February to July 2020 Report
Progress slowed by COVID
We are nearly halfway through the year and work on “Our Girl” was progressing very well and then a little bug came along and stopped us (and the rest of the world) in our tracks, forcing us to suspend restoration work on 23rd March. It is timely to reflect on the tough times that businesses are experiencing at the moment and in particular, the many and varied Supporters and Festival Sponsors that contribute immensely to the success of the Catalina restoration and the effective running of the Catalina Festival. it is important we support the local businesses in our local area in any way we can. With the “COVID-19” rules staring to be relaxed, hopefully we will be back restoring the Catalina sooner rather than later and as outlined to volunteers on the 23rd March, we will have the modified hygiene rules in place to protect everyone as best we can. Our goal at the beginning of the year was to have the fuselage largely repaired enough by the end of 2020, to allow the inside of “Our Girl” to be painted, enabling us to commence re-assembly of the internals. This is still a possibility and would be a huge morale booster for the volunteers after the many years of hard work, replacing and repairing the corroded aluminium sheets. A big thank you to the volunteers for their efforts to date and please stay safe. |
December 2019/January 2020 Report
2019 has seen great progress in the restoration of ‘Our Girl’
Progress update summary
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![]() As an association, our immediate concentration is to be as organised and advanced with the restoration as possible, to allow us to participate as best we can in the RAAF’s Centenary celebrations in 2021. |
Equipment donations
Onsite safety With the growing number of volunteers attending each workday we have identified for some time a requirement for a defibrillator (AED) to be kept on site. With the assistance of a NSW Government Grant, the RCA recently purchased an AED which complements our trained First Aid representatives and gives us the confidence and an assurance that we are as well prepared as we can be, for most medical conditions on site. In the same vein, we have commenced an automatic re-ordering system for our volunteer Personal Protective Equipment, with a standard max/min order replenishment each month, ensuring a regular supply of safety equipment at all times. Terry Fahey |
Previous reports (pdf)
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Volunteers We are constantly looking for volunteers to help with the Catalina restoration and effective running of the Rathmines Catalina Association. Whether ‘hands-on’ working on the Catalina or assisting with the Association’s many other tasks, whatever your skillset we have a role for you! For information and to discuss how your skills and experience can fit in, please contact Bill Anderson (President) 0418 770 400 |