The Baron
30th May 2005, 05:46
To all old Arnhem Pilots and other top enders,
Ossie passed away on Saturday morning in the Darwin Hospital after a long and typically stubborn fight against multiple illnesses,
including the amputation of both legs.
Ossie was a genuine pioneer after WW2 flying Tiger Moths crop dusting in Western Australia before moving up to the TopEnd. He flew a wide variety of aircraft including Catalinas, Dragon Rapides and Percival Proctors. He also was instrumental in bringing new American equipment into Australia such as the first Baron.
When he lost his licence on medical grounds in 1994 he had accrued in excess of 33000 hours in his logbook.
At times Ossie was quite volatile and was often quite eccentric but at the same time kindhearted. I well remember the time a friend's pay had been stolen by one of our indigenous passengers{they were nearly all indigenous}. Ossie went straight to the cash register and repaid him as soon as he found out.
He also had an immense dislike of bureaucracy, especially CASA,
which persised until he died, although he often quite liked the FOIs he dealt with.
There are Arnhem pilots flying for Airlines all over the world now who progressed their careers with Ossie and I know this made him proud.
Ossie's family will be holding a ceremony at Darwin Funeral Services at 10am on Thursday, after which he will be interred at Thorak Regional Cemetery next to his beloved wife Shirley.
Thanks Ossie,
The Baron
Ossie passed away on Saturday morning in the Darwin Hospital after a long and typically stubborn fight against multiple illnesses,
including the amputation of both legs.
Ossie was a genuine pioneer after WW2 flying Tiger Moths crop dusting in Western Australia before moving up to the TopEnd. He flew a wide variety of aircraft including Catalinas, Dragon Rapides and Percival Proctors. He also was instrumental in bringing new American equipment into Australia such as the first Baron.
When he lost his licence on medical grounds in 1994 he had accrued in excess of 33000 hours in his logbook.
At times Ossie was quite volatile and was often quite eccentric but at the same time kindhearted. I well remember the time a friend's pay had been stolen by one of our indigenous passengers{they were nearly all indigenous}. Ossie went straight to the cash register and repaid him as soon as he found out.
He also had an immense dislike of bureaucracy, especially CASA,
which persised until he died, although he often quite liked the FOIs he dealt with.
There are Arnhem pilots flying for Airlines all over the world now who progressed their careers with Ossie and I know this made him proud.
Ossie's family will be holding a ceremony at Darwin Funeral Services at 10am on Thursday, after which he will be interred at Thorak Regional Cemetery next to his beloved wife Shirley.
Thanks Ossie,
The Baron