Dear Minister,
Re: F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet Request – Queensland Air Museum.
I write in support of the Queensland Air Museum’s request to be allocated an F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet, a long-standing request for a profound symbol of Australia’s military, aviation, and technology heritage.
In 1974, the Queensland Air Museum opened in Brisbane, before being forced to relocate twice due to airport expansions and local infrastructure projects. Since its relocation in Caloundra in 1987, with four aircraft and only a few dozen members, the Queensland Air Museum has grown exponentially to become the largest and most diverse historic aviation collection in Australia. The Museum is a volunteer-run organisation comprising hundreds of members and showcases over 80 aircraft, plus a huge number of historically significant items, representing both Australia and Queensland Aviation History.
The organisation has a renewed focus on inspiring the next generation of aviators – both professional and recreational – as well as STEM professionals, historians, and community leaders. They are connecting with schools, industry, and community groups to deliver education programs; assist in community fundraising initiatives; and to remember those who have gone before us in defence of our country and in stewardship of that Australian pioneer spirit.
I often highlight to my electorate that Australia is facing one of the most geopolitically unstable periods in our region since World War II. This instability is only exacerbated by the rapidly advancing pace of military and aviation technology. It is vital that we do what we can to protect and promote our unique military and technological history. If we forget our history, we are doomed to repeat it. The Queensland Air Museum does a fantastic job of acknowledging the past, while engaging emerging generations and their families with a view toward the future.
The allocation of a Classic Hornet would serve as a profound show of support for the Queensland Air Museum, the Sunshine Coast, and Queensland aviation historians right across the State. It would be a feature of the Museum and would attract a wealth of attention from amateur historians, experts, industry, and the community alike. And I know that the tireless and passionate volunteers of the Queensland Air Museum would consider it a landmark moment in their nearly 50-year history.
It is therefore without hesitation that I offer my strong support to the Queensland Air Museum in their formal request to acquire a F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet.
