Date: March 30th 2010

The Nhill Anson

A newsletter from the

Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre

 28-03-2010  

Highlights in this newsletter:

·        Fly-In of Yarrawonga Nav-Ex flight.

·        School Children enjoy aircraft.

·        Goodbye Don.

·        Avro Anson restoration progress.

·        Membership of our supporters. 

Nav-Ex Fly to Nhill WW2 RAAF Base 

On the 25^th of March the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre committee was pleased to be able to host 25 aircraft and 40 persons who flew into Nhill as part of the Yarrawonga group’s regular fly-away travels. The group, led by Peter and Anne McLean, arrived about 11.30 in the morning and after much questioning by the Nhill Primary School children were able to retire to the Nhill Aero Club rooms for lunch. Aero Club and Aviation Centre members combined to provide the meal and to inform the visitors about Nhill and surrounding districts. 

During the afternoon our visitors were shown some of the town and in particular some of the progress of the Nhill Avro Anson. All agreed that we had made a good start but a huge amount of work was still required. 

After dinner several NAHC members joined the group and entertained them with pictures relating to the Aviation history of Nhill, the restoration of the Anson and a rare movie showing Kingsford Smith landing in Nhill in 1933, maintenance on a Wirraway during the War and various other aircraft of the pre 1950 era. A very good visit from Nav-Ex in Yarrawonga. Thanks for coming. 

A Sad Time for NAHC

We felt the recent death of our President, Don Kube, as the loss of a very good friend. Don was passionate about aircraft. He often said he spent much of his time looking skywards. It didn’t matter what sort of aircraft it was, he always felt the need to look at it. 

It was mainly because of Don’s passion for aviation that the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre was formed. He helped organise the first public meeting and was later elected its first President. Don suggested a Fly-In to coincide with the Back-To-Nhill celebrations last year as the NAHC’s first major function and the success of the event was mainly due to his management. 

Don will be sadly missed but not forgotten. 

Avro Anson Restoration 

The NAHC has been lucky to receive assistance from another person skilled in the restoration of all things mechanical. Whimpey Reichelt has been busy restoring the undercarriage of the Avro Anson. His time sheet is now well over the 100 hours mark and the work he has done is of a similar quality to that of our other two main restorers, Mike Kingwill and Len Creek who have also been working tirelessly on various parts of the Avro Anson.

Mike has reached the front (nose? Not quite) of the Anson and has now returned to the tail section fixing cross bracing, timber formers and cable controls. During the last couple of months he has been working on the floor of the cockpit. This has been a difficult job because there are no existing timber sections to work from. The timber floor is cut from one sheet of plywood then numerous pumps, pulleys and controls added to both the top and the underside of the floor. 

It is important to acknowledge the generous support we have received from many different sources. Gifts of parts, loans of manuals and drawings and advice of items for sale are all welcome. A large number of people are interested in this project and we certainly welcome any help they can offer.

Any reader of this newsletter who is travelling through Nhill is welcome to contact me by email and I will endeavour to arrange an inspection of the Avro. john@westprint.com.au 

Membership of the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre.

This newsletter is free to anyone interested in the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre and any of its projects. However, this newsletter is also the only way the committee has of easily sending reminders to those who wish to support our cause by being a member.

Memberships run for a financial year and are $20 per person. Payment can be made by cheque or money order. Confirmation of payment will only be made if an email address is included with payment or if a notice of payment is made by email to Joan Bennett: nariel@internode.on.net 

A message to our supporters 

Do you have a friend who would appreciate receiving this free newsletter? Just click on FORWARD and type in as many email addresses as you like then click SEND.  This newsletter is free. However, support for this important historical project is greatly appreciated. Please contact john@westprint.com.au 

Support comes in many forms including phone numbers and email addresses, contact details of former WWII trainees, parts for the Avro Anson and general memorabilia, photos etc. as well as donations of cash and labour. Although it is our intention to recognise and acknowledge this assistance through the newsletter, specific details will not be published.

New email addresses are constantly being added to our list. If you do not wish to be part of our group then please contact john@westprint.com.au and make your request known. 

Persons who wish to make comment about the Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre or any other related issue should also contact john@westprint.com.au. Such comments may be published in future newsletters if considered appropriate.