Ten Journeys to Cameron’s Farm by Cameron Hazlehurst

18/11/201322/04/2021

Book cover - Ten Journeys to Cameron's Farm by Cameron Hazlehurst.

Ten Journeys to Cameron’s Farm

by Cameron Hazlehurst

The crash of Hudson A16-97: An Australian tragedy

‘In the whole history of government in Australia, this was the most devastating tragedy.’

Three decades after what he called ‘a dreadful air crash, almost within sight of my windows’ Robert Menzies wrote ‘I shall never forget that terrible hour; I felt that for me the end of the world had come’

“Ten Journeys to Cameron’s Farm” tells the lives of the ten men who perished on Duncan Cameron’s Canberra property on 13 August 1940: three Cabinet ministers (Geoff Street, Jim Fairbairn, and Sir Harry Gullett), the Chief of the General Staff (Sir Brudenell White), two senior staff members, and the RAAF crew of four.

The inquiries into the accident, and the aftermath for the Air Force, government, and bereaved families are examined. Controversial allegations are probed: did the pilot F/Lt Bob Hitchcock cause the crash or was the Minister for Air Jim Fairbairn at the controls?

The book is based on over 30 years research in official archives, private papers, and interviews with surviving RAAF officers, family, friends, and colleagues of the victims. Pre-war and early wartime RAAF organisation, recruitment, pilot training, and accident prevention and investigation are examined. Previously unexplored personal histories and policy conflicts in the higher echelons of the Service add rich incidental detail to a compelling story.

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Published November 2013

ISBN-13 978-1925021004 (print)

ISBN-13 978-1925021011 (eBook)

1932 The de Havilland D.H.50 aircraft VH-UEM, flown by H.F. Baker and carrying Norman Stuckley and Paddy Whelan of the Lasseter Reef Company, crashed during a flight from Forrest to the Livesey Ranges in Western Australia on 22 December 1932. They repaired the aircraft over the next five days and Baker and Stuckley successfully flew the damaged aircraft back to Forrest, Whelan being rescued several days later. Source: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A record of aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988.

1941 No. 453 Squadron RAAF suffered its heaviest losses in one day as the Squadron attacked Japanese troops and transports and provided air cover to Allied ground troops in Malaya on 22 December 1941. Five Brewster Buffalos were destroyed and another four damaged, with three pilots being killed. On 24 December, with only three working aircraft remaining, No. 453 Squadron withdrew to Singapore and merged with 21 Squadron. Source: Gillison, RAAF 1939-1942, p.280

2000 Just prior to Christmas, Ansett grounded seven of its Boeing 767 aircraft on 22 December 2000 after an employee discovered that required inspections had not occurred in March. The mandatory inspections were performed with CASA supervision. A Boeing Alert Service Bulletin was then rediscovered (but did not become public until April 2001). Hairline cracks were discovered in the horizontal tail surfaces of some aircraft. Cracks were then found in the engine pylon mounts of three aircraft along with a crack in the tail of one that remained grounded after Christmas. These were similar to those that doomed an El Al Cargo Boeing 747. CASA placed conditions on Ansett operations and maintenance procedures, although it emerged that CASA had granted Ansett an extension for inspections a year previously. CASA had adopted a new systems audit approach to apply management programs to airlines. The ATSB also investigated the groundings and compliance of CASA, Boeing and Ansett as a safety deficiency issue. Sourcs: Australian Financial Review, 17 April 2001; Sydney Morning Herald, 13 April 2001; Australia Aviation 6/01 (Ansett Chronology). via aph.gov.au website