Wings Over Wairarapa is a biennial airshow featuring vintage aircrafts and aerobatics flying displays. This event takes place in the summer and lasts for three days. Learned of this volunteer opportunity from our journalist flatmate before Christmas last year and registered our interest for the weekend shift. We were assigned to the information tent and given ad hoc duties like directing traffic at the gates and checking VIP passes. Shift was from 8am-4.30pm with meals provided.
Although we were assured training will be provided before the actual day, it was almost non-existent. We heard people calling us "bloody Asians" when we couldn't answer their questions. Racial discrimination is something we should be used to by now as a minority in a foreign country but it was still very upsetting. On reflection, we should have been more proactive like other volunteers who tried to find out as much information as possible at the start and coming back to the tent to share it with other volunteers.
When not needed at the tent we were allowed to roam around and enjoy the show!
Visitors came prepared with camping chairs, mats and umbrellas
Behind me is the BAC 167 Strikemaster, a light attack aircraft made in the UK. Such aircrafts were once used by the Singapore Air Force some 30 years ago.
Caleb got a free flight (again!) as part of his coverage for the papers - how lucky!
There were many aerial displays throughout the day such as synchronised flights and vertical drops
Besides a colourful collection of vintage aircrafts, there were also military tanks and trucks
Free water and sunblock lotion are accessible to visitors to avoid dehydration and sunburns
Bumped into my colleague Jo and her mom while wandering around
Idea
The finale was an airfield attack by WWII aircrafts complete with bombs, explosions and with a little imagination, was my closest experience of the 1940s war.
Although we were assured training will be provided before the actual day, it was almost non-existent. We heard people calling us "bloody Asians" when we couldn't answer their questions. Racial discrimination is something we should be used to by now as a minority in a foreign country but it was still very upsetting. On reflection, we should have been more proactive like other volunteers who tried to find out as much information as possible at the start and coming back to the tent to share it with other volunteers.
When not needed at the tent we were allowed to roam around and enjoy the show!
Visitors came prepared with camping chairs, mats and umbrellas
Behind me is the BAC 167 Strikemaster, a light attack aircraft made in the UK. Such aircrafts were once used by the Singapore Air Force some 30 years ago.
Caleb got a free flight (again!) as part of his coverage for the papers - how lucky!
There were many aerial displays throughout the day such as synchronised flights and vertical drops
Besides a colourful collection of vintage aircrafts, there were also military tanks and trucks
Free water and sunblock lotion are accessible to visitors to avoid dehydration and sunburns
Bumped into my colleague Jo and her mom while wandering around
Idea
The finale was an airfield attack by WWII aircrafts complete with bombs, explosions and with a little imagination, was my closest experience of the 1940s war.
