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II*"" iiiiii III pilillBil^B ■11 llll Iliiiiii ill :;|||ipip;|i IIIII i.|ll Iilill .imp...... iiiiilli l^lll■l aaeii^^SilP ■■■Biiiiiiilill iiiii 111 iiiiilli i ililii ■lilli Hip ill ii laiiiiii il F|lii:Ss*»aait 11 millll: II Ili iiiiii'"‘'''liiiiiBB®' Iiiiii aillsiifffi-llMI i igTliii^ing GG III ,, iiiiiSRIapsiBlilttfe ifc#t■I ■ii If iliiiii Hi 11 ill iiii il Ii■■■■■I ■■■lil pjji|^||l|iHii i*i||IM Virgin Blue Fleet List lllilBliS ji|j{]|liMBM illiP ......................................................................................................................... ■ 111 iilill lilli liiiiii iililiilS^ The Journal of the AVIATION HISTORICAL SOCIETY M I m of AUSTRALIA Inc. A00336533P, ARBN 092-671-773 Volume 34 - Number 4 December 2003 EDITORIAL EDITOR, DESIGN & PRODUCTION First we the bad news then the good! Bill Baker 1. The bad. We are at the end of our Annual cycle which Address all correspondence to; means that you will have to renew your subscription. The Editor, AHSA, 2. The good (A) The rates remain the same, and even P.O. Box 2007, some go down a little - Asia Pacific. (B) We have included South Melbourne 3205 Victoria, Australia, the usual self addressed, stamped envelope (Australia only). 03 9583 4072 Phone & Fax We have been able to do this by rigid economies and will try E.maii: [email protected] to achieve this during the 2004 year. One way you can help www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/ahsa.html us is by forwarding your payment as soon as possible and Subscription Rates; that eliminates a back up letter - a lot less work for those Australia A$45. who do it, plus the cost of postage. Asia-Pacific A$55 Our publishing schedule is quite rigid the first of the month is Rest of World A$68. always aimed for - that is for 2004 March,June Overseas payment to be in Australian September and December. If your copy of Aviation Heritage currency by International Money Order or has NOT arrived by the end of the first week of these dates Bank Draft. Overseas personal cheques - please let me know. And please let us know of any change cannot be accepted. of address. I have included in your subs renewal card a Articles for Publication; space for your E.maii address should you wish for it to be Are to be on an Australian theme. added to our data base. The Editor reserves the right to edit any To all those who have contributed to Aviation Heritage or the article accepted for publication. AHSA Newsletter, a very grateful thanks to you!!! Payment is not made for articles. Editors wish list: Please include sufficient postage for the Priority 1: First to Fly in Australia^ Still waiting, waiting.) return of originals if that is required. Any facet of Australia’s aviation history, Malaya, GAF A - H and the Computer; Contributions for Nomad, Korea, Vietnam, anything that interests you and can the Journal are most welcome in any form, be printed. How about the history of Airbus in Australia? Or but if you have a computer, exported on a some photos out of your collection for the Member’s Photo 3V2" disc in ASSCII format (plain text), or Page? Don’t forget that Papua New Guinea and the Pacific WIN 6, would be just great! (Include hard Islands come under our banner also. Anything!! copy also). However Macintosh discs can be translated. All photographs submitted will be Cover; From John Hopton’s vast archives comes this photo copied and the originals returned within 5 of VH-BPE which is the subject of the following article by days of receipt. Roger McDonald and Christopher O’Neil. Disclaimer; Next Issue: Volume 35 Number 1 will be in your letter-box 1. Whilst every effort is made to check the in the first week of March 2004. authenticity of the material and advertising Contents: printed, the Publishers, Editors, and the 130 The liquidation of BCPA McDonald/O’Neil Aviation Historical Society of Australia and its 134 The‘Star’s Report’ Bill Baker Office Bearers cannot accept responsibility 137 Mercy Flights Mac Job for any non-performance. 141 The Flying GG Neil Follet 2. The views expressed in ’Aviation 144 Virgin Blue Fleet List Peter Kelly 147 Seen at 1947 Airshow David Vincent Heritage' are not necessarily those of the 149 Crash on Coolibah Mike Flanagan AHSA or its Editors. 153 John F. Murphy Greg Banfield Meetings of the AHSA: AVIATION HERITAGE Melbourne Branch: The fourth Wednesday in every ISSN 0815-4392 month, 7:30 at the Airforce Association, 4 Cromwell Street, South Yarra. Further information - Keith Meggs 9580 0140. NSW Branch: The first Wednesday in every month 7:45 Studio 1 at the Powerhouse Museum, enter from the Macarthur Street end. Further information Warwick SOCIETY OF Bigsworth 02 9872 2323 AUSTRALIA INC., A0033653P ARBN 092-671-773 Queensland Branch: The last Friday in every month 7:30 P.O. BOX 2007, at the RQAC Archerfield. Meals available. Contact Richard SOUTH MELBOURNE, Hitchins, 07 3388 3900 VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA AHSA Aviation Heritage THE LIQUIDATION Of BRITISH CONHONWIAITH PACIFIC AIRLINES UNITED. By Roger McDonald & Christopher O’Neill The history of British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Limited has been documented in a number of publications, especially in Harry Moore's excellent book "Silver Wings in Pacific Skies", published in 1993 by Boolarong Publications Brisbane. Even though briefly mentioned in the book, not many readers are aware the company was not liquidated until 1967 even though it was intended to do so in 1954. Few are aware of the reasons why there was such a delay when the total control of the company had passed to the Australian Government prior to the intended 1954 liquidation. The appointed liquidator, Mr. Albert Charles Joyce of their DC-6 aircraft, a type not in the Qantas fleet. The Canberra in his final Report dated April 14th 1967, made finance for the transfer of the aircraft to T.E.A.L. was the comment "At the time it was believed that the arranged by both the New Zealand and Australian liquidation would be a comparatively simple matter and the Governments taking an increased shareholding in that final dissolution of the Company would be completed Company and the British selling their shares to Qantas to within a reasonably short period, but it soon became give an equal New Zealand and Australian shareholding. evident that the task would be both an involved and protracted one. Shortly after my appointment, writs for By May 1955, all known liabilities of B.C.P.A., except damages were issued by the estates of passengers and the contingent liability arising from the accident to DC-6 members of crew who were killed in an accident involving VH-BPE, had been met and suitable arrangements were one of the Company's DC-6 aircraft in California on 29th made with Qantas for the settlement of any liabilities that October, 1953. This accident set in train a series of could arise from revenues received in advance. Apart from complex legal actions which has delayed the final these, Trans Australia Airlines (T.A.A.), also fully owned by dissolution of the Company for almost thirteen years." the Australian Government, made a claim of $326,466 for compensation for the termination of engineering services British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines Limited was provided to B.C.P.A. Following intervention by the current incorporated on 24th June 1946 with the sole aim of Minister for Civil Aviation, the T.A.A.