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Catalina

Read more about the article A Catalina almost bombed Cessnock

A Catalina almost bombed Cessnock

On April 22, 1946, some residents of Cessnock were told by police to evacuate their homes and remove their children to safety. A Catalina flying boat from Rathmines RAAF base was going to drop bombs nearby, and authorities wanted to make sure there were no accidental casualties. A Catalina flying boat from the Rathmines base at Lake Macquarie, circa 1942. The unexpected evacuation order had nothing to do with the widespread severe flooding across the Lower Hunter at the time. Instead, it was fire that prompted the demand. Earlier that week a disused portion of Cessnock…

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Read more about the article Harry was a WW2 Z-Force commando
Harry Boyle, training at Armidale

Harry was a WW2 Z-Force commando

WHEN the Australian Army invited Harry Boyle to enter a services shooting contest during World War II, they told him first prize was three weeks leave. They didn't tell him about the other prize until he won it. Harry swore he wouldn't have competed if he'd known exactly what being identified as "marksman, first class" would mean. Harry, then in his early 20s, had helped feed his family during the Great Depression with his gun and his exceptional marksmanship. In 1942, the military authorities were looking for men like Harry to do dangerous, secret work. These…

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Read more about the article The Catalinas of Stony Creek
A Catalina flying boat at Stoney Creek, near Toronto, NSW, in 1947.

The Catalinas of Stony Creek

JOHN Cain was with his father, not long after the end of World War II, when surplus Catalina flying boats from the RAAF base at Rathmines were auctioned by the Australian Government's Disposals Commission. "I think it was Newcastle auctioneer Don McHattie who was working his way along the rows of planes and calling the auction from the back of a T-Model truck,’’ John recalled. He said his father, also named John, bought the planes with an idea to turn them into accommodation at Stoney Creek, near Toronto. ‘‘At the time he bought them, people said…

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