There was no another aircraft in the RAAF inventory that
could get troops into and out of small tight airfields other than the Caribou.
During the Second World War, the Royal Australian Air Force operated the Douglas Dakota.
A tough, reliable, twin-engine, transport aircraft based on the DC-3 airliner.
By the early 1960s, the aging Dakota had been partially replaced by the C-130 Hercules,
but there was still a requirement for a small, tactical,
transport that could operate close to the front lines.
The aircraft chosen was the de Havilland Canada Caribou.
The Caribou was designed for short take-off and landing and from rough fields,
which the Dakota could not do.
The aircraft also had fully reversing propellers,
the Dakota did not and you could pull the fully loaded Caribou up in around a thousand feet.
Just five weeks after arriving in Australia,
in May 1964, the first three aircraft were deployed to the war in Vietnam.
Later deliveries flew straight to Vung Tau Airfield.
The Caribou quickly demonstrated its ability to deliver troops and supplies
to short, rudimentary, airstrips that were inaccessible to other aircraft.
The Caribou is a short take-off and landing, or STOL aircraft.
It has rugged long-stroke landing gear, two powerful engines with exhaust that exit
over the wing, full span slotted flaps and rear opening ramp doors.
RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam, later No. 35 Squadron became
affectionately known as Wallaby Airlines.
Crews worked 12 to 14 hour shifts flying up to 10 sorties a day.
The Caribou was a hands-on aircraft, there was no auto-pilot, you had to fly
the aircraft all the time you were airborne and at the end of a long day
you were worn out. It was like driving, if you like, an old truck.
The Squadron and its dedicated ground crews quickly built a reputation for efficiency.
They had a pretty fierce reputation for getting in and out of places particularly in bad weather.
They were roundly applauded by the Americans for the work they did.
12 Caribou saw active service in Vietnam.
They were the first RAAF aircraft to arrive, and the last to leave, in February 1972.
During the 1975 East Timor Civil War, Caribou supported Red Cross relief operations.
A detachment of 38 Squadron Caribou also operated from Port Moresby for 10 years from 1965.
It's done famine and flood relief throughout the region and throughout Australia.
We also worked with the United Nations
on the India-Pakistan line of control for a couple of years.
Disaster relief, famine relief or support out of places like Dili, Port Moresby, Vanuatu, and
it could get into places where a C-130 couldn't or where a rotary wing aircraft couldn't operate.
As the Caribou approached the end of its service life
there was no fixed-wing aircraft that could directly replace it.
Nothing could match its ability to carry a useful tactical load
in and out of the most rugged airstrips on earth.
The Caribou finally ended its career on the 27th of November 2009, after 45 years.
Vietnam veteran A4-140 was flown to Canberra to join the Australian War Memorial collection.
We should remember the Caribou, with pride.
It's done some amazing work around Australia and the region, and it sounds damn fine.