Living just 4km from the airbase in Butterworth from birth till 1973 “enrolled” me into an Early Childhood Aircraft Appreciation course.
The F-86 Sabres were the earliest jet fighters from the RAAF to appear in the skies. They had clean body design, with a prominent bubble canopy. As they circled the area low in their landing approaches, I remember I could even see the pilots inside them.
Later I learned that these RAAF fighters played a prominent role during the Confrontation with Indonesia, where Butterworth-based Sabres chased off marauding MiG-21 fighters. No shots were fired in anger; perhaps the kill reputation of the Sabre (from the earlier Korean War) was enough to dissuade the intruders.
p/s : Am wondering to this day, why these RAAF aircraft wore RAF decals on their wings.
