VH-AAY (3)  DHC-2 Beaver 1                  (c/n  136)

                                  

                                        This early Beaver was originally delivered to the Dominican Republic Air Force in October
                                        1951 as FAD1504.   It was then civilianized in the Dominican Republic as HI-23 before
                                        being sold in Australia early in 1961 to Aerial Agriculture.  It remained with them until well
                                        into the new millennium, although had several periods of off the register and it sustained a
                                        fairly serious take-off crash near Walcha, NSW in June 1985.  It is no longer currently
                                        registered.    Greg Banfield's two shots of it were taken (above) at Cootamundra, NSW in
                                        March 1979 and (below) at Bankstown in  October 1984 by which time it was adorned
                                        with Aerial Agriculture's "30 Years of Flying" decal.