Tom Partridge
Began at the school in '57 with you lot but decided that 1st year was such fun that I'd do it again, so graduated in '62. Then:
1963/64 Bathurst Teachers' College
65/66 Teaching
67 Called up for Vietnam - sent to Scheyville for officer training course
67/68 Armoured Corps training
68/69 USA for helicopter training (Texas & Alabama)
69/70 South Vietnam with 161 Recce Flight. Our ops consisted of close support of our infantry, low level recon, directing artillery and marking targets for air strikes. Flew Cobra gunships, assault slicks and scouts for the US Air Cav.
71 Back to Oz
72 Back to US for flying instructor course (Alabama).
73/86 Back to Oz - met and teamed up with the beautiful Beverley. Then followed various flying, regimental and staff postings including a year at the Australian Staff College and two years at the Aust Embassy, Washington, DC.
87/90 Freelance media pilot for all the TV channels in Sydney.
90/94 Chief Pilot at Child Flight (the neonatal retrieval helicopter)
94/2000 Chief Pilot at Channel Ten, Sydney for news gathering ops.
2001 Retired for a life of:
- Feet up
- Reunions
- Hashing (with Ian Thomas at the Posh Hash)
- Biking (growing old disgracefully with the Ulysses Club)
Are there any Old Falconian bikers out there? Contact me at 57 South Ave, Leichhardt 2040 or call me, call me now, on 95646282 for good times (no freaks - leather lovers OK).