By Matthew Sims
At the age of 27, British naval helicopter pilot Jerry Grayson AFC found himself facing 90-foot waves in the aftermath of the 1979 Fastnet Race trying to save racers and spectators caught up in a disastrous storm, later described as the worst sailing disasters in UK history.
He was the guest speaker at the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) Cardinia branch’s annual dinner on Friday 23 August.
AFL legend Kevin Sheedy was originally slated to be the evening’s guest speaker.
However, the 76-year-old was in holiday in the Sunshine Coast when he became sick and required medical attention.
Jerry’s passion to get into the sky started at the age of 13 when a helicopter pilot came to his school.
About three years later, he was almost completed with his training become an Aircrew Officer Pilot at Britannia Royal Naval College and was then assigned to anti-submarine operations on-board HMS Ark Royal.
“As a 19-year-old getting airborne with a nuclear weapon on the side, it is a very sobering moment,” Jerry said.
“If you give youngsters extraordinary opportunities, they will give you a return most times.”
He later went on to take on a search and rescue role within the Royal Navy, flying a number of Wessex helicopters over his time.
“This is the job I really wanted to do,” Jerry said.
“The opportunity to save lives seemed to me a worthwhile activity.”
He vividly described to the captivated crowd about how he had to fly a helicopter with exact precision, with him and all members of his team having to trust each other completely.
“You are at one with the machine,” Jerry said.
However, all of his training was put to the ultimate test on 16 August 1979, when a large storm struck the 28th Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Fastnet Race, a yachting race held generally every two years since 1925 on a 605-mile course from Cowes direct to the Fastnet Rock and then to Plymouth via south of the Isles of Scilly.
“Sometimes, you can’t practice for the things you can’t imagine,” Jerry said.
“People were traumatised for the rest of their lives.”
Travelling back from a routine search and rescue operation, he and his crew received close to 70 ‘maydays’ all at once.
They had to decide rapidly if they should refuel or set out into the heavy storm and tumultuous waters, unsure of what they would be facing.
Jerry said they had to rescue people from a small yacht rising and falling down 90-foot waves, rising and falling with the waves to stay above the yacht and avoid smashing into the waves themselves.
“I became aware we had never done this before,” he said.
Jerry received the Air Force Cross in March 1980 for his efforts in the disaster.
He then went on to work as a film pilot, working on a number of films over his career including the James Bond film A View to a Kill and Black Hawk Down, as well as filming during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Formula 1 races.
A new kind of disaster struck Jerry’s life and career when drones exploded into the industry of videography, meaning aerial videos could be easily captured by people with little expertise or knowledge in the field.
“Imagine if your passion became obsolete in just a few days,” he said.
However, Jerry said he was never one to die and roll over, instead deciding to understand how he could translate his skills into the new technology.
“I’ve been forced to embrace technology before other people have,” he said.
“I’m glad I have excitement about this new stuff going on.
“You can get sideswiped by disruption and you can get through the other side of it.”
Jerry said he was excited to hear experiences of farmers embracing the potential of using drones on their farms, with a number of farmers speaking about how the new technology makes farming more efficient.
“We are all experiencing advances as such a rapid pace,” he said.
VFF Cardinia branch president Tony Morgan said the annual night was an opportunity to pool ideas and reflect on the year that was.
“It’s intended to be a coming together and a celebration of our time in agriculture,” he said.
Before the night got underway, Mr Morgan thanked the support of a number local business sponsoring the event.
Liberal candidate for Monash Mary Aldred, Westernport Landcare Catchment Network vice president Ingrid Green and VFF West Gippsland Livestock Policy Council member Peter Miller were also among the evening’s attendees.
