Hell were you havin' beers with Forgy to know we were only worth $25 per week.
Funny thing was I left $53 per week as a hairy legged Hostess in the TAA Twotter to start with Patair and before TAA I was on $56 per week as a factory worker. Went steadily down to go up later.
Haven't heard anything of Back since 1974. There's a Patair reunion (forty years since we got sucked into ansett), at the end of the month and people were looking for him for that.

I bet you could buy a hell of a lot more buai, kaukau, beer, meris etc.... with your few $$ then compared to what today's salaries can buy........ especially after one has budgeted for the side arm and good quantity of rounds, flak jacket and 10 kgs of meat for the Doberman.

....and the T-shirt igat funny long em

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...alSolution.jpg

tinpis - did you ever have an SP here - goroka 1970's

http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/v...orokahotel.jpg

and what about this fella ?

http://i665.photobucket.com/albums/v...iknawilwil.jpg

Tinny drink at the Bird?

Hard to imagine - except when the aeroclub was closed.:E

Nice piccy descol Did I have an SP or seventeen there? Does the Pope **** in the woods?
Top spot for lunch on the roof it was.
Chuck there WAS no dero klab. Only other watering hole was the Goroka Sporty
We would rip off the epaulettes after last Chimbu and get some in at the Sporty. Nine times out of ten Rocky the bag snatcher would ring the club to see if any pilots were there. If you were dumb enough to own up and answer the phone the conversation would go

"Rocky maaaate, I cant come back and do another Chimbu, I've had a beer"

"How many beers you had?"

"Mmm..couple.."

"Well ya not pissed are ya? Get back here now, they're sitting in GKI ready to go!"

:}

Wasn't there a bit of an aeroclub down by the tower?

Certainly was an Aero Club in my day (79 onwards). as Chuck says, by the tower, adjacent to Pacific Helicopters.

There was even a special chair with a plaque dedicated to Phil Bennett. Torres must remember.........

I reckon the Aero klab came about 75-6

The chair was over in the Bird, look back a bit I've posted a picture of it

Pants did aeros in Phils little plane.
Pants once took Rocky up in an old Stinson L5 (ex Kiaps?) and did a loop da loop over GKA
Rocky ****.
He hated flying straight and level :hmm:
He **** even more when they found dry rot in the wooden spar :ooh:

Pretty sure the Stinson bilong Dennis Faithful the man that did the artwork in the Bird
I think Waddles ferried it south for him?

If that is Cessna 185A VH-GKI, she lives on with Tablelands Air Services at Atherton, North Queensland.

We had a coupla million Buka Meris under those umbrellas ancestors too.

Now back in 1970 our blokes didn't need training handles and they had TWO wheels!

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3...esrelic/wh.jpg

sixtiesrelic
do you know the story behind the 'wheels' ?

SR is that pic of the DC3 taken at the old Hagen strip in town, current site of the Highlander Hotel, when Kagamuga was still a big kau kau garden with some pyrethrum bushes on the boundary. Mid 60's ??

Can't help thinking its Goroka

♪ I can tell by your arsegras
That you are a Chimbu.....♪♫

Plus how much in cash fares??? :}

I started with TAL in November 1971 at $7,000 pa, no cash fares.

That looks like the MAL/Ansett DC3 VH-MAL. Interesting history of the aircraft HERE.

Hills look like Goroka but no tarmac - may be the old Hagen town strip??

I'm guessing but the Goroka Sports Club closed late 70's, maybe around 78? Anyone know if the building is still there? Only two watering holes in the early 70s - front bar at the Bird and the Sports Club.

The Aero Club started around 76. I think the house was donated by DCA/CAA. Is it still operating? Wriggles used to run the movies each Saturday night, most of which were "borrowed" from Talair transit freight.

Phil's chair started at The Bird then moved to the Aero Club. Phil had a blue two door Fiat car which ended up in the barratt outside the Aero Club on a few occasions. No simple task to drive when Phil was so p!ssed he could hardly walk....... On one occasion he chained his Thorpe to one of the pine trees at the top of the strip for "engine runs", after a session at the Aero Club.

The photo of the county's 'hope for the future' eatin his es crim was taken at Wapenamunda in 1972.

The old town strip was well gone when I first flew into Hagen in 1969.

No Descol, I don't know anything about the story of he wheelies wheelies and never even wondered. Sounds like it should be heard,for someone in the future's book on the other side of the country's history.... a companion to "Black and White" or "Tripp around PNG"

Torres, thanks for the link on VH-MAL. I had the kids in the science museum the other day and was looking at HDB hanging from the roof *»´ä¬ì¾ÇÀ] Hong Kong Science Museum. Amazed at where these aircraft got to over the course of their surprisingly long useful lives. It appreciated in value from '45 to '53, wonder what CPA paid for it to get it back?

As far as wages in PNG, by '97 we were on K$20k pa. At the then current exchange rate it was less than AU$200/week. Pottsy and the crew sure got value for money out of us. Funnily enough I reckon I enjoyed it more than what I'm doing now.

Torres,
It looks like MAT, NOT MAL

If it is VH-MAT:

A65-55
VH-CUQ
C-47A
S/N: 13340
42-93429
Delivered to the RAAF 06/44. 36 sqn.
VH-TAU TAA 'Hewitt' del 05/07/48.
Mandated Airlines 04/01/60. VH-MAT Registered 12/11/60.
Ansett-Mandated 12/01/61.
Ansett Ltd 23/05/73.
Air Niugini 01/11/73. P2-MAT Registered 01/06/74.
Withdrawn 31/07/77.
Preserved Lae-Nadzab 03/80.

"Preserved" at Nadzab 03/80???? I don't recall seeing a DC3 "Preserved" at Nadzab in 1980?

Another web site says "derelict at Nadzab", which is far more likely.

RE: MAT and Nadzab

I don't recall seeing a DC3, derelict or otherwise at Nadzab in 2008.

There were certainly plenty of other dero's wandering around and besides the grass is not long enough to hide a "3"

tipsy