An Adventurous Life!

Aubrey John Raymond Oates was born in 1922 in Newcastle, to parents Henry and Annie. His sister Dorothy was 10 years his senior. He gained his nickname “Titus” during his childhood, and preferred to be called Titus rather than Aubrey. Leaving his job as an insurance officer to enlist in the RAAF in 1940 at the age of 18, he started as an air cadet, and became chief test pilot for de Havilland, makers of the Mosquito fighter bomber. His father died in 1941, sadly not seeing his son appointed as a Squadron Leader in 1944, the same year that he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He had accumulated over 6000 hours flying in more than 50 types of aircraft. He married Jacqueline Sonia Lewis in 1945, with whom I believe he had three children.

When the Mosquito building program ended in 1948, “Titus” found himself a job flying immigrants from Europe to Australia for a private charter company. He returned to live in Australia, and, with an unbelievable stroke of good luck, won the Lottery! This enabled him to enter business, and he became the licensee of the Good Intent Hotel at Campbelltown.  During the 1949 coal miners' strike, he would go on a “beer barn-storming mission” flying his Comper Swift,  to ensure the beer supply at the Good Intent was kept flowing! He would fly as far as Adelaide locating supplies for the hotel.

In 1952, “Titus”, after a great deal of persuasion and lobbying, was given an ex RAAF Mosquito by the government in order to compete in the England to New Zealand Air Race (London to Christchurch).  The plane was equipped with special long range fuel tanks built into the bomb bay and new radio equipment, and with co-pilot Flight-Lieutenant Douglas Swain, “Titus” set about training and preparing for the race. In order to compete, they needed to fly to London, by October 8^th, 1953. Flying from Perth to Carnarvon, then to the Cocos Islands, a course was set for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) but the intrepid pair ran into a terrible electrical storm above the Indian Ocean, and had to crash land the plane off the coast of Burma (now Myanmar).  Landing in swampy mud, they were rescued by natives paddling out to them in canoes. They were taken to Mergui, and from there picked up by an RAF Valetta and taken to Penang. After medical examination at Butterworth RAF station in Malaya, Oates and Swain recuperated before returning to Australia. Thus ended any hope of competing in the race. The Mosquito was un-retrievable.  Oates declared after returning home, “I went straight to my own pub, the “Good Intent” at Campbelltown and gave myself an Australian beer”!

This rare shot by Max Mead (courtesy of Ron Cuskelly collection) shows the Mosquito at the Cocos Islands whilst en route to London.

In 1954 “Titus” sold the Good Intent hotel, in order to enter television production and film making. Only sketchy information is available after this, but the following nuggets of information were found on the net:

• “I worked as a recruiter and then, later-on, as a line pilot with Titus Oates for a time in the early 1970s, first in Australia, then in the UK and in the Sudan, where he was Chief Pilot for a cotton-spraying operation. “

• “He died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Zambia in about May 1979 and was behind the wheel of his car at the time.”

• “Worldly wise, world-traveled, intelligent, impeccably well-mannered, enjoyed a drink or two -- absolutely a delightful man and a wonderful companion! Would walk a mile on broken glass to help a friend!”

If anyone out there has more information about Titus Oates’ later years, we would love to hear from you!

Written by Claire Lynch

Sources

Local Studies Pamphlet Files

http://www.pprune.org

http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-KLG.html

Wedderburn Bridge

Wedderburn Bridge (photo: Dennis Townend)

A bridge over the Georges River at Wedderburn Gorge was first built in 1892. It replaced a nearby ford. The bridge was wooden and was built by Jim and George Kershler. The Kershlers had also built the bridge at Frere’s Crossing further downstream. The bridge had been built for horse drawn traffic only which therefore made it unsuitable for much of its long life.

In 1935 there was a deputation to the Council regarding the unsafe bridge carrying a seven ton limit weight capacity. This was of great importance to the Fruit Growers Association. The majority of landowners at Wedderburn grew fruit on their orchards. With the weight restriction it meant having to bring the fruit to the bridge and unload it onto bigger trucks for the remainder of the journey to the Sydney markets. The result was more expense and time and a need to repair the inadequate bridge. Council approved and ironbark timber was used in its repair.

Over the years there were many complaints made to council for repairs to the road and to the bridge. In 1978 council banned all vehicles, except cars, from using the bridge. Tests revealed the bridge supports were only 50 percent solid. A temporary bypass road was hurriedly constructed by council. So began the struggle of Wedderburn residents to have a new bridge built.

Wedderburn Bridge at the Georges River, taken from bypass road, 1985

In August 1986 the area experienced major flooding resulting in major damage to the old wooden bridge. Residents were left without access to Campbelltown. Of course this caused great concern, not just for commercial reasons as most of the landholders were still fruit growers, but for possible emergencies that might have arisen. A temporary Bailey Bridge was hastily placed across the old wooden one by the army. The bridge was removed later in the year and a temporary concrete causeway was constructed. The causeway however is regularly submerged leaving the Wedderburn community isolated for days.

A decision now had to be made about building a new bridge or using a culvert. The debate was still being argued 20 years later with articles in the local media focusing on the issue. As late as 2014 the issue of a new bridge at Wedderburn again drew media attention. The wait continues.

Written by Andrew Allen

Update: A new bridge was opened in 2019

Sources:

HOLMES, Marie

“Wedderburn”

In Grist Mills, Vol.10, No.2, April 1997

The Macarthur Advertiser, August 13, 1986 p1,6 and August 20, 1986 p1

The Macarthur Advertiser, June 14, 2006 p24

 

Happy New Year!

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very Happy New Year for 2016, and we hope we can share some more wonderful stories with you over the coming year!

From your History Buffs!