My apologies if I got it a bit wrong, but my info came from Pat McGann himself. As we had a few turps when he talked about it, it got lost in a haze of some excellent whisky and the march of time. I could have sworn the aircraft was under the command of Alan Wharton, and certainly Pat was the FSD. Pat and the Captain got a gong as stated before, and Pat went on to be a QF icon, better known as "Budgie" he was considered to be one of the most admired QF employees of all time. Best mate to many a pilot and cabin crew member, he ran a tight but fair ship. With a heart of gold, Pat "up the track" gave advice to the "love lorn" to the distressed, to the bereaved, and all the other ails that beset airline crews. He was known for putting his hand in his pocket to help others if need be, and of course was best known for starting Qantas Pathfinders (a charity that still runs to this day). Awarded the OA for his services to Charity, Aviation, and to Qantas Airways, he was and still is a special bloke. His feat of getting PAX out of the aircraft that day went down in the history of aviation, setting all time records, (especially as some ladies refused to go without their handbags and womens stuff) Pat physically threw them out, indeed a icon, and belongs, and should be installed, in QF's hall of fame.
