100th Anniversary of the RAAF Commemorative Service

Come along to the Catalina Memorial on the 27th March 2021 at 10:00am to help us remember the last 100 years of the RAAF.

The RAAF traces its history back to the Imperial Conference in 1911. It was here that it was decided, aviation should be developed within the Armed Forces of the British Empire. Australia was the only country to implemented this decision, by approving the establishment of the Central Flying School (CFS) in 1912. The location for the proposed school was initially to be at Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory, but in July 1913 Point Cook, Victoria, was announced as the preferred location. The first flights by CFS aircraft took place there in March 1914.

The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was formed as a Militia unit, with staff and students to be selected from the Citizen Forces. After an abortive deployment to German New Guinea at the end of 1914 as part of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force, it earned a most creditable reputation in both Palestine and France during World War I as a part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). The AFC remained part of the Australian Army until 1919, when it was disbanded along with the AIF. Although the CFS continued to operate at Point Cook, military flying virtually ceased until 1920, when the Australian Air Corps was formed. The Australian Air Force was formed on 31 March 1921.