Talking with a guy that worked as a stockbroker in Darwin in the post Clyclone Tracey and into the very early 1980's , and he said they did a fair few trips south in the Wards Learjet with urgent documentation etc.

Nothing unusual to finish work and race to the airport and fly south to Adelaide or Melbourne in the Learjet with share paperwork or other documentation that was required in a hurry.

Wards theres an old memory
Whatever happened to those guys?

Tinpis,

Not wrong on the observation of the Darwin skyline. As a pre-cyclone kid and later, post-cyclone, back there to work, I was amazed at the changes during a recent visit. All for the worst in my opinion. Unfortunately, the NT on my ident stands for Not There anymore. Or, maybe it's somewhat fortunate - I found it a little hard to identify with my previous three residencies (60's, late 70's, late 80's). The last time, in the late 80's/early 90's, it was getting too big IMHO. Now it's pretty much the same as everywhere else with the humidity. It's lost its character.

There's that atrocity of a residential development at Cullen Bay, sprawling northern suburbs, crocs getting picked out of Berry Springs when anything in the harbour would have had a 303 round through its head once (bleeding heart greenies). I went and saw where we, as kids, used to spend all our spare time in the water down at Fannie Bay and Mindil Beach; but there's no way I'd go in the water now.

I don't mind the buggers having free roam of Arnhem Land, but I'd blow them into the next testament within 100Ks of Darwin. Saurian extinction, in my opinion, is a bit like climate change.

You also, to my eternal horror, lost one of the best little aero clubs on the planet. I spent many a good night in that place when it was on the south side. 'Commercial reality' destroyed a Darwin icon. An uncle of mine was the first CFI - '65 I think.

Anyway, I'm a dinosaur - what would I know?

Just like to say, that while i'm a youngun, I am loving sitting back reading about times past. Certainly sounds more exciting than Darwin today.

Keep the stories coming guys.

Howabout, i agree with your thoughts on crocodylus porusus. :ok:

IXA was Ossies,IXG was Sleemans.AEA,haven't seen that for a while,I remember a pilot for Airresearch called Johnson who removed a chock from the nosewheel of AEA whilst parked on the hill outside the DGA hangar,of course it rolled and he grabbed the nosewheel to stop it.I didn't think a human hand could fit between the wheel & hockey stick but from the scars it did!!!And the Pitts,I had a flight in that which ended up in a collision with a Lazer(VH-KGZ) on the runway intersection,talk about knife edge at 3 feet.I still have the pics of the scene taken by the N.T.News in the album,the Lazer needed a new wing and the Pitts 2 new wings,new prop,bulk strip,and full refabric which we did in Guido's aircon room at Aerotec.arrrrrrrr,those were the days:D,cheers,Pete

Howabout agree :ok:
While not an aero club fan much time was spent at Sailing club and the Stella Maris :E

An article in the weekend OZ caught my eye The failed state | The Australian

No surprise, then, that a large media army is at the service of the state sector. The Territory government and its various departments employ 109 journalists and spin doctors, at a cost of more than $9 million a year, to communicate its various upbeat messages and exalt the "RTL" (relaxed Territory lifestyle).

While I cant say i agree with Rotters sentiments entirely, its pretty much on the money

OZFURY the chap working on Guidos first Fury ( Jerry Luck hangar southside) I seem to recall buying his wifes Honda 4 bike

Kicka$$n thread guys. I'm homesick as hell now. I started my apprenticeship at Rossair in '90 but heaps of work experience (slave labour?) before that. Kieth Boulby gave me my first job in aviation as an apprentice. So many names have been brought up that I had sadly forgotten about. I can't wait to go back again. I agree Darwin has changed too much but thats progress unfortunately. It will still always be home for me. Ahh the good old days rock. Bart

Looking through some old aviation magazines and come across an article about Air North purchasing, DC-3 VH-MWQ(ex-Setair) at an auction in Melbourne in 1983 for the sum of $17,000.

Wonder who got the lucky job of ferrying her back to Darwin?

I believe it was George Washington and John Hardy.

1983 George would have still been with NTAW
More likely Charley.

I thought NTAW had died by 83?? Cant recall now....

VH-MWQ is now a Kingair B200 that I work on at the RFDS. Can anyone tell me if Hardy's DC-3 VH-MMA is still flying in Darwin. When I first started, no one wanted to work on her because she was old and dirty. Myself and Bob Harrison used to look after her and spent a great deal of time doing it. Still the best aircraft I've ever worked on :)

According to my log still flying N24 for NTAW Oct 1984



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VH-MWQ

Sold to Air North Pty Ltd for $17,000 - July 28, 1983


Rebuilt at an estimated cost of $150,000

Reregistered as VH-MMA - November 15, 1983

Registered to Air North Pty Ltd

Utilised during the pilot's dispute for charters to / from the Argyle Diamond Mine

Repainted into new Air North livery - February 1990

Participated in memorial fly-past over Darwin to mark 50th Anniversary of Darwin bombing - February 19, 1992

Repainted into all-silver livery of Henry & Walker - 1992

Now operated by Hardy Aviation and still flying.

Bob Harrison. Passed many years ago

Keith Boulby Still the same Keith, retired in QSDL

Apologies for the slight thread drift, but Hrtpaul’s mention of VH-MMA reminded me that I flew on this aircraft between Perth and Port Hedland as a 10 year old (still got the photo!) in 1961. The flight took all day and went via Geraldton, Carnarvon, Onslow, Mardie and Roebourne. Believe it or not, I was invited to stand in the cockpit for some of the take-offs and landings – and this really gave me the aviation bug forever!

I did see the aircraft at Darwin in about 1997 . . . and managed to talk my way inside. Brought back wonderful memories.

Cheers

Sad to here about Bobby Harrison. Him and Keith were great engineers. I'd kill to know half of what they knew :)

Call in and see Keith in Qsld
He'll kill you with his homebrew.

Now there is a name I havent heard for a while!

I recall friday afternoons in the hangar at Executive Air with such terrific blokes as Keith Boulby, Alan McLeod, Bill Thoms, Lofty, Ross and others. All bull****ting and chugging away at tallies of "Keith Boulby's Fluid Ten"

I was fresh out of my own apprenticeship with TN/QF when I had the good fortune of working alongside the above fellas who were only too happy to help me in a hangar where my previous training wasn't worth much.:ok::ok:

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Is that a young Fred F.... , the Italian stallion?