Sad to hear of Wals passing.
I first came across Wal when he came to Camden in 1962.
For a while he was CFI and LAME for Camden Aero Club.
Wally took a ticket in the local Rugby league Football Club's "200 Club" art union and took out the major prize of a brand new Holden Station wagon.
Wally promptly sold the wagon and was financial enough to start the Nepean Flying School ... and what an apt name too!
I think Wally started with a Tiger Moth and a Chipmunk (BAC) but business was good and he soon had a fleet of 2 or 3 brand new C172's, a new Cherokee 140 and a new Victa Airtourer 115, all with the letters WK in the registration.
I remember one occassion when a pilot had just returned the Airtourer from a local flight and alighted from the aircraft and dropped dead on the tarmac.
I think that Airtourer came to grief when landing at Aeropelican in the midst of major Rwy works.
Wallys reputation suffered a little when he insisted all pilots of the new aircraft operate at reduced power to save the engine. It was amusing to see all aircraft at Camden drilling holes in the sky, while Wals students seemed to be flying downwnd legs almost teetering on the stall!!
Wal was a showman and he would often debrief his students as they alighted from their aircraft, with his booming voice, all within easy hearing of all the Sydneysiders who were" rubbernecking "about the place on weekends.
I am sure he got plenty of customers from those rubbernecks.
I also remember Wal doing night aerobatics in the Chippie.
Cheers Wal, you were part of the GA "Golden Age"