In 1974, I was working with the Electricity Generating Board in Queensland. I was at my fiancé’s house celebrating Christmas when I received a call to mobilise with tools and depart for Darwin as soon as possible. That afternoon, we had to get medical injections, and the following day (Boxing Day, if memory serves) 12 electrical high-voltage specialists departed Brisbane for Richmond RAAF base in New South Wales.
At Richmond, we were loaded onto an American Starlifter bound for Darwin, carrying emergency supplies. Upon arrival, I remember we were the first flight to land, and it was dark—the runway was lined with vehicles to provide direction for our landing. The plane had been damaged during departure from Richmond because it was fully loaded with materials, causing the rear of the aircraft to scrape the runway and damaging the hydraulic landing gear.
The flight crew attempted to land about six times before the wheels were finally manually operated, allowing us to land safely. We spent the next 14 days working at the Fanny Bay Power Station, restoring high-voltage power to the area and some of the outlying high-voltage switchyards.
One thought on “Barry Chant – Flying in to restore power”
I know that story well.