broken Hill CEO, Kerryn Smith, nominating him to participate, putting it out there that someone from Broken Hill should take part in the walk.
The relay began in France (Pozieres) on April 23, moved to the UK (London) and arrived in Australia (Albany, WA) on April 30. The relay has made its way to South Australia now and will see 30 representatives from the club’s branches start traversing the streets of Adelaide, from Keswick Barriers at 9am, arriving at the War Memorial on Kintore Avenue at around 2pm.
“It should be great, it’s a great honour. What we do in Broken Hill, we don’t want any accolades for it, but when you’ve got 100 years of Legacy in Australia and you get nominated to go and do a walk for them and represent it, it’s quite an honour,” Mr Winen told the Truth.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about the widows and what we do for them, and this is just a little bit of an accolade that has our appreciation, I suppose.”
The acknowledgement towards the services and sacrifices made by regional communities will extend to Broken Hill, with the P-A8 Poseidon coming out of the RAAF base in Edinburgh and flying over Memorial Oval at 11am.
“We hope, if they can get clearance from CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) and people like that in the aviation world, that it can fly fairly low. Normally it’s 1500 feet, but you’d still be able to see and hear this Poseidon aircraft,” David Gallagher, Legacy Broken Hill Chairman, told us.
“It’s no stranger to Broken Hill because it’s been here a fair bit by just coming in here, doing some practices, touch down and take off, so it’s quite known to Broken Hill and its residents.
“It’s a pity that we didn’t have a torch relay here in Broken Hill, but Broken Hill is part of Legacy South Australia. What they’ve done is they’ve put in one of the flyovers over Broken Hill. And how appropriate is that for 100 years of Legacy and 80 years of Legacy in Broken Hill – it’s a great thing.
“So 11am [today], look up. If you want to have a look, go to Warnock Street or go to William Street and have a look at the Poseidon come over. It’s fairly good and people should enjoy it.”
