by Phil Anthony

On Thursday 27 February, Phil Anthony, Anthony James and Phil’s friend Rob flew Anthony’s Bonanza to Mallacoota to observe the bushfire devastation in Gippsland and to meet with two friends who were working in the relief of the township.

Along the way, there were extensive burnt areas and from Orbost flying East, the vast majority of the area we could see had been burnt.

We were greeted at Mallacoota airfield by Brodie and partner from Glasgow, Sandy. Brodie grew up in Mallacoota and was Phil’s daughter’s bridesmaid last year. Her parents’ house narrowly escaped the flames. As they were holidaying in Mallacoota when the fires started, they naturally helped the township recover in the best way they could. They now are working full time. Brodie is running the makeshift youth centre in the closed down newsagency and Sandy as an arborist, clearing damaged trees and rescuing koalas. Brodie hopes that the government will fund the continuation of the youth centre which has filled a need in the community.

After shouting our hosts lunch at the pub, they drove us around the town to show us the extent of the damage from fires. About a quarter of the town’s buildings were destroyed. Already the gums are re-growing but the tea trees will not. The caravan park had re-opened and we noticed many visitors in the town supporting the recovery. The AFL state of origin match the next night was a great way to help the recovery.

Well done and thanks so much to Brodie, Sandy and friends who work so tirelessly in support of the fire-ravaged communities.

A group of LFC pilots are planning to do a similar visit in March.

LFC Members.

At the last committee meeting it was discussed what would be the best way for LFC to contribute to the recovery of towns and businesses in the bushfire-effected areas of Victoria. In the end the decision was made that we could simply do what LFC does best: fly to regional areas and spend money there. Consequently we have tentative plans to fly down to Mallacoota for lunch very soon. This could be a day trip or if people wanted to stay overnight, even better. At this stage we have no dates as Mallacoota Airport is still closed to all but the ADF, emergency services and selected relief flight. We will stay in contact with the authorities down there and let you know as soon as the airport is open to the public again.

Right now, we are asking members to put forward their names if they are interested in making this trip. We need a handle on numbers so we can make sure the town would be capable of dealing with the size of the group. If you’re up for this, please send an e-mail to Steve Hitchen hitchy@iinet.net.au soonest.

Lilydale Flying Club is once again taking memberships renewals! We have had a sabbatical on membership fees whilst we came up with a better option for banking. Now that has been sorted out we are once again in a position for people to start renewing their memberships.

All memberships are due as of 1 October 2020, and will run for one year. Once again, membership for your whole family is just $30.

The funds will put us on a good footing for future projects that the committee is currently working on and is considering the feedback given to us via the recent member survey. More details on that very soon.

To renew your membership, simply click on the link below and you will be registered as a member and given details of how to transfer the money to the LFC bank account. NOTE: at this time there is no mechanism for paying LFC membership over the counter at the flying school.

LFC Membership Renewal

It’s on again! The legendary Lilydale Flying Club Trivia Night is back. We’re back at Atticus Wine Bar in Yarra Glen on 31 August to decide the club trivia kings. The pride of winning this prestigious event is once again your team’s for the taking. There’ll be scintillating conversation, food, wine and beer, fun times and somewhere in the midst of all that will be a trivia competition. Does you team have what it takes to claim bragging rights for the next year? Download the flyer below, then get your team registered via our on-line registration systems at this site: https://bit.ly/2xPyjkI

Don’t you ever let a chance go by.

Winter is really not that far away now and consequently neither is the annual Lilydale Airport Winter Dinner!

We’re back at Fergusson Winery on Saturday 29 June for another fantastic night of great food, wine and conversation of just about every type.

There’s more news to come on this in the next couple of days. For the time being, get this in your diary and start booking now. You can book and pay through either Lilydale Flying Club or through Lilydale Flying School. More details on payment option also to follow.

This is always a fantastic evening and there’s no reason why we won’t make it another brilliant night this year.

All the details you need to know are in the flyer below.

Note: there are two ways to get yourself on the list.

Firstly, you can book and pay at Lilydale Flying School. See Bronni Bowen or any of the staff, who can see you right.

Secondly, you can book through Lilydale Flying Club with an e-mail to Steve Hitchen (hitchy@iinet.net.au). In this case, you will be given bank account details to transfer payment to and you will be asked to forward the transaction receipt to Steve.

To register, click on the link below and fill in your details. You will be then given the banking details. Please copy the receipt and e-mail it to Steve Hitchen.

2019 Winter Dinner Registration