In June of 1968 I was overnighting Charleville in Queensland on a charter to further out. At 0500, wandered to the Charleville Flight Service Unit to stick in a flight plan. Duly did that. Like many remote FSUs in those days, they were, depending on the shift, manned by one bloke only. So in the shouse there was a speaker allowing any incumbent to do his business while monitoring traffic.
That long-winded preamble was only to set the scene for myself listening in that same small room to a very British accent calling Charleville.
"Charleville, Speedbird Seven Oh Three, do you read? ".
"Loud and clear Birdseed ."
"Charleville, I say again, this is
SPEEDBIRD Seven Oh Three . . .. "
"Okay Birdseed . . . . are you wanting to give me your Charleville position?"
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Incidentally, it was the same cove who would not reply to a preflight , pre flight plan lodgement, test call on both VHFs.
So, I go into the office and ask him did he read me at all?
And he says . .. . "yeah . . . two by two. . . .. too loud and too often".
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_ One other total segue . .. . .. while working at Perth Airport, Western Australia in mid 1965, I saw a British registered 749 Connie landing just after daybreak. She taxied to the freight apron. That aircraft had a big Ace of Spades painted on the tail. And it was the grubbiest 749 you could imagine.
After shutting down, the front door opened and a man let down a light extension ladder, which, first closing the door , he climbed down. He put the ladder flat on the ground under the 749. Carrying a small case, he disappeared in the direction of the cab rank.
To this day, I believe he was the sole occupant of that 749. (Not being a plane-spotter, I neglected to note the rego, apart from the G-????).
Anyone full of doubt, consider that the late Bryan Monkton, who bought four Sunderlands from the RAAF round 1949, flew one at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie, one calm early morning, entirely on his pat. Slipped the mooring, started engines, did a ten minute local, put down, shut down and judged it so finely that he could go below, open the front hatch and hook onto the mooring.
"And you wouldn't read about it in the PIX!"
(That was a popular saying in Australia 60 - 70 years ago, as PIX magazine was risque for those times.
https://www.paperworld.com.au/magazines/pix.html )