---- NSW with services to places like Burren Junction.
Griffo,
Now you are talking ---- about the really "good old days", when you could set your watch by the paper planes that air dropped the Sydney Morning Herald all round the state in the 40s-50's. If I mention the "Herald Hangar" now at Camden, all I get is blank looks. And you get the papers half a day late.
Even Boggabri had an air service.
Thereby hangs a very interesting tale: There was quite a lot of "poaching" of passengers between East West and Butler, who were represented in most towns in NW NSW by the various land companies, Elders, Pitt Son and Badgery's etc., I no longer remember exactly who.
Anyway, what would happen is the Butler agent would find out that EWA had, say, five pax on the "5 o'clock" to Sydney from Gunnedah, and divert an aeroplane in ahead, and offer them all "a quid off and you can leave now".
The state government decided this had to be rationalised, and the "mechanism" was wonderful.
Don Shand, of EWA, and Arthur sat down with the state member (MLA) for the old set of Namoi, in Gleeson's hotel in Narrabri, and half of NSW was divided up on the toss of a coin.
Heads you get Burren, tails you get Moree etc.
No economic studies, quasi-judicial hearings, commissions etc., just the toss of a coin. The only two that were not up for grabs were the home bases, Tooraweena and Tamworth.
The resulting route allocation commercially held together for years, until Neville Wran, with a lot of pushing from Reg Ansett, started mucking the routes around.
Those of you who remember back that far will remember there were three basic modes of operation, IFR, VFR and Butler VFR.
Tootle pip!!
PS: Only having ever operated small aircraft around there, I seldom used Burren strip, too far out of town, we used Cyril Radford's (BP agent) home paddock, just by the level crossing at Burren. Not too far to walk to the RSL for lunch. Likewise the stock route by the hot spring at Pilliga, only a short walk to the pub for lunch.
Just imagine the reaction of the CASA Airstapo to something like that in this day and age, CASA really frown on you parking by the pub at Williams Creek.