The Adastrians: They Searched the Earth with Keen of Eye While Life's Adventure Passed Their Way

By Ronald Benjamin

Having flown for Adastra Aerial Surveys for six and a half years on some of the most demanding aerial survey operations, with fellow crew members who gave their all in order to deliver good end results, sometimes under the most extreme operational conditions, I am compelled to relate their typical experiences as a tribute to their efforts, individual characters and memory.

What is truly remarkable is the entrepreneurial spirit of the company's founders, its successful management through times of adversity, steadfastness in their duty of the air crews through difficult operations, at times life-threatening and even ending in tragedy.

It took the participation of many individuals of diverse origin, skills and personalities to create such a page in history as that created by the Adastrians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Jul 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9780228878841

Ronald Benjamin

Ronald Benjamin Pearce was born and raised in Sydney. He attended technical college in his early years, and worked and contracted in the building industry before taking on flying as a commercial pilot. He flew aerial survey aircraft for seven and a half years in operations all over Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before moving to North Queensland and establishing his own air charter and air tour operation, as well as a building business. A lifetime of diversity and adventure has been enjoyed, with many stories gathered along the way.

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The Adastrians

They Searched the Earth with Keen of Eye While Life’s Adventure Past Their Way

Ronald Benjamin

The Adastrians

Copyright © 2022 by Ronald Benjamin

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-7883-4 (Hardback)

978-0-2288-7882-7 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-7884-1 (eBook)

Table of Contents

Foreword

Ways of Wewak

It’s Tassie or Antarctica

Griffith on the Go

Bad Boy Blues

Top End Torment

A Cook’s Tour and Dilemma

On Profiling – Roma

Once Again - Griffith

The Sydney Sorties

On Edge – Outback

Kimberley Capers

Queensland Ventures

Remoteness at the Most

The Horny Hilton

Birdsville and Goodbye

Postscript

Author’s other Writing

Three Kisses in Honiara

Foreword

Having flown for Adastra Aerial Surveys for six and a half years on some of the most demanding aerial survey operations and with fellow crew members that gave their all in order to deliver good results, sometimes under the most extreme operational conditions, I am compelled to relate their typical experiences as a tribute to their efforts, individual character and memory.

The company, Adastra Airways, being the oldest airways still in operation in Australia, began as a flying school on Sydney’s Mascot Aerodrome in 1930 and took its name from the motto in Latin of the RAF and RAAF, Per ardua ad astra, translated as Through adversity to the stars, which, throughout the decades that followed would prove most appropriate.

Moving on through passenger and mail services, the company became the first in 1936 to fly aerial surveys in support of mineral exploration. In 1944, Adastra Aerial Surveys was formed with a fleet of Avro Anson aircraft. It would grow to be the largest aerial survey operation in Australia and possibly the southern hemisphere. Operating such aircraft as Avro Anson, Percival Prince, Lockheed Hudson, DC3, Catalina, Mustang, Aero Commander, Cessna 180, Cessna 185, Cessna 206 and others on a range of operations, including airborne; High-level RC8 and RC9 photography, Magnetometer survey, Radius and Aerodis operations and Airborne Profile Recording and so forth.

On the ground, Adastra’s photo lab processing, stereo comparison map making, aircraft and equipment servicing and overhaul, administration and operational management.

What is truly remarkable is the entrepreneurial spirit of the company’s founders, its successful management through times of adversity, and steadfastness in their duty of the aircrews through difficult operations, which were at times life-threatening and even ended in tragedy.

It took the participation of many individuals of diverse origin, skills and personalities to create such a page in history as that created by The Adastrians.

This book is but a part of their epic — their typical trials and tribulations at work, as well as in their personal and family lives.

They were at times operating over some of the most remote and inhospitable terrains from way out locations, meeting up with many personalities that added their character and stories to this saga.

In it, there is both truth and legend. Most names are real though others are used where they can’t be recalled or intentionally in discretion. In no way is anything that follows intended to disparage any individual or entity and is to be taken in a historical fiction sense only.

Enjoy!

Ways of Wewak

Once again on the Electra flight from Sydney to Port Moresby and then on its way to Lea, Ron gazed at the rugged mountain terrain that appeared from amongst billowing cloud cover below and pondered this new challenge.

He had joined the company only two months earlier, and rigorous training by Lionel, the chief pilot, had seen Ron qualify as Hudson captain. At this time (1967), the company operated four of these ex-RAAF, then post-war airline aircraft; registered VH-AGX (X-Ray) VH-AGS (Sierra) VH-AGJ (Juliett) and VH-AGP (Papa). Ron had then proven his worth as captain of Papa on high-level photograph operations over Brisbane. Would he do as well on this assignment flying Juliett with a total of only forty-four hours on this type of aircraft known to be a handful in an emergency on one engine with its high power? He would have to be on top of his game.

The flying would be middle to high-level photography based out of Wewak on the north coast of Papua New Guinea, encompassing the Sepik River district and Central Ranges in the western district of the country, an area well known for its rapidly changing weather, rugged mountain terrain, remoteness and fearsome tribal worriers.

‘This is not going to be as straightforward an operation as over the open terrain in the Brisbane area I have just been flying over. I mustn’t let myself get into any of the traps that other pilots have and not survived, Ron thought. Photography could be a bit hard to get if the weather is going to be like this.’

From Lea, the Fokker Friendship headed west, in the opposite direction than previously when Ron had flown to the Solomon Islands to fly a geophysical survey on his first overseas posting.

A landing at Madang with its magnificent harbour and then on to Wewak. Only the navigator Bruce and camera operator Dave met him as he arrived. David, the pilot, he was replacing, and Abe the engineer, had already flown the coop as soon as they knew a replacement was on the way. On a six-month stint, they had had enough, having achieved little in the way of useful photography, with cloud build-up their primary obstacle.

‘Glad you could make it. We weren’t sure anyone would turn up. It’s taken that lot in Sydney a while to find us another Captain,’ Bruce related with a grin as they shook hands. Bruce being tall and thinly built with black hair and slightly sharp features now in his thirties and gave the impression of a real Aussie-type bloke having been left in charge. This, for the time being, seemed appropriate as Ron had yet to determine what still needed to be achieved on this job, even though, as the pilot, he was the designated unit manager. Bruce’s influence would motivate some questionable events over time.

‘Hi, glad to meet you,’ Dave greeted. An American, Dave quite the opposite, short and fairly thin on top, and had a rather laid back, come-what-may manner about him, Ron thought, unlike the typical American noted for their bravado.

‘Is your pilot, David, here?’ Ron asked, expecting that he would be getting a briefing on the operation and progress to date from him.

‘No! He left on the last flight out two days ago, along with Abe, the engineer.’

‘Couldn’t get out of the place quick enough.’

‘Well, you had better fill me in on what it’s all about. Where are we staying?’

‘Just across the road. We have a bungalow and it’s right next to the Boram Tavern.’

A bungalow? A very liberal title for the crew’s meagre residence. Good enough for a bunch of single blokes and handy to the airport, but a fair way out of town. Bruce had moved into the captain’s room and Dave the next best, leaving the bunks in the living space as Ron’s only choice.

‘Let’s have a drink and fill each other in on the latest.’ Bruce headed them over to the tavern only a few paces from the bungalow. He needed a drink for sure.

‘When are we getting a replacement engineer?’ Dave enquired. ‘We can’t do without one to maintain the aircraft and look after the refuelling.’

‘We can do the refuelling for now, and Jack, the chief engineer, is sending Davie, the engineer I had in Brisbane, as replacement as soon as we can find accommodation for him and his wife, Carmel. Mike, the operations manager, is sending my wife Rene and our two little boys up as well, so we have to find better accommodation than that bungalow somewhere in town,’ Ron advised.

‘That won’t be easy. Accommodation is like hen’s teeth in town. Good luck,’ Bruce pointed out.

‘That so? Well, there better be. Otherwise, I won’t be sticking around. My family comes first, and I’ll have trouble if away from them too long. Anyway, how’s the flying going?’

"Not so good. We have only managed a few lines of photography. Most of the easy stuff has already been done, and the weather makes it hard to find a clear area before it clags in again. We are supposed to fly six days a week and usually head out towards Telefomin in the mountains and the middle of the survey area to see if we can find a clear area to photograph. Takes about two hours, just a waste of time, but that’s the orders.’

Definitely no housing, the administration insisted. The only thing not in use were the recently abandoned quarters on the beach near town that the construction supervisors, engaged on the new army base and barracks, just completed on the point the other side of the airport used — two blocks of six rooms with ablutions on one end. Ron took three rooms and, with the willing assistance of Bruce and Dave, raided the old abandoned army married quarters on a headland east of town, stripping out wardrobes, kitchen benches, a fridge and beds, then using the company Holden Ute to race them off into town for installation in their soon-to-be home away from home before their looting could be discovered. But they had not been the only looters. The locals had been hard at it, and there was little left at this free-for-all store of hardware.

Not the only skulduggery associated with these old Australian Army quarters, Kenny, a crew member on an earlier posting, had an affair on the go with one of the army wives; their planned covert meet on the beach nearby went horribly wrong when the lusty lady in waiting got raped and murdered on the beach by one of the locals. Kenny then left town in disgrace and in fear of reprisal, with only his remorse as company.

The rooms were all set up, including a new gas stove. Ron moved into the two rooms, ready for his family. Then Davie, a Pom in his twenties, and Carmel, his Australian bride of just a few months, arrived to take up residence in the third room.

Operations had been little due to the weather. Most days, clouds sat on top of the ridgeline next to the airport. When they did fly, it was not long before a return to base due to cloud build-ups. Taking off at 6:30 a.m. being their only hope of any clear sky before the high humidity billowed up into cloud, making their efforts futile. The one advantage being to provided useful advanced weather observations for the Sepik Airways, Aerial Tours and Mission pilots planning flights into remote village airstrips, many of which were located in mountain valleys.

‘How’s it looking in the Laiagam Valley direction?’ the mission pilot asked.

‘Not too bad at present. Cloud on top of the mountain. The valleys look okay from what we can see.’ Ron gave his observations report.

‘What’s our chances of getting into Telefomon?’ the Sepik Airlines pilot needed to know.

‘Not looking good. A lot of cloud on the mountains in that direction and building. Some scattered cloud over Ambunti and the low country. Could be worth a try if you get there soon as.’

It wasn’t unusual for a flight to have to turn back or get to its destination only to be unable to takeoff again due to weather. All these pilots were supposedly operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) which, in a true sense, were often impractical under local conditions. They acquired the bush flying skills needed to deal with the operational conditions and get the job done. Only those who broke the golden rule, Don’t fly in Cumulus Granitas (clouds with rocks in them), paid the ultimate price. None of the Adastra pilots were required to hold Instrument Ratings, though they no doubt had the training and experience or acquired this ability through the necessary attention to accuracy required in air survey flying.

Rene arrived on the Friendship flight along with Brucie, four, and Wazza, two years old. They had stayed overnight in Port Moresby to await their connecting flight. A bit of a worry to Rene, in a strange land for the first time on her own with two small boys. A relief to arrive in Wewak to a welcome by Ron, along with the crew and several friends curious to see the family, as a few other European families were living in town.

‘You look lovely, sweetheart,’ Ron held out his arms to embrace his wife. The children were still holding onto their mother.

‘Say hello to your daddy,’ as they ran to him. ‘Darling, we’ve missed you.’ Hugs and kisses followed.

‘We have a place all set up for you. It’s close to town on the beach. After you are settled in, we are going to have dinner at the Sepik Club tonight so you can relax and get to know the crew and some of our friends.’

Introductions to Bruce and Dave over, the family piled into the ute and off to town to be met by Carmel and Davie at their new home.

‘Nice to see you and the children again, Rene. Would you like a drink, cup of tea or coffee?’

‘That’s the second thing they would like,’ Davie whispered in Carmel’s ear.

‘Tea, thank you, and a cool drink for the boys, please.’

‘Have a beer, Ron,’ Davie offered.

‘No thanks, tea will be fine. We will have a drink at the club later.’

Davie was right about what comes first, and Ron was eager to see his family settled in before any socialising started. They would have time together after settling the children to rest before dinner.

Wewak town in 1967 had its main centre between the beach and foothill of the Cape Moem headland. The biggest store being Burns Philip (one of the many owned by the Australian shipping line operating throughout the South Pacific), along with several Chinese stores, bank, post office, fuel and service station, school, church and local markets. On the headland stood Wewak Hotel, administration offices, homes for the various managing personnel, staff quarters and the Sepik Club, better known as The Septic Club, being the most popular place in town. The hospital located away from town and near the airport.

There is a second airstrip near the beach used by the mission aircraft — the Catholic at one end and Lutheran at the other. It had a hump in the middle, so it wasn’t easy to see from one end to the other, which led to some near misses on takeoff in opposite directions through not wanting to talk to one another.

Wewak had no harbour; with the shallow shoreline subject to big tides, you had to go a long way out to get into deep water. All the supplies had to be landed by barge after offloading from the supply ships.

Dinner and drinks were at the Sepik Club, with several friendly couples interested in the new arrivals.

‘We have a preschool kindy you can bring your little boys to,’ one lady advised.

‘That is great. We would like to do that.’ Rene felt the friendliness and relaxed after her long trip and arrival in new surroundings.

***

Each survey flight ended with the same results — as a search looking for a clear area that hadn’t already been photographed. When they did find an area clear, by the time they climbed to survey altitude, the cloud built up and beat them to it.

‘This is bloody frustrating. How the hell are we going to get anywhere with this job under these conditions?’ Ron moaned. To break the monotony on one occasion, Bruce asked, ‘Like to stretch your legs, Ron and let me fly for a while?’

Bruce had his private pilot’s licence, so Ron agreed, letting Bruce take the controls as they passed Ambunti outbound. Standing in the cockpit next to Bruce, he watched as he did a turn left and right, then straight and level for a while. Suddenly Dave, who had been sitting in the back of the aircraft, jumped up wide-eyed and yelled, ‘Ron, the starboard engine is on fire!’

One look confirmed an enormous plume of black smoke coming out of the back of the engine. The navigator’s nose compartment also filling with smoke.

‘Turn round!’ Ron ordered Bruce and dived into the front to check for fire. He could see the smoke billowing into the aircraft from the right wing service duct. Dashing back up into the cockpit, he discovered Bruce had frozen, still flying on the same heading outbound … towards the high mountains.

‘Get out!’ Ron shouted at Bruce, jumping into the pilot’s seat and quickly shutting the offending engine down. Ron powered up on the port engine, re-trimmed the aircraft and turned back, heading for Wewak.

Dave, holding the fire extinguisher at the ready, looking white but relieved called, ‘The fire’s stopped. No smoke.’

‘Okay, but keep an eye on it. We’ll take a half-hour to get home.’

From the native villages passing below, the locals would have had a clear view of Juliett going overhead with a big black plume of smoke trailing from the starboard engine.

‘Ooow! Lookim datpela balus, himi all burn up buggaup finnish.’ Then to see Juliett winging its wounded way back to Wewak on one engine.

An emergency alert advised to Wewak flight service. Though they knew there was little other than the airport fire truck available, and if they crashed on landing with nearly a full load of fuel and with a fire still burning, it would be no help. Holding as much height as possible, they made a right-hand circuit, staying away from the high ridge line next to the south side of the airstrip and planning to land into wind on Runway 28. Keeping the power up till turning onto final, Ron recalled it was at this critical stage when two pilots lost control and crashed their Hudson coming in to land on one engine at Lae and Horn Island. Turning into the dead engine as he lined up on the runway, the aircraft felt like it wanted to roll over. Reducing power on the live engine corrected this; the extra height turned into speed and flaps left till landing a certainty. Ron looked at the narrow coronas runway (built from coral) coming up at him with no chance of a go-round; this had to be a good landing and there was nowhere else to go but straight down the runway. Each side being strewn with bomb craters left from the war full of water. Juliett landed smoothly and rolled to a stop.

‘Well done, Skipper.’

‘We made it.’

‘Back on Mother Earth.’

‘We deserve a drink after all that.’

They all agreed. But not so fast. With only one engine, it was not possible to turn and taxi back to dispersals. The fire truck came to the rescue, dragging the aircraft backwards to dispersal parking.

Davie arrived and de-cowled the engine. ‘No sign of a fire?’ he looked suspiciously at the crew.

‘Well, there was a bloody lot of smoke, and where there’s smoke, there’s fire.’

‘Look, there’s a big black burn mark on the exhaust and the bottom cowl’s full of oil.’

Directly above the burn, Davie discovered a missing stud in a cylinder