Glen Beard
I don't use alias's when i state something because i feel i have nothing to hide by using MY name.This is my first post on Pprune.
I have no idea who Tee Emm is but,i can assure you that your insinuation that Ossie Osgood was a bogan deeply upsets me.
A few facts for you and anyone else who cares to read this regarding Ossie & Shirley -
I sold parts to Arnhem Air Charter back in the late 70's/ early 80's and got to know the Osgoods pretty well.
When Cyclone Tracy hit Ossie moved as many people as he possibly could out of Darwin - i think to Katherine, at no charge to those concerned.To my knowledge that included family of staff & incapacitated locals who were worried about the result of the cyclone.I don't know whether he ever put an invoice into the gov't,but knowing Ossie,i would very much doubt it.
He also opened his hangar as a shelter & from memory had upward of 500 people shelter there.
Have a look at the Tracy Museum at Fannie Bay & see Ossie's aircraft destroyed - why- because he reckoned saving lives was more important than saving his own beloved fleet.Does that sound like a bogan to you?
Regarding making him out as a bully or whatever,Ossie used to work on "the old system".You want a job,i want a pilot,engineer,whatever.He expected everyone who did work for him to do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.And if you didn't ,then beware.
I stayed with the Osgoods & was privileged to help them celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary & 21st anniversary of the foundation of Arnhem & can assure you ,that even though Ossie was a teetotaller when i knew him,had one of the greatest nights of my life,shared with 2 great people who had an ongoing passion to improve aviation in the NT.
With regards to sacking pilots,again,i know he was hard on them,and possibly went overboard a few times but it was a wake-up call to quite a few novices who most probably turned out to be better for the experience.It was like a game i reckon.
One day he sacked a pilot in front of me.As the guy walked out the office he turned & said "see you tomorrow". The next day he went on a charter for Ossie,along with a fairly stern warning about turning up late for an RPT.Seemed pretty fair to me.
NT aviation lost a great identity when he finally pulled stumps,but,a fitting reminder of what the territory thought of his imput into GA in the Territory is the road near the airport called "Osgood Drive" near Bunnings ,from memory.Does that indicate he was a bogan.
I suggest Tee Emm puts an apology on this site to the Osgood family