Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my privilege to rise in the Centenary of Anzac year to record my thanks to the efforts of the flying men of the Catalinas in World War II and record my support for a national war memorial to be built in honour of their service here in Canberra.

I want particularly to mention the Reverend Dick Udy who was a flight lieutenant wireless air gunner in the Catalina flying boat used during World War II by the RAAF. The Catalina was recorded by General MacArthur as one of three reasons, principally, that the Allies won the war in World War II. I will have more to say about this over the course of this parliament.

The Catalina Flying Memorial that is located at Bankstown Airport is currently the subject of a restoration project to get a Catalina to fly again. I want to pay tribute to those men, those former veterans and pilots of these great planes in the 'Cat' club, who flew long and dangerous missions in World War II—and not just military missions. The only civilian service that connected Australia and the UK in World War II was a flight, a double-dawn service, from Perth to London that was flown by these brave men.

The Black Cat crews and the Cat crews that are forming this group to get a Catalina flying again and also to get a memorial recording their service are enormously important. It is enormously important that we record our history; that we remember it and that we remember the service of these brave and fine soldiers in World War II. I am looking forward to supporting them and looking forward to seeing more action in this space this year.