Vale Ainsley Gotto
Today, The Australian newspaper reported the death at age 71,of Ms Ainsley Gotto, the former Private Secretary to John Gorton who became Prime Minister following the disappearance of Harold Holt at Cheviot Beach, Victoria on 17 December 1967.
The report stated that Ms Gotto is famously remembered for the words of sacked minister Dudley Erwin in October 1969 who blamed her for his downfall, telling journalist Laurie Oakes at the time, "it wiggles, it's shapely, it's cold blooded and its name is Ainsley Gotto. Erwin said later she ruled with a ruthless authority
At the time I was a pilot with the RAAF No 34 (Special Transport) based at Fairbairn, Canberra. I recall on one occasion flying a group of passengers in a VIP Viscount from Canberra to Melbourne in 1968. We were to return to Canberra empty. Taxiing for Essendon runway 26, we received a call from ATC that a single passenger had just arrived and requested we return to the tarmac. That passenger turned out to be Miss Ainsley Gotto.
We then departed and en-route to Canberra I took the opportunity to visit her in the passenger cabin. There I saw a young looking freckled face girl smiling at me and who thanked me for returning to pick her up for the flight to Canberra. In the few minutes we talked she came across as a highly intelligent confident young woman who was really going places in her career. In later months she was a passenger on my aircraft when flying with her boss, Prime Minister John Gorton.
When booking a VIP flight for the PM she was known to be somewhat imperious in her job for such a young woman. But one day she met her match in the form of the then Commanding Officer of No 34 Squadron, Wing Commander Ray Drury AFC. Ray Drury was a former wartime Liberator pilot and when I first met him in early 1953 he held the rank of Flying Officer and was a captain on Lincoln bombers based at No 10 squadron, Townsville. I was a Sergeant Pilot and his co-pilot.
During a take off from Darwin I could see from the co-pilot's seat, fuel streaming back over the tail of the Lincoln from the filler cap area on the starboard wing. The No 4 engine exhausts were close to the filler cap. It would take little imagination to realise what would happen if some of the fuel spray was ignited by the hot exhausts. I told the captain Ray Drury what I had seen. He looked over my shoulder at the starboard wing and quietly remarked it would be wise to land as soon as possible. He remained quite calm throughout and made a perfect landing. I was impressed.
Fast forward now to some time in 1968. I was in the CO's office when his phone rang. From the conversation, it was Ainsley Gotto ringing to order a VIP flight for her boss the Prime Minister. Time dims the full recollection of their conversation, but I do remember Ray Drury listening to the voice at the other end of his phone and his reply of "listen young lady, if you ever talk to me like that again, I'll come over there and smack your bum." I was impressed..
Vale Ainsley Gotto.
Last edited by Centaurus; 26th Feb 2018 at 11:25.