27th Jan 2019, 13:21 - Wikipost
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A thread where ex PNG geriatrics lapuns and long longs can live in the dim distant past.
Where tall stories are accepted as fact. War stories are applauded. Grab a Brownie, pull up a story and join in a trip down memory lane!!! 
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PNG Ples Bilong Tok Tok
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As I recall the Cecil Hotel swimming pool was a vile brown colour.
We called it the 'Cec pool'
Didn't stop every Lae expat using it though. That and the TAA lodge pool when it was built in '72
We called it the 'Cec pool'
Didn't stop every Lae expat using it though. That and the TAA lodge pool when it was built in '72
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Tasmania and High Wollemi
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Crowley Camden.
Tailwheel.
Crowleys at Camden was sold quite a few years ago to Cleary Brothers who's numba wun son Dan ran it for a few years. Then I think it was bought or at least the hangar became Lindsay Lobwein's Camden aviaiton which did lots of flying training for the Air Training Corps. This was around the time of the C152 and C210 accident in Burragorang maybe 1990. Lindsay sold up after Defence moved the Ants flying training contract to someone at BK.
If Laurie still answers the phone as 486 ( or similar number ) which I think is an old squadron, he is still around. Has been spotted on the train to southern highlands.
Catseye
Crowleys at Camden was sold quite a few years ago to Cleary Brothers who's numba wun son Dan ran it for a few years. Then I think it was bought or at least the hangar became Lindsay Lobwein's Camden aviaiton which did lots of flying training for the Air Training Corps. This was around the time of the C152 and C210 accident in Burragorang maybe 1990. Lindsay sold up after Defence moved the Ants flying training contract to someone at BK.
If Laurie still answers the phone as 486 ( or similar number ) which I think is an old squadron, he is still around. Has been spotted on the train to southern highlands.
Catseye
Last edited by catseye; 15th Apr 2010 at 22:38. Reason: typo's and grey matter.
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My parents knew Ma Stewart very well in pre-war Wau.
They told me to visit her when I got into Patair.
One day when I had an over night in Lae I tramped round to her home... not the Cecil.
I banged on the front door at about three PM and it swung open... That was different, a non locked door.
No stirring from within so I knocked again.
The view was different too.
The front door at footpath level was at the head of a staircase that descended to a lower level lounge room.
After a moment an eerie, weak, owl-like voice boomed, "Whoo wants mee?".
I announced myself.
"Whooo"
Again, my name with the addition of "Tess and Charlie's son".
"Whoo".
I'm peering around the lounge and doorways and can't see who I'm talking to.
I introduce myself again LOUDER.
"Whoo?'
Finally I spot her. She's peeping round a bedroom door that's the same level as me on the opposite side of the house.
The beaut gawdy Chinese silk dressing gown, bunched up in front of her is a pretty good camoflage ... probably, not out in the jungle but here with paintings on the wall...
Anyway, Ma finally tunes into my youthful rapid English and announces, still like an Owl, "Charlie Graay ... know him well... Whoo are Youu"?
"I'M 'is SON!"
Introductions over, I'm instructed to go downstairs and wait.
Joint's like a museum with some pretty impressive stuff to covert.
Mar comes down dressed in some heavy material that'd go well as curtains and she gets the meri in to operate the afternoon tea ceremony.
We had a great old time, except....
Ma kept patting me on the knee and saying, "Charlieee you're a very naughty boyyy! Why haven't you been to see me?
I gave up and became the old man for a while.
Man those four bars felt good... better than my lousy little half bar while I was on probation.
She was certainly a tough old girl and I've heard some good stories of her sortin' out drunken miners at Wau before the war. But then even miners were more gentlemanly than todays drunks.
Mate, THEY always dressed for dinner on the ships enroute to and from New Guinea.
They told me to visit her when I got into Patair.
One day when I had an over night in Lae I tramped round to her home... not the Cecil.
I banged on the front door at about three PM and it swung open... That was different, a non locked door.
No stirring from within so I knocked again.
The view was different too.
The front door at footpath level was at the head of a staircase that descended to a lower level lounge room.
After a moment an eerie, weak, owl-like voice boomed, "Whoo wants mee?".
I announced myself.
"Whooo"
Again, my name with the addition of "Tess and Charlie's son".
"Whoo".
I'm peering around the lounge and doorways and can't see who I'm talking to.
I introduce myself again LOUDER.
"Whoo?'
Finally I spot her. She's peeping round a bedroom door that's the same level as me on the opposite side of the house.
The beaut gawdy Chinese silk dressing gown, bunched up in front of her is a pretty good camoflage ... probably, not out in the jungle but here with paintings on the wall...
Anyway, Ma finally tunes into my youthful rapid English and announces, still like an Owl, "Charlie Graay ... know him well... Whoo are Youu"?
"I'M 'is SON!"
Introductions over, I'm instructed to go downstairs and wait.
Joint's like a museum with some pretty impressive stuff to covert.
Mar comes down dressed in some heavy material that'd go well as curtains and she gets the meri in to operate the afternoon tea ceremony.
We had a great old time, except....
Ma kept patting me on the knee and saying, "Charlieee you're a very naughty boyyy! Why haven't you been to see me?
I gave up and became the old man for a while.
Man those four bars felt good... better than my lousy little half bar while I was on probation.
She was certainly a tough old girl and I've heard some good stories of her sortin' out drunken miners at Wau before the war. But then even miners were more gentlemanly than todays drunks.
Mate, THEY always dressed for dinner on the ships enroute to and from New Guinea.
Ma Stewart also loaned money to Errol Flynn, but of course was never repaid.
Her grandson, Moresby, also was well known in PNG aviation, not necessarily for his shy and retiring nature, nor outstanding people skills.
Her grandson, Moresby, also was well known in PNG aviation, not necessarily for his shy and retiring nature, nor outstanding people skills.
Looks like that photo was taken in a 402, I though JMB only traveled in the nose lockers of 402's, especially when beer had to be drunk and there were no seats left !!!!!!
Moderator
Ma Stewart also loaned money to Errol Flynn, but of course was never repaid.
Laurie Crowley will be 90 in May.
So where could it be???
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Upper Markham?
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That looks very much like a mission strip I flew into a few times at the top end of the Markham and quite close to Dumpu ( I can't remember the name of the strip). If I'm right, it had a windsock at each end which almost invariably pointed exactly 180 degrees in opposite directions in strong winds. Real easy to get caught with a long tailwind float and have to do some frantic braking if you didn't touch down close to the landing threshold before the wind switched direction....
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Lapun tru 
It´s Ranara. About 8nm pretty due east of Dumpu and more the upper Ramu than the upper Markham. Here´s another view with VH-AMS on the strip.
It´s Ranara. About 8nm pretty due east of Dumpu and more the upper Ramu than the upper Markham. Here´s another view with VH-AMS on the strip.
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Kaintiba
this thread is becoming one of those wonderful books full of yarns which could never have happened in the real world back home in Oz.
Shortly after VH-AMS was purchased I had it in Lae for a short period of time. Kaintiba was nearly it's demise. The Kalaboose line was working on the Airstrip. As I lined up on final they drove the tractor towing a concrete roller down the middle of the Airstrip. As I was far enough back I had just enough room to turn in the valley. The next day as I was on down wind they drove the tractor off to the right hand side of the 1300ft. airstrip, about half way down when I was on short final, committed to land with no wear else to go without crashing. The National driving the tractor pulled the pin out of the tractor drawbar which released the concrete roller and it started rolling across the airstrip. The National initially chased it then looked at me and turned back, then tried again to catch it and realized I was very close so he headed in the other direction again. I was trying to work out where the roller would be as I basically had to land beside it or I would have gone over the top end of the airstrip. I managed to touchdown narrowerly missing it, but then I had to try and get back on the center of the airstrip so I wouldn't go over the side. The airstrip was wet and I ended up sliding side ways with the brakes locked, getting back on the center line and managed to stop at the top of the airstrip. The thing that saved me was the 17% slope.
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Ranara! That's it. You are sure bringing back some memories with these photos, SP. 
Further up the gorge (behind the camera in the first picture) is Tauta, the strip where Ray Jensch (sp?) went in. The LM bought Wren 460 VH-RAJ to replace the Dornier that crashed.
Ranara was located at the top end of the famous "Shaggy Ridge", where the Australian 7th Division fought and blocked the Japanese from moving further down into the Ramu valley. I think the sharp peak on the right above the strip was "Green Sniper's Pimple" - see the photo below, where members of "A" company, 2/9th infantry battalion are seen digging in at "Green Sniper's Pimple" after the Japanese forces had been driven back during the battle for Shaggy Ridge.
The second image (sorry, not very clear) shows the extent of the action on Shaggy Ridge. Ranara is located somewhere near the top red circle on the map.
Further up the gorge (behind the camera in the first picture) is Tauta, the strip where Ray Jensch (sp?) went in. The LM bought Wren 460 VH-RAJ to replace the Dornier that crashed.
Ranara was located at the top end of the famous "Shaggy Ridge", where the Australian 7th Division fought and blocked the Japanese from moving further down into the Ramu valley. I think the sharp peak on the right above the strip was "Green Sniper's Pimple" - see the photo below, where members of "A" company, 2/9th infantry battalion are seen digging in at "Green Sniper's Pimple" after the Japanese forces had been driven back during the battle for Shaggy Ridge.
The second image (sorry, not very clear) shows the extent of the action on Shaggy Ridge. Ranara is located somewhere near the top red circle on the map.
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Chimbu warrior I think JMB's people skills were outstanding
One of life's truly succinct and precise communicators
One of life's truly succinct and precise communicators
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Mission Strips PNG
Here is another view of Agotu (posted earlier already: #2508), a mission station behind Mt. Michael.
Last edited by Storchpilot; 24th Apr 2010 at 16:50.