Australian Aeronautical Heritage
guaranteed no colourizing
All collecting institutions endure the frustration of never having sufficient space for the display and storage of their – always – expanding collections.
This is particularly true for large public institutions, like the Queensland Museum, occupying premium CBD real estate. It’s partly for this reason that the provenance of a donation offer is now being subject to ever more scrutiny.
Built in 1944, former T.A.A. DC-3 VH-CAO has spent almost half its life on the ground, covering more miles by road – in the past thirty-five years – than it has by air.
It arrived this evening at the Caboolture Warplane & Flight Heritage Museum after a four day inland road trip via Charters Towers and Duaringa. A deetrmined survivor, VH-CAO is now owned by David Kingshott of Complete Aircraft Care who plans an airworthy restoration for the C-47A.
After retirement from service in 1979 it was sold tothe Chewing Gum Field Aircraft Museum at Tallebudgera, Queensland. After that folded it went to Drages Airworld at Wangaratta, Victoria, and went turtle in 2002 it was roaded to its most recent address – in Mareeba.
Things can only get better from here!
The Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre in Western Victoria has recently received a $355,000 grant from the State Regional Growth Fund, to help develop an aviation museum complex incorporating surviving WWII – and pre-war- heritage structures located at the town’s aerodrome. A central element of this new complex will be a Avro Anson which is undergoing restoration following its recovery from a local property.
