Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to use the opportunity of this constituency statement to share the story of Murray Maxton, an esteemed veteran of the Royal Australian Air Force who lives in the Great Southern part of my electorate. Murray was in Canberra earlier this month to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Bomber Command, the division that he and his brother Eric flew in during World War II. With some help from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, the Hon. Dan Tehan, and Dr Brendan Nelson, the Director of the Australian War Memorial, we managed to make this visit a very memorable occasion. The Australian War Memorial, as many of the members here would know, has the Lancaster aircraft called 'G for George', a plane that was once used in Bomber Command. The bomber is a valuable piece of history, but it is far more significant to Murray because it is the same type of aircraft he flew in 1943.

Every time Murray took to the skies in his bomber, 'D for Dog', he was accompanied by his younger brother, Eric, a radio operator. They were the only brothers ever to fly combat missions in the same aircraft. This practice was strictly forbidden at the time, but they were granted a special exemption due to the shortage of skilled aircrew. Together they flew more than 30 missions over Nazi Germany, surviving against all the odds, when the fatality rate at the time was over 50 per cent. I believe that Murray, who is 96, is the last living pilot who flew this type of aircraft. Sadly, his brother, Eric, died in 2015. Murray and Eric received numerous accolades for their service to our nation, and in 2014 both were awarded France's top military decoration, the prestigious Legion of Honour.

When Minister Tehan paid a visit to Albany in May this year, I hosted an afternoon tea for Murray and two other local World War II veterans, 100-year-old Harold Martin and 95-year-old Neil McPherson. We all had a wonderful chat, and the minister acknowledged their valuable service to our country. Murray mentioned his impending visit to Canberra and how much he would love to sit in the cockpit of G for George for one last time. With Dr Nelson's help, we were able to arrange this, and he climbed aboard the plane before having lunch under its wings on 4 June.

During his time in Canberra, Murray was also reunited with a fellow veteran he had not seen since the war. He had taken the bomb aimer over on his first flight, but the pair had not seen each other for 73 years. Murray was grateful for the chance to meet his former comrade and to reminisce about their wonderful times together.

We all owe an eternal debt to our ex-servicemen who left our shores to protect the lifestyle that we now cherish. I want to thank Minister Tehan and Dr Nelson for their generosity and pay tribute to Murray and his brother, Eric, for their selfless service to our nation.

Lucy Wicks (Robertson, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with the resolution agreed to earlier, the time for members' constituency statements has concluded.