The TAA 25 Year Club
History - (Est 1972)
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The TAA Museum was born through the members who had given long service to the airline, and the TAA 25 Year Club was formed in 1972 in recognition of the achievements and contributions TAA and its people had made to both Australian and world aviation since 1946. Admission to the club was automatic but required members to achieve 25 years continuous service with the airline.
Over the years numbers have varied and today some 700 people maintain membership, 43 of those joined in 1946. Unfortunately membership is reducing due to time and the constraints of membership qualification.
With the change of name of the airline in 1986 - it became for a time the TAA/Australian Airlines 25 Year Club.
The merging of QANTAS and AUSTRALIAN Airlines in 1993 did not inhibit the functioning of this club considering all the members, over 2,000 at that time, had worked together and had formed a solid association that would not be broken or disbanded.
QANTAS also had a club, The QANTAS 20 year Club, and it was thought that these should also be merged, but the loyalty to the original TAA 25 Year Club, determined the members to retain this separate identity, as the history of this airline was unique and if merged would be lost for all time. Already many cherished images and icons had been discarded or destroyed.
Today the club has an average of 750 members, average being those members who now qualify under the revised constitution which allows airline members who can achieve 25 years continuous service with an airline, provided they commenced their career with either TAA or AUSTRALIAN Airlines. Many staff who fit this criteria continue their career with QANTAS and other airlines, and with the passing of existing members, others have continued to join and maintain this number. This club continues to be a national club and members are resident in all states of Australia.
The 2010/11Committee keeping the TAA 25 Year Club functioning -
David Axon - President
Ron Adams - Vice President
Ross McDonald - Events Co-Ordinator and Club Membership Controller.
Frank Sullivan - TAA 25 Year Club Treasurer
Helen Stanley - Secretary
Committee Members - Keith Holland, Jack Murphy, George Dalidakis, Jim Meehan, George Wren, Lois Gale,
Bill McGinness