VH-BHA Australian Aircraft Registration Details

Aircraft was purchased at Rockhampton in 1959 by Alan Atherton as DDG. The pevious owner wanted to keep the rego for his new aircraft so The Auster was re-registered as BHA (my initials). It was sold a couple of years later to a G. Esthell who entered it in the 1964 Ansett Air race. This aircraft as I recall it had a Gypsy Major engine, three seats (as did all Autocrats), and a wooden prop. In the years I knew it it was maintained by Anstie Rose at Rockhampton. I recall once my father taking off for a trip to a property near Dingo when he unexpectedly returned and landed. The Gypsy engines were not terribly reliable particularly under take off power. Also aircraft were not required to carry radios at that time and used lights from the tower for landing clearance so emergencies required a pass of the tower if possible. This didnt happen so we assumed the problem was dire. When the engine was shut down the ASI was still showing 180 kts - the fastest Auster in the world. Someone had pushed a straw into the pitot which had acted as a valve.
Was a great old airplane and it is good to see it is still alive.