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Gipp psland United senior men’s basketball team celebrates aft fter t winning the Big V Division 1 premiership.The victory brought not only a flag, but also a long-awaited re eturn to the Champio onship Division.The Traralgon-based club will now be represented in the to op-tier of Victtoriian sttatte bask kettballl for the firstt time siince 2009.
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Photograph: Blake Metcalf-Holt
Meet George Gippy Jetson By AIDAN KNIGHT
THE Latrobe Valley could soon swap smokestacks for skyports, with Swinburne University using a Morwell conference to pitch the region as the home base of Australia’s next great industry: Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Swinburne recently held an all-day conference covering the potential future of air industries in the Latrobe Valley, titled 'Introduction to Advanced Air Mobility'. Hosted by the Morwell Innovation Centre, around 40 participants from various organisations attended lectures from what was described on the day as "Australian aerospace royalty". A multitude of topics and programs were discussed, all centred around future advancements in air mobility both as a service and business. However, everyone's attention on the day was focused on the future of the Latrobe AAM Technology Precinct. Speaking passionately on this was Peter Smith, a leading figure in Australian aerospace. Boasting an impressive resume as a veteran of the sector
who has served as vice president of the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems, Director of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and a global defence and aerospace consultant, his message to the Valley was simple: why not build the future of aviation here? Mr Smith effectively pitched to the room that the Latrobe Valley should become the producer of Advanced Air Mobility for the rest of Australia. This is a broad concept that encapsulates many sectors, Smith explained, but essentially would mean the production, development and implementation of a new variety of small aircraft that produces zero emissions. AAM as a concept are large, unmanned drones, utilising digitalised development and vertical take-off and landing, While there are multiple variations on design, AAM are constructed from advanced composite material, rather than a heavier steel or aluminium, and fly autonomously, utilising a multitude more propellers than what is accustomed to thinking of
small aircraft, which Mr Smith explained "are the most dangerous ways to travel". An AAM is "a helicopter, but safer, quieter and more sustainable". The ultimate goal once implemented is that AAM be powered from a distributed electric battery and hydrogen propulsion. In October 2024, Toyota invested $500 million into Joby Aviation, a company developing AAM as an electric air taxi brand, or as Peter Smith put it, "Uber in the sky". Interestingly, the AAM concept was first coined by Uber itself in 2017, under ' Uber Elevate', before the company withdrew in 2020 after development took longer than expected. The first certified AAM originated in China last year, and is expected to be certified by early 2026. Swinburne is urging Australia to undertake measures and investments allowing the nation to be at the forefront of this certification, being one of the first countries to rollout what they see as an inevitable, innovative technology.
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As Mr Smith explained, the Latrobe Valley is a key location in this. The region has accommodating space and the existing industry looking to transition, that could make it a prominent area in industry the same way it has been for power since the 1920s. This technology is important to Australia, particularly regional areas, as regional airports are declining in their current state, with only Mildura currently being accessible for passenger planes from Tullamarine. The successful introduction of AAM could present a new mode of transport bypassing the cities, across the country, connecting region-to-region, more effectively than ever before. If city commute was the desire, Mr Smith says this could be done from Morwell in about 40 minutes flat - better than any iteration of the Gippsland train line. Continued Page 2