Having spent 30 years in the air force and 30 years living in Wyndham, Werribee resident and director of the RAAF museum at Point Cook, David Gardner, has plenty of local knowledge to share.
What’s your connection to the local community?
My wife and I have been living in Wyndham since 1984. We lived on the RAAF base at Point Cook until 1994 then bought in Werribee where we still live.
I’m director of the RAAF Museum at Point Cook and have been since 2000. Prior to that I was the senior curator [at the museum] and before that an aircraft technician for 30 years.
As director, I oversee the running of the museum including curatorial, collection management, public affairs and flying, among other things. I love everything about my job, particularly that we are presenting the rich fabric of the RAAF and allowing the public to see it.
I also volunteer at the museum restoring aeroplanes a couple of days a month. I’m a member of the Werribee Park Tourism Precinct which promotes Wyndham’s tourist attractions such as the zoo, mansion, Shadowfax Winery and the RAAF museum as well as taking action to improve our roads.
What do you remember being in Wyndham that’s no longer there?
Open spaces. Point Cook used to be full of them and now it’s housing. The houses are growing like the vegies at Werribee South.
What’s your favourite eatery or best place to get coffee?
Wyndham Cache, Coffee Club at Point Cook Town Centre and Waterstone Café at Sanctuary Lakes. They do a great brekkie and lunch, provide good service and parking.
What would you change in your neighbourhood?
Our roads and signage. They’re severely lacking.
A lot of people, especially those new to the area, don’t know about the RAAF museum and I’d like to see more people visit.
It’s the oldest continually-operating base in the world and has been going since 1913. It’s also heritage-listed and free to visit.
Share a funny story while out and about in Wyndham.
My children went to school with children from Italian families and I was having coffee with their friends’ Italian parents one day. They made me a short black and I didn’t know what that was back then so I asked for a real coffee thinking it was weak. I ended up having the equivalent of three short blacks and, not surprisingly, had trouble sleeping that night.
