Dallas Haggarty

We left Penang on posting to Amberley, west of Brisbane. Here, my father stayed in the the RAAF for another 2 years before retiring. I finished school at Bremer State High and promptly joined the RAAF myself as a Navigator.

I began my flying career in 1982 as a navigator on the P3 Orion in Adelaide, my first operational mission was back to Butterworth! Over the next 11 years flying the Orions, I visited Malaysia another 15 times. On my first visits back to Butterworth, I found it was mostly the same as to when I left it in 1977. However, over the following 11 years, I saw the Australian forces reduce, including the close of RAAF school. I also saw the city of Penang grow and modernise a great deal.

I am still in the RAAF, currently posted back home to Amberley.

My favourite memories of Malaysia as a boy: walking around the markets of Penang absorbing all the strange sights (and smells!), Rambutans and Sunday afternoons at the Penang Swimming Club.