Task Force 72 Scale Model Ship Association Inc.

Blacktown City Model Railway and Hobby Exhibition, 2007 Photo Gallery

BLACKTOWN HOSTS ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL TASK FORCE 72 DISPLAY

Fresh from an outstanding Australian Defence Force Academy Open Day, Task Force 72 has completed another successful expedition to deepest, darkest Blacktown, to participate in the two day long Blacktown Hobby and Model Exhibition, held to raise money to support the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

This is the second year that the club has taken part and each time the organisers have expressed their sincere appreciation for the clubs participation.

Located within the Stanhope Gardens Leisure Centre, the Exhibition is located in the basketball stadium, taking up several courts worth of space. Being somewhat overrun with model train clubs the TF-72 display provides a welcome diversion for members of the public looking for something different.

Club stalwarts Ron Rosenberg, Allan Pew and John Konda were on hand both days, joined by long-time members Roy Matillano and Mike James and new member Carl Linkenbagh to provide a range of models to attract the public’s interest.

In particular, Allan’s partially-completed Indian Navy destroyer Mumbai (the largest model on show), Carl’s Soviet Navy Alpha (the sole submarine), John’s US Navy repair ship Palawan (last year’s Wentworth Shield winner) and Ron’s magnificent Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Fuyutsuka attracted a lot of admiring comments, and not just from the public, but also from the model train enthusiasts (we’ll convert them yet!).

In total up to 22 models were on show, providing the TF-72 display with a noteworthy assembly and making our display one of the highlights of the show. Mike James' Fremantle class patrol boat HMAS Wollongong had a high recognition factor, thanks to the current television drama Sea Patrol, set on Wollongong’s fictional sister ship HMAS Hammersley.

With the arrival of warmer weather, the club will swing from static displays to more running days, leading up to the Annual Regatta at Wentworth Falls over the weekend of 24 & 25 November.

See you there.

Report and photos courtesy of Mike James.

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