Welcome to the Melbourne Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Australian Division. ABN 17 620 301 692 (Incorporation Association No. A0012153F)
The Melbourne Branch hosts events each month for the enjoyment and professional development of its members.
Most events are currently held online starting at 6:30 pm (AEST).
See the Melbourne Events page for upcoming activities.
Find out more about our inititalives and committee below:
Member stories (Melbourne Branch)
The RAeS Melbourne Branch Committee shares the community’s concerns about COVID-19 and particularly its devastating impact on the aviation industry. The current situation is without precedent and the consequential effect of COVID-19 on the lives of many of our aviation colleagues and their families is increasing. Since our last update this has been realised close to home with redundancies and long term stand-down for many staff at Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Tiger as well as the many impacted suppliers and associated companies.
The Melbourne Branch Committee and wider Royal Aeronautical Society leadership continues to meet regularly by teleconference . The Branch has hosted several lectures via Zoom, also streamed on Facebook, with members provided with priority access to the Q&A session. Members are also invited to take advantage of virtual access to other branch events. Please check the 'Events' page on the website for upcoming events.
One of the great things about the aviation industry is the interest shared by all who are involved in every sector of our industry. At difficult times like these it is very important the we maintain our sense of unity, identity and common purpose. We hope the branch events and community facilitate this.
While the current situation may be novel to the aviation industry, one certainty to which we can all look forward is that there will continue to be an aviation industry in the future, even though it is unlikely to be quite the same. Innovation always helps society out of adversity and we shall see that happen again over the coming months.
We hope that you have seen and enjoyed our ‘Member Stories’ articles, more of which are in pipeline. The experiences of our members show how much ingenuity and perseverance there is in our community to overcome even the unprecedented challenges we are currently facing.
We are still looking for member contributions that we can post to our social media channels. We welcome all contributions long and short.
These can include:
Unique memories and stories from your time in aviation
Opportunities that could be of interest to those in the industry who have recently been stood down
Messages of encouragement
And if you have some suggestions as to how the Melbourne Branch may be able to help support the RAeS membership, and the broader aviation community, as we all cope with the impact of COVID-19, the Melbourne Branch committee will welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Please send us your input by sending us an email or contacting us via our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
These can include:
Unique memories and stories from your time in aviation
Opportunities that could be of interest to those in the industry who have recently been stood down
Messages of encouragement
And if you have some suggestions as to how the Melbourne Branch may be able to help support the RAeS membership, and the broader aviation community, as we all cope with the impact of COVID-19, the Melbourne Branch committee will welcome your thoughts and ideas.
Please send us your input by sending us an email or contacting us via our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
Following the cancellation of this year’s IESP series, here’s the latest from the Melbourne Branch about its response to COVID-19:
Whilst we had mapped out an event plan for much of the year, it’s currently under review and have so far made the decision to postpone our April plans until at least May. Given the fluidity of the situation, we’re not able to confirm when that will exactly be.
As we utilise the venues of other organisations, we’re also at the behest of their event gathering policies. For example, Engineers Australia is limiting capacity to 50 people per event.
We will be continually evaluating when we may hold our next event and will be in touch with you when that is clearer. In the meantime, we’re also exploring alternatives to our program, including small-audience events that are streamed live (and subsequently recorded) for member viewing. We’re also exploring ways of taking questions remotely.
Despite the significant interruption COVID-19 poses, we look forward to continuing to foster and celebrate the aeronautical community in Victoria. We will continue to keep you informed of Branch developments as they unfold.
If you would like to contact the Melbourne Branch, please email us here.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for updates and events.
The Branch Committee meets monthly to plan events and activities for the members in the Melbourne area.
The committee for 2020 is:
Chairman | Don Love |
Deputy Chairman | (vacant) |
Honorary Secretary | Luke Webb |
Honorary Treasurer | Damian Verbakel |
Communications Manager | Sophie Dawson |
Events Manager | (vacant) |
Committee Members | Richard Yates |
Prof. Cees Bil | |
Mike Davidson | |
Dmytriy Stepchenkov |
Please find a copy of the Melbourne Branch Rules here.