THE historic and well known ‘Raymond Terrace Sabre’ has spent 3 years being restored, and is finally located at Williamtown’s Fighter World.
The A94-959 that was located in Beetles Park Raymond Terrace since 1981 acted as the silent symbol of the Raymond Terrace Lions Club community work.
The placing of the monument 35 years ago coincided with the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of the RAAF Base at Williamtown and the 60th Anniversary of the formation of the Royal Australian Air Force.
According to Trevor Boughton, “Perseverance, problem solving skills, aided by the Sabre’s rugged construction, overcame each difficulty and resulted in the safe arrival at the Terrace.”
The Goldsprings Heavy Haulage Company of Rutherford NSW undertook the demounting of the dilapidated Sabre from its display column and transporting it to Fighter World on March 10, 2013.
Taking three years to complete, the Sabre underwent immense cleaning, replacing internal and outer panels, patching and filling holes in the skin and wing edges and sanding the entire outer surface back to bare metal.
Generous donations by individuals and organizations helped with the restoration.
A celebratory roll out of the newly refurbished aircraft took place at Fighter World in April 2016.
It is currently situated out the front of Fighter World for all to see free of charge.
Marketing Manager, Dick Coleman told News of The Area, “Now that the Raymond Terrace Sabre is back on display it’s a perfect opportunity to see what the Fighter World volunteers are really capable of.”
“Inside the main hangar you’ll not only be amazed at the many aircraft on display but also find the Norm Forrester Collection.”
“Unique to Fighter World, it is undoubtedly one of Australia’s greatest displays of hand built model aircraft,” he said.
Open from 10am to 4pm everyday of the school holidays, the museum has a large variety of history on display as well as interactive tours and a café.