One other thing, Tinny, that I didn't mention before was my shock and horror that the beautiful Hotel Darwin and my beloved Green Room had been demolished. Now that was a crime by a bunch of craven philistines.

When I arrived back on that visit, I made a beeline to the site in anticipation of having a few quiet beers in the tropical ambience, with the palms, the cane chairs and the outside gardens, only to find a bloody resort of some sort. What a damned tragedy.

As I said before, I found it hard to relate to the place anymore. Greedy developers with no appreciation for tradition. The Green Room was a lovely place, reminiscent of a Somerset Maugham novel out of the 30's. The alternative watering holes just turned out to be plastic and glass and while the Vic retained some character, it was noisy, crowded and seemed to have been taken over by the younger set - not that I begrudge them.

I just couldn't find anywhere with the same appeal. There used to be some competition when the Fannie Bay Hotel was still around, but that got blown away a long time ago.

In the few years leading up to the old Hotel Darwin 1999 demise, they would have hardly sold enough beer to keep the doors open. It was a haunt for a pickled Queen Mum (Peter Morgan) and that was about it:p
They say it had cancer with lots of rubble only being held up by the plaster ceilings
I had stayed in the place a few times and can attest to it being a dank old ****-hole
Still, something similar on the site would have been nice
You dont have to be insane to go clubbing it on the Mitchell street strip nowdays, but it sure helps.

lotus 27

Yes, I recall the Keg fine for taking the wrong wheel out... lots of laughs that day.

Georgina S is a 767 Capt with QF - as a ex SA Cop, she was a better drinker than most of the boys back then!!

Is Fred F still flying?
Is his better half still the local fanny mechanic?

Retired now, better half still working, keeping FF in the comforts he is use to!

Wonder what happened to some of the guys from Lloyd Aviation?

Whatever happened to the CASA thing that they used to operate to Troughton Island?

Is Tipperary Station still going?

i believe so mate. i haven't been there in a year or so but it was going strong then

What was Guido's maintenace organisation called?

was it aerotec out in Winnellie

What ever happened to Dave Cooper
 

Now there's a story, if you have a few tinnies to spare, and a couple of hours.

Dave C ;)

Guido's maint org began as Darwin General Aviiation,set up purely to certify the Sea Furies as they were restored,the cert of approval was transferred to Aerotec in Winnellie which still exists being controlled by Nobby since Guido's death.Aerotec has restored a number of warbirds over the years incl 2 T-6's one of which Guido was trajically killed in,4 T-28's,the placement of the CAC Boomerang and G-59 Fiat on the Aus register,and recently the restoration of the Hoskings F4U-5N Corsair which is still happening!!!Guido & Nobby gave me my start in this crazy game in '83 and I am still involved with the Corsair at the moment.Merry Xmas all,Pete:ok:

From memory the CASA 212 is now doing or was? mineral survey in various parts of aust and africa, not sure who owns it now. a couple of the Lloyd pilots ended up in the big Q and at least one in Ansett circa 1986 I think.

The rhodesian pilot who did all the endorsements in Darwin is in Spain and the tower boys at the time are still recovering from the fastest circuit known ever in a "box" and do not ask at what height. I think there was a Xmas party on and they wanted to get to it or thats what we were led to believe, but the Fanny bay Pub and sailing club certainly were on the visit list.

Times have changed. and like others Darwin has sure changed.

Merv Fowler - one of life's true gentlemen
 

A wonderful caring and guiding mentor and businessman who always inspired me to do more with learning better ways of doing things - Merv gave me my first start as a CPL in Darwin early in 1990 on C210 MJD which found me soon located at Lajumanu in the Tanami for the next ten months. What an adventure at 21 years of age! I will always be grateful to Merv. Hope you are well mate! - Mark

Santaclaus
 

Darwin Aero Club Memories.
Anyone knows what happened to:
Rocko Videtta
Don Mitchell
Joe from Malta

What was rego of the Pelair 330's based in Darwin?

Don Mitchell if its who I'm thinking of is instructing at RQAC. True Gentlemen

KNN the other

Ajp, ajk, ajs?

more photos please. This is the only threat worth looking at on PPrune!

Boulby, K :ok:

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/9185/dsc02241x.jpg

Shed Captain, if you didnt know him perhaps your better half did....:E

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...s/Untitled.jpg

Sacred site:rolleyes: remember Caseys Corner at the Berrimah lights?

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

Never a truer word spoken. :}

NTAC - Graham Ball (used to fight with Ozzie all the time!) Aaah, Graham! Scored my first job with NTAC and before I even went in for the interview, the CP and another senior pilot told me to do myself a favour and just walk away.

Still, I was grateful for flying the C402 IFR as the replacement for "George" up the Top End during the Wet. :)

Tinpis
Great photo PM was one of the best operators in the air and on the ground I ever came across.

TENTOTEN agreed.
Another of a familiar craft around the Top End in the 80's
Probably the same man seeing as how its unusually configured :rolleyes:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y15...s/westwind.jpg


Gosh, 26 years since Luigi and Owie were were lost in Sydney.

Yes using the buckets to win the spot landing competition was one way of getting a free beer at the sailing club.

I've been a prisoner in Darwhine 30 years in Oct .apart from a foray to the big smoke in 86
My how its changed, not all for the better, but it is still somewhere to live thats far away from the rest of OZ without actually leaving.

can't really believe this thread has got this far without references to some of the worlds great nightclubs

Regines/Crystals (casino), Darbys, Fannies :suspect: (these were class establishments), Hot Gossip, and Le Club :hmm:

You missed a great Club - 'Dix'

I remember having an interview with Ball - he pulled at his earlobe
while looking at me with an intense "now-how-can-I-fcuk-this-guy?"
look of a used car salesman.

Then I wandered across the lane to Ossie (Arnhem Air Charter) and
that went ok. Lasted about 2 months on the Barooon (TOV) then
Armpits gave me the arse for something minor - like calling her kid
(Eddie?) a fcuking idiot, among other things.

Headed to the Alice after that.

Can't recall the name of the CFI over at the aero club but I remember
that I got on rather well with him. Was it Don something?

Ok I remember now....Don Mitchell.

Good Lord, how many pilots did Ozzy turn out?

Hurlingham. Dix til Six.Now Reece plumbing store. .Spellman still in town, done very well thank you, sold a restaurant on land somebody built multi $millon apartment tower on

Darwin Nite Life

Don Hotel Casino, then a look at Fannies and a nightcap at Dix on the way back to the Northen Suburbs as the sun came up.

Few big headaches

tinpis

Mr Spellman - I seem to recall he had a mate 'The Queen Mother of Darwin'
Peter Morgan?

Hurlingham

When I knew of Morgan, he was ensconced in the Tuminello (Fannies) crowd and in vicious competition with Spelman.

But that was in the period pre-dating this thread (the late 70's) and he may have changed sides after falling out with Tuminello. However, I always thought of them as competitors.

The NT News gave Morgan the full "royal" treatment when he passed on.

Cooda - DJ at Beachcombers, the Verandah Bar, Fannies and a few other places; but banned from Dix for not being gay. :E (1978-82)

Er...Cooda. John let me in?????


Old bugger still goin' strong

World feeds on 'thongage' | News | NT News | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ntnews.com.au

http://www.ntnews.com.au/images/uplo...664_134593.JPG

Who was the English bloke had the Forge? Mike.....????

Har har..Cooda wifey just yelled out perhaps "Phyllis" (resident Dix tranny) didnt fancy you.....

Man if you hadda been DJ at Lims Cage bar I would have been impressed

Lots of others The Dolphin, Sunday Prawn and Porn Nightcliff hotel,Sweethearts, Maranga for strippers (and Parap)
THE BEST STEAK Jessies, Petty Sessions, (Sweaty Passions CLP ministerial briefing room) Darbys Hookers Ball...Christ on a stick and we used to FLY as well???

I'm sure you didn't mean that the way it sounds :E:E:E

The Forge is definitely taking us back to the 70's. Seem to recall it's closure led to Dix opening on the site.

DJ at Lim's?! Nah, I had hopes of a long life and didn't want to jeopardise my chances. :O

Was an interesting time to watch the changing face of drinking in Darwin.

Beachcomber closed at 11.00pm and those kicking on went to Fannies, Dix or the Cave. Never saw a fight.

Then they went to midnight close and there was a sense of tension in the air come closing time.

Finally they went to a 2.00am close and it was on for young and old every night.

Did not surprise me when the 0400/0600 closures led to mob violence in the earky hours.

Anybody know what happened to 'Gundy'. A real character. Hit a Buffalo on the head with a wing-tip once, frantic repair job in secret, late at night, with spare wing-tip but wrong colour. Quick spray-can paint job and owner/operator none the wiser until flying in heavy rain, only to land and discover one wing-tip blue the other mysteriously red. Kept me smiling for weeks that one. There's something in the water up there, funny days.

Gundy is alive and well and is probably plotting another closing down sale as we speak :hmm: