bill moore
 

Thanks. I will continue searching. Have a good day.

my haus
 

I can see my haus in the PX Hill photo just being built up near the watertank on the outer edge.

Thanks!

http://www.examiner.com.au/multimedi...ll/1084864.jpg

There you go Torres. Lara Giddings and family. :ok:

While talking of Mt Hagen in the late 50s and early 60s I was working with TAL and TAA, knew Peter Hurst and Colin Hay well, Peter was a good friend, had many tubes with him.
I was shattered when Peter had an auto accident that took his life. I am still up and about just.
Will be 81 in 8 weeks time. Send my regards to friends from long time before.

I did a year with Douglas on the Islander in the 70's. This is from an ABC documentary on Kokoda. I don't think approaching a ridge like this is a good idea.

http://i.imgur.com/sx0lw.jpg

Bill Moore
 

Ex-Air Nuigini Bill Moore's email address is "wilmor[at]powerup.com.au".
Bill organised the Air Nuigini Reunion in Caloundra in November last year. I went along expecting to see many of the young larikins I flew with, but found the place full of old farts like me!:O The years have not been kind to many of us, but it was good to catch up with Bill and other old friends after more than 30 years.:)

Plenty of photos on the ANG Reunion website at Air Niugini - Reunion

Where's Jeeves?
 

I heard that Jeeves is no longer at the house of Wild.

What gives? What is he doing now?

Peter Flanagan, Peter Manser
 

Hi All
I am hoping someone may have known either of these two fellows who were in PNG in the 1950s onwards. Peter Flanagan died in 1999 and Peter Manser in 1991 but I am keen to hear any stories about them. Also hoping to locate ANY info (and pics) of Peter Manser.

Very grateful for any info or leads. Happy to receive emails.
Sharon Flanagan
Sydney

Apart from continuing to be a gentleman, Jeeves is now a businessman.

See here Sunbird Aviation flies into Efogi 25th October - Kokoda Trekkers Forum

Likes the pizza oven...:ok:

Sharon

I did not personally know Peter Manser as I think he left PNG before my arrival in 1963 or our paths didn't cross? He lived in the "stone houses" in Goroka in the 1950s and I believe I lived in the house he occupied some years earlier.

He worked for Bobby Gibbes as both accountant and later as pilot. In 1951 he pranged Auster VH-KSX at Dreikikir due to engine failure and on 21 March 1957, bent Junkers Ju52-3m VH-BUW at Wau after the port engined failed on take off.

I think Peter went across to Ansett-MAL when Ansett took over Gibbes Sepik Airways? I have a vague recollection he may have flown Ansett DC3s?

If you haven't already done so, you need to obtain Jim Sinclair's books "Sepik Pilot" and "Balus" Vol 1: The Early Years. You will find many references to Peter and photos of him in those two books. Bobby also mentions Peter in his autobiography "You Live But Once", but that book is almost impossible to obtain, although I have an autographed copy.

If you would like to contact Bobby Gibbes family, send me a PM and I will give you phone numbers and email addresses. Bobby's widow Jeanie and their two daughters still live in Sydney.

There are also a few Lapuns that post here who may remember Peter, especially if he few for Ansett-MAL. If you can locate them, I'm sure Jasper Masklyn and John Kessey would remember Peter.

Three cheers for Jeeves!! :ok:

Flew with Peter several time on the MAL DC3 post 1970. He was permanent FO after the tree pruning in the( Bena?) gap.
You knew he had been in a bar the night before by the tell tale sign of the old tins of fags he invariably left behind (Craven A?)

Peter Manser
 

F/O,d for Pete on DC3s in 1970 including one memorable occasion a reject before V1 at Goroka (engine failed!!) with load of passengers. Couldn't climb back up the hill on one engine, so a Toyota Landcruiser (yours Torres?)ignominiously pulled us backwards up to the apron with a large hemp rope!! PM a very relaxed Capt to fly with. A low level VFR operation in the highlands back then. Our roster mainly involved a coupla stops to Moresby collecting passengers. Go to the Weinkeller for a 1 hr lunch, then take the passengers from the 727 from South to their destinations via the highland passes (Tsili Tsili, or Kudgeru into the Watut, Wampit, Snake and Markham or on a good day via Menyamya 'n Mt Michael at 9500') We would be at the bar by 6pm for a well earned brown SP.Pete was a F/O when I joined Ansett APNG but was repromoted to Capt in 70. Will have a dig thru the photos.

Peter Frederick MANSER (4 March 1991, aged 70)

Easy going - difficult - loveable - optimistic - intelligent -kind - a gentleman and a good christian. Known in the Airforce as Pinto Pete.

Born on 27 February 1921 at Lewisham Hospital, England, Peter was the only son of Harold and Ellen Manser and was blessed with four sisters. He immigrated to Australia in 1923 on board the Thermistocles, arriving Saturday 22 December 1923. He was two and a half years old and he travelled with his mother and four year old sister Patricia. His mother spent the voyage praying that he would not fall off the railing, which he always managed to climb onto. The family settled in Coogee in "two well furnished rooms" which his father had secured, having arrived a year earlier to prepare things "down under" for his family.

Peter grew up in Charles Street, Ryde, and attended Holy Cross College where he matriculated and after some office type jobs commenced accountancy with O'Brien & Co. in the city. This was interrupted by World War II when Peter enlisted in the Army. He was an unhappy recruit, he hated marching and everyone hated marching with him as he was always out of step. After much pleading he was accepted to transfer to the RAAF and spent his 21st birthday training in Western Australia. He was chosen for a special squadron to train in Canada. This was a very difficult period of his life as he became engaged to a beautiful Canadian girl, however they both found they could not leave their homelands and then the war ended and Peter's squadron was recalled to Australia. Many of his friends died in the first squadron which had already gone over.

Discharged from the RAAF in 1946 and not settling well into civilian life, he accepted a position with Carpenters, a well known firm in New Guinea, as a cost clerk. He made an impact in this firm asking a customer would she like a broom wrapped or would she ride it home, before leaving to secure a job with Gibbes Sepik Airways, then with Ansett Mandated Airlines where he became a Captain, finishing his service in 1970.

He settled in Sydney near his sisters and their children, first with his mother whom he lost in 1976, later at Brookvale where he met a good friend in Bob Wendt, and lately at Collaroy Plateau. He spent most of his adult life in New Guinea: Madang, Wewak and Goroka. He made some wonderful friends: the Healy family, Dennis Buchanan and last but not least Bob Rich. Their time together ended last Monday when Peter died at Bob's home in Davidson—peacefully—much loved and admired and, as always, looking forward to being fit enough for a beer with Dick O'Brien or the boys at Belrose.

"HAPPY LANDINGS PETE"

Eulogy delivered at Peter's funeral by Julie Ann, the eldest daughter of Bob and Ann Rich of Davidson, NSW


PNGAA - Vale, June 1991

Peter Manser
 

Unfortunately all my log books are buried under a mountain of storage so I can't check precise details, but I can tell you that Peter Manser was definitely flying as a DC3 Captain with Air Niugini at the beginning of 1974, when I joined the company.

After being checked to the line by Russ Corney, I flew with Peter several times as his First Officer, mainly on freight runs. Peter liked to do crossword puzzles and I distinctly remember that on one flight back into Port Moresby he handed over control to me and retired to the cabin with his pencil and a newspaper crossword.....! Of course, as an inexperienced F/O I expected that he would take over for the approach, but no, we arrived at top of descent with Peter still sitting back there doing the crossword puzzle...:uhoh:

Well I had to do something, so I made the appropriate radio calls to Moresby ATC and set up the descent profile for an ILS approach, thinking that he was sure to get back in the left seat when he felt the aircraft descending.

As we got lower and nearer to Port Moresby my level of anxiety started to rise rather quickly. Fortunately, from about 1,500ft we were mostly clear of cloud and I was able to see the runway. At last, and with the aircraft on a very short final, Peter appeared from the cabin and said, "Oh, we're there are we?" and slid casually into the left seat. I'm almost certain that he did not get his seat straps done up until we were crossing the threshold!:ooh:

Somehow I managed to make a passable landing and as we slowed to taxyspeed Peter grinned and said, "That wasn't bad, eh?"

Yes, Sundaun, Peter was a VERY relaxed Captain to fly with! Mind you, he didn't like flying IFR much and would go to quite extraordinary lengths to avoid entering cloud, if at all possible.... but with all the cumulogranite around in PNG, who could blame him?

Flew in the jump seat 1972 Mendi- Madang on a freighter ANA DC3.
Peter Manser was the FO. Bob? Rogers the skipper.

Bill Rogers.

Bill, ta mate :ok:
Was a memorable trip. We entered solid kack at Baiyer River and never saw the ground again until Bill signaled two fingers down and we squeaked onto a rain sodden Madang

When was the tree DC3/pruning incident do you remember?

I recall that Peter Manser was given a command on the DC3 for a brief period at the commencement of Air Niugini in late 1973...there was some discussion about the tree lopping event at the time.

Within a short period of time Peter either retired or was made an offer he could not refuse...:confused: