MOREE Regional Airport on Friday welcomed a Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules from the Royal Australian Airforce 37 Squadron, as part of an emergency supplies and equipment drop-off procedure.
Moree Regional Airport manager John Dyer said the drop-off was purely to make sure “we’re ahead of the game” if Tropical Cyclone Alfred affects the shire and wider district.
“There’s nothing to worry about. This is purely precautionary, and all about trying to get ahead of the curve,” Mr Dyer said.
“It was a real team effort to help unload the Hercules, with airport staff liaising with the RAAF Loadmaster and a local neighbouring business offering the use of their forklift.
“We’ve also got the emergency operations centre at the airport prepared just in case we need it, but hopefully we won’t.
“We’ll start regular updates with the SES each afternoon, and we’ll get more information as it comes to hand,” he said.
With up to 80mm of rain forecast to fall across Moree Plains Shire and the Upper Horton catchment during the next few days, NSW SES on Friday advised people in Gravesend and surrounding districts, including Horton River communities, to “stay informed” about predicted possible minor to moderate flooding on the Gwydir River.
These are not flood warnings but a “heads-up” for residents to stay informed.
Similar advice has been issued to Gunnedah and Tamworth districts.
NSW SES also issued Watch and Act advice to Deepwater, Glen Innes, Georges Creek, Glencoe, Llangothlin, Guyra, Aberfoyle and Ebor, recommending people stay indoors.
Landholders are encouraged to consider moving livestock and pumps to higher ground.
The arrival today of the C-130J-30 Super Hercules – call-sign Trojan 55 – from Richmond Airbase was a red-letter day for Moree Regional Airport.
“In the last 12 months or so, council has invested more than one million dollars in upgrades for the apron and we also have new bays on the eastern side of the main runway,” Mr Dyer said.
“That was fundamentally designed to accommodate the new Q400 passenger planes, but it also gives up extra space for larger aircraft.
“Today is a perfect example of that, with a Royal Australian Airforce Hercules coming in. While they operated from Moree historically, it was always a bit of a squeeze.
“Now, we’ve got a decent amount of room for those aircraft to come in and operate,” he said.
“We’re quite excited today, because this is the first time since we’ve done the airport upgrades that a Hercules has operated out of here.
“We’ve been working with the airforce for about 12 months to encourage them to use our facility and support operations. Generally, in recent months, we’ve had touch-and- goes, with several aircraft, including Hercules and Spartans coming in,” he said.
“This is a really important milestone for us at Moree Regional Airport because we’ve basically been able to demonstrate to RAAF we can support their operations.
“Today was a success and I hope we’ll see many more in the future,” Mr Dyer said.
