Exercising of Freedom of Entry
by No 24 (City of Adelaide) Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force – 7th May 2021
On Friday, 7 May, members of the public were invited to witness the Royal Australian Air Force’s No. 24 Squadron exercise its Freedom of Entry to the City of Adelaide.
The Freedom of Entry March is a historic practice dating back centuries. Today, the granting of Freedom of Entry to the City of Adelaide provides an appropriate way to honour a distinguished unit of the Australian Defence Force with a close association to the City of Adelaide.
It stems from medieval tradition and represents the highest honour that the city can confer on a military unit. No. 24 Squadron has only exercised its Freedom of Entry on three previous occasions; in 1989, 1994 and 2017.
This event was a Historic event with a Smoking Ceremony conducted at the start on the event.
Members of the AVSA Committee were in attendance.
The event opened with Wing Commander Alison Tinker, Commanding Officer No. 24 Squadron who lead a march of 50 aviators from Kintore Avenue to King William Street.
An AP-3C Orion did a flypast of the march to acknowledge the significant relationship between the aircraft, No. 24 Squadron and the City of Adelaide.
The traditional Freedom of Entry Challenge was made by the South Australian Commissioner of Police, Mr Grant Stevens.
The event finished with a unique Aboriginal ceremony that took place between Kaurna elder, Uncle Ivan Tiwu Copley OAM JP and the RAAF Base Edinburgh Indigenous Liaison Officer to broker access to the traditional lands of the Kaurna people, followed by a smoking ceremony.