Teo CK 0 Report post Posted August 13, 2010 Hi, Just heard that the governor general of Australia is visiting Sandakan this weekend to attend a WWII memorial service. Any information on what aircraft her entourage will be flying in? cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MIR 2 Report post Posted August 14, 2010 (edited) Boeing B737 BBJ - 34 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force. Its either A36-001 or A36-002 Edited August 14, 2010 by MIR Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Desmond C 0 Report post Posted August 15, 2010 Direct Canberra - Sandakan 737-800 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo CK 0 Report post Posted August 15, 2010 As reported in a local daily today..... A historic day for SandakanPublished on: Sunday, August 15, 2010 Email to a friend Printer Friendly Sandakan: It was a historic day for Sandakan when the Governor General of Australia, Her Excellency Quentin Bryce, flew in here direct from Canberra in a Boeing 737-800 about 3.30pm, Saturday. It is believed Bryce is the first-ever Governor-General of Australia to visit Sabah! It is also believed that this was the first-ever direct flight between Canberra and Sandakan. On hand to welcome her and her husband, Michael Bryce, were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Peter Pang, Culture, Tourism and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun and Sandakan Municipal Council President James Wong. Caroline Wong, daughter of James Wong, presented Bryce a bouquet comprising a dozen native species of flowers as Bryce alighted from the aircraft. The Governor-General of Australia is the representative of the monarch of England, in this case Queen Elizabeth II. The Malay Regiment mounted a Guard of Honour as she walked towards a waiting limousine while a line-up of local damsels showered flowers at her feet. The main purpose of Bryce's unprecedented visit is to attend today's (Sunday) Sandakan Memorial Day Service which commences at 7am and later, to launch a book entitled "Blood Brothers" authored by historian Lynette Silver. Later, she will also visit the Memorial of Chinese Martyrs, St Michael's Anglican Church before heading for the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in the afternoon where a group of Australian volunteers have been working. "We are very honoured to have the Governor General here," said James Wong. "It is a very historic event not only for Sandakan but also Sabah and maybe Malaysia for that matter," he added. "I think this will really put Sandakan in the map of Australia because Channel 9 will be broadcasting the Memorial Service live to Australians," Wong added. "The most important thing is this unprecedented visit from the Governor-General herself will bolster the long-standing historical relationship between Sabah and Australia and add substance to the Sandakan Memorial Day Service which has been held in all major cities of Australia since the war," said Tengku Datuk Dr Adlin, Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board. "We have always promoted war heritage tourism centred on the Sandakan-Ranau Death March and this is the icing to the cake to it," he added. More than 250 Australians have flown in for this year's Sandakan Memorial Day Service. "It is a record for us," said Gwenda Zappala, Sabah Tourism Board's Australian Representative. "A lot of people are so thrilled to have her (Bryce) here and we are very lucky because imagine she's got very tight schedules in Australia but she has slotted this event into her agenda," Gwenda noted. cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MIR 2 Report post Posted August 15, 2010 Photos of the Governor-General arriving Sandakan in the RAAF BBJ. Click here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Teo CK 0 Report post Posted August 15, 2010 Photos of the Governor-General arriving Sandakan in the RAAF BBJ. Click here Thanks for the link MIR.... Just a shame that no one caught the 737BBJ during touch down haha... cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lemuel Tay 0 Report post Posted August 19, 2010 (edited) Dear aviation enthusiasts, I've had the pleasure of meeting this lovely lady up close and personal - our choir had an invite to the Queensland Governor's residence to sing for her. So we all stood in line and introduced ourselves and shook hands with her at the reception. BTW, this was while she was Queensland's Governor, and then she was tapped on the shoulder to be GG in Canberra. Haha, she used to live within cooee of my house - I can see the official residence from my dining room! Hope this visit brings more attention to lovely Sandakan, especially the orang-utan rehab centre. L :-) Edited August 19, 2010 by Lemuel Tay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
