Dutch Airman Statue in Moruya NSW

Committed to preserving the memory of Moruya’s wartime efforts, Rotarian and local historian Michael Gold has plans to bring this history to the town’s attention. We decided that what we would do is create a statue of an airman to represent what happened at the airfield. We really wanted to identify someone who had actually flown out of Moruya airfield and taken part in operations. And we located a name that seemed to crop up regularly as being somewhat of a hero and his name was Gus Winckel. A pilot with the Netherlands East Indies Airforce, Gus Winckel distinguished himself by downing a Japanese Zero bomber in Broome before joining a newly formed squadron.

OBJECTIVES
This statue of the airman is handcarved and is in a park in Moruya on the NSW South Coast, it is a tribute to the Dutch aircrew who flew Mitchell bombers from Moruya during WW2. The guy in the uniform is the Dutch Air Force Liason Officer. On Monday the statue will be removed and placed in the nearby AirRaid Tavern.

See also:
Michael Gold, John Marsden (Expert)

"Rotary Club of Moruya (Organisation)
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Canberra" (Organisation)

Rotary Club of Moruya (Organisation)