guaranteed no colourizing
Auctioned in London a few weeks ago were the gallantry and campaign medals of a long-forgotten Queenslander whose adventures read like something Rudyard Kipling might have penned.
Remarkable not only for his military exploits, Major George Edward Clerk, D.S.O. had a more-than-passing connection with Queensland, aviation, Longreach and Q.A.N.T.A.S.
Moving from Far North Queensland to Canberra in 1980 was something of a mixed blessing. Loved my job, but the weather was cripplingly cold. I soon became acquainted however with Bob Piper (RAAF Historical Section) who, bit-by-bit, opened my eyes to the fact that there was a wealth of aviation history to be found in the region (outdoors). You just needed to enjoy the cold and know where to look, and there was no one more studied in this subject than R. K. Piper.
For some years now I have been trying to locate the surviving Skippy (1960s Australian television series) helicopter VH-AHI with a view towards having it repatriated and preserved in Australia.
After serving in PNG it later appeared on the U.S. civil register as N1164T. In 2012 it was permanently deleted from that register however in 2014 I was eventually able to track down its current owner – a helicopter spares dealer in Florida – who was happy to sell the unairworthy but mostly complete airframe for $US5,000.
The demand for war memorial furniture here in Australia has been so great, for so long, that it’s now difficult to obtain the military-grade anchors, propellers and guns that were once the entitlement of every R.S.L. club. Next-best-things, such as diminutive Cessna propellers which began appearing on memorials some decades ago, have now become acceptable substitutes for the once commonplace P&W giants. Continue reading “Unexpected”
Congratulations to Cliff Robinson who was awarded an Order of Australia today for “services to aviation history, and to the community”.
The official citation refers specifically to:
Queensland Air Museum Inc:
Inaugural Chaplain, since 2012.
President 2001-2011.
Treasurer, 1996-2000.
Fundraiser, 1994-2003.
Member, since 1978.
Honorary Life Member, 2012.
Member, Missionary Aviation Fellowship, 1955 -1990 and State Secretary, Queensland
Section, 1960-1985.
Other community service includes:
Volunteer, Hills Wesleyan Methodist Church, current and Trustee and Lay Preacher, 1994
until approx. 2014.
Trustee, Lay Preacher and Teacher, Sunday School and Bible Studies, Stafford North Baptist
Church, 1968 to 1994.
![This unusual piece of early Australian [aeronautical] silverware realized $4,700 at auction in Sydney earlier this week, selling for more than three times its estimated reserve.](http://aeromuseums.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/1920-N.S.W.-Aerial-Derby-Cup.jpg)
