Manning River Aero Club recently received a NSW government grant to undertake repairs on the clubhouse.
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Member for Myall Lakes Stephen Bromhead presented the $20,000 grant, from the Community Building Partnership program, to club president Mark Drury and members Garry Tonkin and Richard Gliddon.
Mr Drury thanked Mr Bromhead for the State government's contribution to the aero club and assured the funds will be carefully and well spent.
Mr Bromhead was delighted the club has resumed scenic flights over the Manning and Great Lakes, with 19 taken in the last two months. These flights prove popular with tourists and locals.
The club provides facilities to the NSW Air League and has a strong association with the Rotary Club of Taree, which hires the clubhouse for functions and new member training.
The aero club's first chief flying instructor in 1960, Harvey Else, is still a member of the Rotary Club of Taree today.
Pilots of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), SES, Westpac, PolAir, Care Flight, Toll, and NSW Air Ambulance have access to the clubhouse facilities daily since there are no other facilities for them in the area.
The RFS used the clubhouse for three months during the horrific 2019 bushfire season to act as a command and control centre for helicopters and fixed wing fire bombers stationed at the airport.
Flying training is still an important part of the club's activities with many student pilots from the Manning, Great Lakes and Gloucester areas going on to fly for the RAAF and Australian Airlines.
Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Taree held its last meeting for 2020 at the Manning River Aero Club.
Special guests were St Clare's High School year 12 students Nathan Smith and WenYuan LimSchneider, who will attend Rotary's National Youth Science Forum 2021 at the Australian National University in Canberra this month.
Successful applicants, such as Nathan and WenYuan, usually attend the best universities in Australia and overseas.
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