The first
occasion was when we arrived at Oakey in January 1961 in the Catalina
VH-AGB; we were unloading the auxillary power unit when it slipped
and cut my ankle rather badly. We had booked into the Grand Hotel
(being the cheapest rate) and when I arrived, the hotel people
took me to the local Doctor. I was there for some time receiving
stitches for the wound and on returning to the hotel found the
whole crew and local police sergeant celebrating at the bar. The
Publican asked me seeing that I was sober if I would mind driving
the police sergeant home in the police car, which I agreed to
and did. The next day the sergeant asked me around to the police
station, which was a modified private house, and he presented
me with a Queensland driving license which I keep as a memento.
The other incident in which I can not remember the town (others
may) was in the Anson VH-BLF. We had just finished the magnetometer
runs for the day towing the "bird" beneath the aircraft as in
normal operation. On landing we were met by the local police in
the Paddy Wagon who said that they had been given a report that
a low flying aircraft had hooked up a fence post and wire! We
soon sorted that out and had a lift into town in the Paddy Wagon.
Maurice Miller
April 2003
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