Mick Pittman served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 21 years, having joined as a 17 year old in the late 1960s.
Growing up in Casino in NSW, Mick remembers that the brother of one of his mate’s was in the Air Force and Mick thought ‘Here’s a way out’, a way to see the world beyond his hometown.
Mick absolutely loved his basic training and was first posted to Richmond Air Base just outside of Sydney in a logistics and supply role that he thrived in. In 1970, he was posted to Butterworth Base in Malaysia for 2 years, before moving again to Perth, and over the following years took up many senior Posts, including in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and the USA.
While he absolutely loved the work and the camaraderie, the travel and postings were becoming harder on a young family, and once his kids were at high school age, Mick and his family settled north of Sydney and soon after he retired from the RAAF.
Mick then went on to a broad ranging and successful career in the health sector in NSW.
Watch Mick’s interview in Newcastle.
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Sources:
https://ourmobserved.anu.edu.au/yarn-ups/yarn-participants/mick-pittman