Kanga767 Claret et al, you touch on a most fascinating part of our aviation history which goes to very the root of why we are where we are today and why we still have a superannuated fleet of GA piston twins and singles in RPT/charter and the coporate turbine fleet is so small.
Post colonial cringe, the motherland and British is Best = the only way we can sell our whizbang123 is to give it away with free finance too.
Thank God Qantas and Ansett dug their heels in.