Darren Mottram joined the RAAF as an Instrument Fitter and spent 14 years working on Boeing 707s, Hercules and Macchis before leaving the RAAF as an Avionics Technician and joining BAE Systems, where he helps provide service and support for the RAAF’s Hawk 127 Lead-In-Fighter.  Darren was introduced to the Mirage at an early age when his late father, also an instrument fitter in the RAAF, would take him to work and let him crawl all over them and watch them tearing up the skies.  Joining the RAAF just too late to be able to work on the Mirage, he was fortunate enough to be able to see some of the last public appearances of the graceful jet at the Bicentennial Airshow whilst he was based at Richmond. Also a keen modeller, he designed the special and commemorative paint schemes which have appeared on 76 SQN Macchis and Hawks.