Season Greetings
All the best for 2009 to our family and all of our friends.
Seasons Greetings
Merry Xmas to one and all.
Geoff
Bayview … Is no more
Jendi Avenue Bayview
Settlement on Dad’s house in Bayview has happened today - congratulations to the new owners.
This is really the end of an era for the Sheehans in Bayview. We moved into Bayview from 32 Bardo Rd, Newport in 1972. Before that was 2 Yachtview Avenue, Newport in 1968, 5 Daisy Street, Balgowlah in 1959 and Jamison Pde, Collaroy in 1955. As the youngest of us, Johnny lived in Bayview the longest.
Previously, Phil had left home while we were in Balgowlah and Lindy married while we lived at Yachtview Avenue.
Starting today ‘08.08.08′ the house will hopefully become a home for the new owners and a place of fond memories as it was for us. I wonder if they’ll be watching the opening of the Beijing Olympics in the house tonight? I somehow suspect not - but you never know.
Let’s hope the place has at least one more good water cannon fight left in it, and one less accident with no-one falling off the balcony to the driveway.
Cheers Jendi Avenue.
EDIT: I have since learned that the new owners did move in on 08.08.08 … good on them.
95 Course - Fly Past List
Bob Harvey sent me a few more pics yesterday. This is a scan of the formation flypast list of Captains and Students flown a day or so prior to our graduation. Thanks Bob. (If memory serves me well, Col Mitchell was not well and couldn’t participate in the flypast.)
Park Bench for JE Sheehan
On the weekend of July 13 some friends and family commemorated the late JE Sheehan with a gathering, food and a few drinks at the bench placed on the walkway in Bayview where Dad used to stroll in the mornings. Special thanks go to Becky Scott, Steve Lear and Sarah Body.
95 Course Nominal Roll
We started at 1FTS Point Cook as 35 cadets. Bob Harvey managed to track down the nominal roll. Thanks Bob. Those in blue are the graduating members with my recollection of the aircraft type each was initially posted to fly. (Thanks to Noddy and Bob for corrections - especially the note that Greg Collins was back coursed to 96 Course) 
95 Pilots Course - Pre-Graduation
A photo of 95 Course graduating cadets taken, I think, just before or just after our Graduation Day Flypast at 2FTS RAAF Pearce.
Backrow (L-R) John Blackburn, Brad Johns, John Herbert, Sean Trestrail, Phil Carkagis, Chris Sawade
Middle Row (L-R) John Payne, Steve Byrnes, Ross Birch, Pete Watson (on wing), Bob Jenkins, Tony Vollebregt, Geoff Sheehan, Col Mitchell
Front Row kneeling (L-R) Markus Khoo, Tim Sloane, Mick Maher, Bob Harvey
Brad Johns got in touch with me overnight from UAE and will be sending some more pics through, as will JP who has been in London.
1FTS Detachment “A” Wagga Wagga - 95 Pilots Course
During our basic flying training at 1FTS Point Cook the weather was so awful our course fell about 6 weeks behind in the flying syllabus. The RAAF decided, I think it may have been Wg. Cdr Bill Monaghan who later became my father-in-law, to send our course to RAAF Forest Hills in Wagga to ensure that we finished our basic flying training on time. Any major delays would have screwed up 2FTS RAAF Pearce, and courses who succeeded us at Point Cook.
This is a photo of us just after arriving at RAAF Forest Hills.
34 Mirage Conversion Course
L-R: Geoff Sheehan, Sean Trestrail, John Blackburn, Bob ‘V8′ Veneziani (Brian ‘Jack’ Plenty also started on our course but decided to fly Caribou’s)
95 Pilots Course - Graduation
The night of our graduation ceremony at 2FTS RAAF Pearce with Sir Charles Court.
L-R: Chris ‘Noddy’ Sawade, Geoff Sheehan, Ross ‘Wombat’ Birch, Phil ‘the Greek’ Carkagis, Steve Byrnes, Bob ‘the Baron’ Harvey, Tim Sloane, Sean Trestrail, Bob ‘BJ’ Jenkins, John Blackburn, Tony ‘Volley’ Vollebregt, Brad Johns, Mrs. Court, Peter ‘Brum’ Watson, Markus Khoo, Sir Charles Court, Mick ‘Navy’ Maher, Col ‘Chuck’ Mitchell, John Payne