At the end of WWII, a Radar Association was formed in 1946 by a group of ex RAAF members, including Bert Israel, Hugh Peaston, Maurice Brown, Alan Llewellyn and Bob Chilton as a means of keeping contact with as many trained radar people as possible pending the inevitable development of the post-war RAAF radar capabilities.
The Radar Branch of the RAAF Association (NSW Division) was formed on 23 August 1960 and attended by Mr Walter Fielder-Gill in his capacity as the State Vice President and representative of the RAAF Association.Mr Don Kennedy was elected inaugural President and Mr Gordon Thomas as Secretary.Walter Fielder-Gill succeeded Don Kennedy on 26 February 1971 and has held the position of President of the Branch ever since.
Today the Branch has approximately 200 members, with losses of WWII veterans being offset by post WWII RAAF and currently serving RAAF men and women. The Branch name was changed to The Radar Air Defence Branch in the early 1990s to reaffirm the relevance of the Branch to the emergent importance of Air Defence in the RAAF with the leadership of todays Patrons, Air Commodore Dave Bowden and Air Vice Marshal Bob Treloar. The reformation of WWII Wings No 44 Wing and No 42 Wing for Air Traffic Control and Airborne Early Warning capabilties in todays RAAF has further expanded the interests of the Branch as well as the pool of membership which now includes members of industry, Australian Public Service and Ground Telecommunications and Electronics members of the RAAF. With the expanded interest and professional expertise in radar in the Defence community, the Committee decide to revert to the original Branch name of The Radar Branch to include and encourage new membership and participation in the science and application of radar.
Whilst there have been many changes to committee personnel over the 45 years of the Branch existence, the longevity of Walter as Branch President has provided the stability which has been the foundation of the success of the Radar Branch.
