VH-UJV  de Havilland D.H.60G GIpsy Moth            (c/n  846)

                                 

                                      The two shots above and below are from the State Library of New South Wales collection and were
                                      taken at "Eurolie" station at Hay, NSW probably early in 1940. The pilot seen in the photo below
                                      (presumably with his children) worked for Victorian & Interstate Airways and had flown into Hay
                                      to familiarize himself with the area.       VIA was formed at Essendon in 1936 by WW1 AFC pilot
                                      Frank Roberts, and his inaugural VIA scheduled service Melbourne-Deniliquin-Hay was on 20th July
                                      1936 with Miles Merlin -UXN.    VIA discontinued their airline service in July 1940 when the govern-
                                      ment withdrew its annual subsidy due to the war situation.    Anyway, VH-UJV was originally regis-
                                      tered to Sun Newspapers Ltd of Sydney in 1929, and then went to the Northern Territory in 1931
                                      with the Anglican Church Missionary Society.   Photo No 6 at the foot of the page shows the Moth
                                      at Mataranka in the Northern Territory in 1931 when it was named 'Sky Pilot' and flown by mission-
                                      ary Keith Langford Smith who ministered to various aboriginal missions throughout the Territory.  In
                                      April 1933 Smith overturned the Moth on landing at the edge of a swamp at Oenpelli Mission, NT.
                                      It was dismantled and shipped to Darwin and was described as being "totally destroyed by fire whilst
                                      being carried on a lugger".  Despite this, the remains were sold for 50 quid and, surprisingly (for those
                                      days) was completely rebuilt in 1934 and  went to a private owner in Sydney.         As stated it was
                                      acquired by Victorian and Interstate Airways Ltd of  Essendon early in 1940, and photo # 3 via the
                                      John Hopton collection, illustrates it whilst it was with that organization.      This ownership was short-
                                      lived, since the war intervened and VH-UJV was impressed into RAAF service in July 1940.  In the
                                      event it was not  given an A7- serial, and was used only for  spares.         Photos 4 & 5 are from the
                                      Fairfax archives showing the Moth as G-AUJV at Mascot, circa 1930 when the aircraft was new
                                      and owned by Sun Newspapers.  (Looks like the tail skid needed tightening).
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