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
Junior gets a mention in the Muswellbrook Shire Hall of Fame.
BUCHANAN, SIR RANALD DENNIS
Level: Honours
Classification: Imperial - Knight & MBE
Ranald Dennis Buchanan who was a great grandson of a convict, who professed to love the Goulburn River Valley, especially the Baerami area, who founded airlines in both Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia, who was a member of the Papua New Guinea parliament, who was awarded two Imperial Honours, and was a man of whom Rudyard Kipling could have truly said, he could “walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch”.
Ranald Buchanan was born on 6 November, 1932, at Crown Street Women’s Hospital, Surry Hills, Sydney, being one of nine children to Brisbane and Jessie Buchanan. His mother died, when he was six years old, in June 1939. Dennis’ father struggled to keep the large family together, but decided, in early 1942, to send his youngest children, Dennis and Lilla, to live with their uncle Dangar Buchanan, aunt Winton and cousin Inez, on a dairy farm at Mount Dangar, Baerami, West of Denman, in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW.
These two young siblings, Dennis aged nine and Lilla aged five years, attended Baerami Public School, a one teacher school of about one dozen pupils, with Glen Whalan in charge. He later married their cousin Inez. They were happy in this rural district with at least seven relatives living nearby.
At the end of 1943, Dennis returned to Sydney to complete his primary education at Eastwood Public, while living with a family friend. His father enrolled him at All Saints’ Anglican College, a boarding school in Bathurst, where he obtained his Intermediate Certificate in 1948.
The following June, Bobby Gibbes of Gibbes Sepik Airways (GSA), Papua New Guinea, an old boy of All Saints’, sought a “lad with a lot of go in him” to work in Papua New Guinea. The bursar recommended Dennis.
He flew to Wewak in December 1949 with Mr Gibbes. This was his first flight. Dennis, or “Junior” as he was soon known as, learnt a great deal about the airline business at GSA including accountancy, flight schedules and loading and unloading aircraft.
In 1955, aged 23 years, while still working at GSA and with Mr Gibbes’ approval, Dennis formed a partnership with Frank King to grow coffee near Goroka. He turned this investment into a “bank” of ₤4,000 stg, almost six times his original borrowed capital, in about 12 months.
He wooed and wed Della Brown, a young Chinese girl, in Lae on 27 December, 1956 and they became proud parents of nine children.
Dennis was soon to start a life-long business career, principally in the airline business. He purchased, in January 1958, Territory Airlines Pty Ltd based in Goroka, with two aircraft for ₤12,000 stg. Despite borrowing ₤500 each from his father and a brother, the profitable venture resulted in being paid for in just two years. He was an astute entrepreneur, operating mainly Cessna planes, which were ideally suited to conditions in the New Guinea Highlands. By June, 1969, he had 21 aircraft. In 1974, he changed the name Territory Airlines Pty Ltd to Talair Pty Ltd, a Buchanan family owned company. At the peak of its operation Talair had 70 aircraft, 1,000+ employees and served 150 ports. With three larger planes, including a 36 seat mini-airline, Talair competed strongly with the national airline Air Niugini.
When economic conditions deteriorated and fare increases became difficult to obtain, Dennis, in 1993, reluctantly closed his Papua New Guinea operations and sold some planes overseas, sold some planes to other small Papua New Guinea operators and others were transferred to his new Queensland airline, Flight West Airlines Pty Ltd (FWA) which he had founded in 1987.
Once again, Dennis built up a substantial regional airline which, in the early 1900s, had a $90m revenue, carried 400,000+ passengers per year, employed 400+ people, had 16 aircraft and flew to 34 destinations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island. Some aviation experts claim that it was the biggest family owned airline in the world.
In early 2000, Dennis, who was suffering from myeloid leukaemia, and mindful of increasing airline costs of operation, attempted to sell the company. Failing to attract a buyer, Dennis put FWA into members voluntary liquidation on 19 June, 2001. The company ceased trading while solvent and had nett assets in excess of $6M which was the culmination of almost 52 years in aviation.
This highly successful businessman had served his community well. He had one term in the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly from 1968 and was awarded a Member of the British Empire in the 1976 Papua New Guinea Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to aviation and tourism. In 1991, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to aviation in Papua New Guinea.
Sir Dennis passed away on 29 August, 2001. A remembrance service was held at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane on 31 August, 2001. He was laid to rest in the graveyard at St Matthews Anglican Church, Mount Dangar in his beloved Baerami area, quite close to his Asaro Lodge horse stud on which he had intended to retire, but is now conducted by his New Guinea-born son, John.
This Buchanan family were pioneers in the Baerami district. John Buchanan (1818‑1898) came to NSW as a convict on Waterloo (5) in 1838, received his ticket‑of‑leave in the 1840s and was engaged by John Hale (also an ex-convict) to take horses from Windsor to Patrick Plains (Singleton). In 1861, he took up a selection at Baerami and, in 1879, won an award for wheat grown in the Hunter Valley. He hid his convict background and lived a blameless life. He was buried on 11 June, 1898, at Mount Dangar, in the same churchyard cemetery as his great-grandson, Sir Ranald Dennis Buchanan, MBE, the subject of this profile.
The MBE (and the Knighthood) are another story not for this forum. He used to call it "My Bloody Effort" whilst the rest of us knew he should have got an OBE for our Our Bloody Effort!!
It was obvious he had criminal forebears!!!
Where ever he is now it would be hell with he, Biscuit Ears, Gibbsie and Sir Don Anderson all in the same place!!
BUCHANAN, SIR RANALD DENNIS
Level: Honours
Classification: Imperial - Knight & MBE
Ranald Dennis Buchanan who was a great grandson of a convict, who professed to love the Goulburn River Valley, especially the Baerami area, who founded airlines in both Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia, who was a member of the Papua New Guinea parliament, who was awarded two Imperial Honours, and was a man of whom Rudyard Kipling could have truly said, he could “walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch”.
Ranald Buchanan was born on 6 November, 1932, at Crown Street Women’s Hospital, Surry Hills, Sydney, being one of nine children to Brisbane and Jessie Buchanan. His mother died, when he was six years old, in June 1939. Dennis’ father struggled to keep the large family together, but decided, in early 1942, to send his youngest children, Dennis and Lilla, to live with their uncle Dangar Buchanan, aunt Winton and cousin Inez, on a dairy farm at Mount Dangar, Baerami, West of Denman, in the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW.
These two young siblings, Dennis aged nine and Lilla aged five years, attended Baerami Public School, a one teacher school of about one dozen pupils, with Glen Whalan in charge. He later married their cousin Inez. They were happy in this rural district with at least seven relatives living nearby.
At the end of 1943, Dennis returned to Sydney to complete his primary education at Eastwood Public, while living with a family friend. His father enrolled him at All Saints’ Anglican College, a boarding school in Bathurst, where he obtained his Intermediate Certificate in 1948.
The following June, Bobby Gibbes of Gibbes Sepik Airways (GSA), Papua New Guinea, an old boy of All Saints’, sought a “lad with a lot of go in him” to work in Papua New Guinea. The bursar recommended Dennis.
He flew to Wewak in December 1949 with Mr Gibbes. This was his first flight. Dennis, or “Junior” as he was soon known as, learnt a great deal about the airline business at GSA including accountancy, flight schedules and loading and unloading aircraft.
In 1955, aged 23 years, while still working at GSA and with Mr Gibbes’ approval, Dennis formed a partnership with Frank King to grow coffee near Goroka. He turned this investment into a “bank” of ₤4,000 stg, almost six times his original borrowed capital, in about 12 months.
He wooed and wed Della Brown, a young Chinese girl, in Lae on 27 December, 1956 and they became proud parents of nine children.
Dennis was soon to start a life-long business career, principally in the airline business. He purchased, in January 1958, Territory Airlines Pty Ltd based in Goroka, with two aircraft for ₤12,000 stg. Despite borrowing ₤500 each from his father and a brother, the profitable venture resulted in being paid for in just two years. He was an astute entrepreneur, operating mainly Cessna planes, which were ideally suited to conditions in the New Guinea Highlands. By June, 1969, he had 21 aircraft. In 1974, he changed the name Territory Airlines Pty Ltd to Talair Pty Ltd, a Buchanan family owned company. At the peak of its operation Talair had 70 aircraft, 1,000+ employees and served 150 ports. With three larger planes, including a 36 seat mini-airline, Talair competed strongly with the national airline Air Niugini.
When economic conditions deteriorated and fare increases became difficult to obtain, Dennis, in 1993, reluctantly closed his Papua New Guinea operations and sold some planes overseas, sold some planes to other small Papua New Guinea operators and others were transferred to his new Queensland airline, Flight West Airlines Pty Ltd (FWA) which he had founded in 1987.
Once again, Dennis built up a substantial regional airline which, in the early 1900s, had a $90m revenue, carried 400,000+ passengers per year, employed 400+ people, had 16 aircraft and flew to 34 destinations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island. Some aviation experts claim that it was the biggest family owned airline in the world.
In early 2000, Dennis, who was suffering from myeloid leukaemia, and mindful of increasing airline costs of operation, attempted to sell the company. Failing to attract a buyer, Dennis put FWA into members voluntary liquidation on 19 June, 2001. The company ceased trading while solvent and had nett assets in excess of $6M which was the culmination of almost 52 years in aviation.
This highly successful businessman had served his community well. He had one term in the Papua New Guinea House of Assembly from 1968 and was awarded a Member of the British Empire in the 1976 Papua New Guinea Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to aviation and tourism. In 1991, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for services to aviation in Papua New Guinea.
Sir Dennis passed away on 29 August, 2001. A remembrance service was held at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane on 31 August, 2001. He was laid to rest in the graveyard at St Matthews Anglican Church, Mount Dangar in his beloved Baerami area, quite close to his Asaro Lodge horse stud on which he had intended to retire, but is now conducted by his New Guinea-born son, John.
This Buchanan family were pioneers in the Baerami district. John Buchanan (1818‑1898) came to NSW as a convict on Waterloo (5) in 1838, received his ticket‑of‑leave in the 1840s and was engaged by John Hale (also an ex-convict) to take horses from Windsor to Patrick Plains (Singleton). In 1861, he took up a selection at Baerami and, in 1879, won an award for wheat grown in the Hunter Valley. He hid his convict background and lived a blameless life. He was buried on 11 June, 1898, at Mount Dangar, in the same churchyard cemetery as his great-grandson, Sir Ranald Dennis Buchanan, MBE, the subject of this profile.
It was obvious he had criminal forebears!!!
Where ever he is now it would be hell with he, Biscuit Ears, Gibbsie and Sir Don Anderson all in the same place!!
Grandpa Aerotart
I see the family has a long history of 'interesting' first names...which surely won't end with John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ford Cosworth Buchanan, Dennis' grandkids.
Great pictures GG. God I miss that place some days.
Great pictures GG. God I miss that place some days.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
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Great pictures GG. God I miss that place some days.
I still consider my all too short time there the best years of my life!
Silly Old Git
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Does anyone know if APNG is hiring?? I grew up in PNG, now flying remote in Austalia and always wanted to go back and fly where I grew up..last year I got job offer with Air Link but during the process of visa, the airline was closed down..I know Tropic Air is hiring but I wish to fly turbine twin engine aircraft so APNG Twin Otter would be my ideal..I notice APNG minimum used to be 1500TT for FO but now fallen to 300TT..I already sent my CV to APNG but I don't understand their HR is in Cairns and she kept saying there's no vacncy..I guess I need "One Talk" here so please shout out if someone of you here is insider....Tank You True Ya!!
Retired Tiger pilot
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....or, ranting and raving,
YOU'RE ******** FIRED!! Sack'em all!!
Yep. Them were the days, actually reminds me of Bikkie Ears who one night at the old dero club, after a beer heated argument, FIRED one William Moore!
Great, except Bill Moore was not employed by Douglas Airways.
YOU'RE ******** FIRED!! Sack'em all!!
Yep. Them were the days, actually reminds me of Bikkie Ears who one night at the old dero club, after a beer heated argument, FIRED one William Moore!
Great, except Bill Moore was not employed by Douglas Airways.
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frank madden
In today's Courier Mail.
a memorial notice was printed.
madden frank " the aviator" .( aka, "the bishop, corky, the health inspector), passed away on the 22-7-08, buried at Rookwood in Sydney.
I bumped into him at a Toyota dealership in Bne in Mar . or Apr. he seemed OK to me, what happened.
W4
a memorial notice was printed.
madden frank " the aviator" .( aka, "the bishop, corky, the health inspector), passed away on the 22-7-08, buried at Rookwood in Sydney.
I bumped into him at a Toyota dealership in Bne in Mar . or Apr. he seemed OK to me, what happened.
W4
Retired Tiger pilot
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Frank
Yes, a funny man at times. Gave me a baseball cap embroidered with a DC3 and my name last time I saw him a few years ago in Port Moresby when he was visiting some of his men of the cloth friends.
Other times after a few sherbets, Frank could be the bane of hosties and female bar staff of the early 1970's.
Frank you made many laugh at the various antics you got up to as mentioned above and we hope that the reversed collar gets you a better seniority slot up above.
Other times after a few sherbets, Frank could be the bane of hosties and female bar staff of the early 1970's.
Frank you made many laugh at the various antics you got up to as mentioned above and we hope that the reversed collar gets you a better seniority slot up above.
Actually Bikkie-ears was quite fond of firing pilots en-mass after a few SPs. One Friday arvo at ritual drinkies at his pride-and-joy DZ Training Centre, opposite his ramshackle headquarters at Jacksons, he fired "all youz pilots". Years later at his salubrious compound residence at six mile he held a rare Sunday afternoon piss-up for some reason or another. There were Pollies there, a few second rate Port Morbid glitterati, the token ex-Miss PNG and lots of very thirsty DZ pilots eager to get their 'pay-cheque'. After a couple of scorched pigs and several kegs were despatched, the crowd had withered to just for a few hardy seriously drunk pilots and Bikkie holding court. Said pilots announced their intention to depart and were promptly threatend with the sack!! Several beers later, and perhaps the last whooosh of the keg spear being heard, we were allowed to escape, jobs intact!!
Which takes me back to Benbach. What a magic spot. The beauty of PNG geography is indescribable to those that have not experienced it, but Bensbach was at another level. Sunrises on that river were breathtaking. Snaking your way down the river in total darkness, reclined in cane armchairs in a flat bottom tinnie, it enticed you in excited anticipation. Then, as dawn broke, it revealed that tropical spectrum of colours as thousands of birds took flight, deer looked on curiously and barramundi stirred in the coffee coloured water below. Timeless. Next? Time to cast and crack a few tinnies at 5:30am!! Line tangle? No worries hand it to the boat boy who trades your rod for a new coldie.
I remember doing a trip there from Tabubil with the SMH3 (Star Mountains Hash House House Harriers- a drinking club with a running problem for those that don't know). Overloaded with SP & San Mig out of Tabubil, we were regaled by the GM with lots of Swing- low-sweet-chariots and a co-pilot, Hash name Faggott, who insisted on playing trolly-dolly with just Telefomin-trousers on!. That was just the beginning of the weekend.
What ever happened to Brian and Doreen Bromley? They were great hosts and their daughter V was a legend in the POM social scene. Is the lodge still going?
Which takes me back to Benbach. What a magic spot. The beauty of PNG geography is indescribable to those that have not experienced it, but Bensbach was at another level. Sunrises on that river were breathtaking. Snaking your way down the river in total darkness, reclined in cane armchairs in a flat bottom tinnie, it enticed you in excited anticipation. Then, as dawn broke, it revealed that tropical spectrum of colours as thousands of birds took flight, deer looked on curiously and barramundi stirred in the coffee coloured water below. Timeless. Next? Time to cast and crack a few tinnies at 5:30am!! Line tangle? No worries hand it to the boat boy who trades your rod for a new coldie.
I remember doing a trip there from Tabubil with the SMH3 (Star Mountains Hash House House Harriers- a drinking club with a running problem for those that don't know). Overloaded with SP & San Mig out of Tabubil, we were regaled by the GM with lots of Swing- low-sweet-chariots and a co-pilot, Hash name Faggott, who insisted on playing trolly-dolly with just Telefomin-trousers on!. That was just the beginning of the weekend.
What ever happened to Brian and Doreen Bromley? They were great hosts and their daughter V was a legend in the POM social scene. Is the lodge still going?
Last edited by Maisk Rotum; 15th Sep 2008 at 16:41.
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The Brumleys
Brian passed on in about 2005. Doreen was then living with one daughter down South who was in the Police Force, the other daughter lived in USA. Harro & Batesy were operating Bensbach at that time, the other founding shareholders Norm Camps & Mark Fallon both died & Macka McKenzie sold out. I am unaware if it is still operating, but I think Batesy(Trans Niugini Tours) would keep it going along with Karawari & Tari. As stated, it is a magic area with large batchelor heards of Rusa and great "Barra" fishing late wet. RH built a lodge downstream but I don't know if it ever operated. Tropicair guys would know! The place has seen lots of action, Caribous, "hot" Aztecs, a DC3 on venison recovery, a twin Bonanza,mostly NS/NR.
Last edited by yerex; 20th Sep 2008 at 19:02.
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Bensbach
M... Rotum, you obviously appreciate Nature,,, I had the pleasure to experienced a sunset heading back to the lodge after a day fishing barras
downstream.. I vividly remember the beauty of the sun filtering through the trees alongside the river, the deers and beautiful birds overhead.
Doreen Bromley is a great cook and I am sorry to hear about Brian, I used to fly to Bensback quite a bit when I was Daru based.
downstream.. I vividly remember the beauty of the sun filtering through the trees alongside the river, the deers and beautiful birds overhead.
Doreen Bromley is a great cook and I am sorry to hear about Brian, I used to fly to Bensback quite a bit when I was Daru based.
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I hear Pixie are up to their usual though unusual management techniques again.
You know the one that sees the nearest Expat given the flick because that'll fix the problem.
Exit one audit manager I believe.
You know the one that sees the nearest Expat given the flick because that'll fix the problem.
Exit one audit manager I believe.
Myles Lewis
I have been contacted by a fellow in the UK who used to fly with Myles in PNG. He wants to know if he's still around and if he can be contacted.
Rgds
Rgds