2021 $1 Heroes of the Sky - Centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force 4 Coin Set CSBMBorn on a northern New South Wales Aboriginal reserve in 1924, Warrant Officer Len Waters was a Kamilaroi man who defied poverty and discrimination to achieve his ambition to fly. As a child during the Great Depression in outback Queensland, he made model aeroplanes from cast-off packing cases, seeking to emulate the feats of his aviation heroes.In the Second World War, Len Waters enlisted in the RAAF on 24 August 1942. Training first as a flight mechanic, he was later accepted for pilot training. Posted to 78 Squadron RAAF, he served in the South-West Pacific Area in 1944-45, first at Noemfoor and them Morotai and Tarakan in what is now Indonesia. Flying a Kittyhawk P-40N fighter he made 41 strike missions against fortified Japanese positions, and another 54 operational flights.Warrant Officer Waters was the RAAF's only know Indigenous fighter pilot in the war. Post-war he returned to shearing, frustrated by government silence that greeted his applications for a civil pilot's licence. When he died in 1993 the RAAF honoured him with a "Missing Man" flyover at his funeral.Each coin's reverse designs commemorate the Centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force.The packaging features illustrations of WOFF Len Waters.Each set contains C Mintmark, S, M, B Privy Mark Coins.The coins' obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II designed by Jody Clark.Each coin is issued as Australian legal tender.Denomination : 4 x $1Quality : UncirculatedMetal : Aluminium BronzeWeight : 9.00 gmsDiameter : 25 mmMintage : 20,000Authenticity : Royal Australian Mint
