Connair Flights to Darwin after Tracy
I have only recently found this thread, I don't often visit Prune these days. I checked my old old log book and noted that I was a first officer with Bob Forman the Captain on a Connair Heron VH-CLX that departed Alice Springs late on Christmas day dropped into Tennant Creek for Police Uniforms and equipment and arrived in Darwin just after dawn on the 26th of December.
We spent a few days evacuating indigenous people to Bathurst Island and my log book says I flew VH-CLT with Bob Bennett back to Alice Springs
There was a second heron that departed Alice about the same time, VH-CLV and it went via Katherine, they arrived in Darwin before us I believe, this was crewed by Captain Bob Bennett and FO Mark Rindfleish (later Ansett DFO and Jetstar Chief Pilot)
The RAAF tower was back in operation by the time we arrived, and most GA aircraft had already been bulldozed into a drainage ditch to clear the apron.