THE best way to commemorate our place in Australia’s World War II efforts would be through the WWII Aviation Training and Kittyhawk Museum at Mildura Airport.
For three years during the war, Mildura Aerodrome was the base for the Mildura No.2 Operational (Fighter) Training Unit, known as 2OTU.
New fighter pilots were trained predominantly in P-40 Kittyhawks at the base before heading to the Pacific theatre of war.
The Mildura 2OTU Heritage Inc group has developed plans for the museum. It proposes to house wartime artefacts, interactive displays and aircraft including a working Kittyhawk.
The museum could form part of a war history trail in northern Victoria, with the Lake Boga Catalina Museum and the war museum at Nhill among other war history centres.
As well as providing benefits from tourism and a place to commemorate the amazing and brave efforts of fighter pilots and the support crews through 2OTU, the museum would be a fantastic educational tool.
Research has shown Sunraysia contributed at least 150 soldiers to a major WWII battle in Libya. For eight months the men of the Tobruk garrison, who would become known at the Rats of Tobruk, withstood German and Italian forces in one of the bravest and most inspiring acts of the war.
We also need to commemorate the fact Mildura provided more service men and women to that Middle East campaign.
It is clear Mildura and Sunraysia – through 2OTU and the Rats of Tobruk – have a unique place in Australia’s wartime history and we really need the infrastructure to tap into that history.
I have this week invited Minister for Veterans Shaun Leane and Minister for Tourism Martin Pakula to visit Mildura to tour the proposed museum site, talk to relevant stakeholders and discuss funding options. The Kittyhawk museum is high on my State Budget hitlist this year as we look to shine a light on our wartime efforts and open up another terrific tourism opportunity.
