Adelaide Skiway – L to R – BAS Director (Bunny) Fuchs, BC Richy Hesbrook, Admiral Irving, and General Lathbury (Photo: Ron Ward)
Jollies with Bunny Fuchs
BAS Director Sir Vivian (‘Bunny’) Fuchs made every effort to visit the Fids every four years or so, and like all good Fids, took advantage of every possible Jolly he could come up with. All in the name of Science. He had been there, done it all, he had set the standard, he talked to every Fid that he met when it was possible, everybody I knew respected him; even if we disagreed with him, as I did, once!
There are no doubt many others – send them in…
Steve Wormald
Here’s a couple of stories of his Jollies…..
Icebergs for Skiways, 1970 – Multiple Authors
The Biscoe seemed to have been stuck in dense pack some way north of Adders and FAM and FAO did several ice reccies whilst ferrying stores and personnel down to T.
I think these helped to identify a suitable iceberg My diary says that on March 2nd, the Biscoe only made 12 ft. All the other mentions of aircraft flights relate to movement of personnel and stores between Anvers, Stonners and the Bluff.
Continuing from Adelaide page….
23rd February Monday
Had Ted Clapp on the RT from Stanley this morning about getting this load of FIDS and Admirals etc flow down. He really didn’t say anything we didn’t already know.
Got the Beaver loaded up with the rest of the gear for Quintin and the Twin for a Bluff run but both missions were aborted due to bad weather towards the Sound. I was on the Beaver and we got to Point Charlie and still couldn’t see Alexander Is’ so we came back. The Twin did an ice recce’ for the Biscoe before landing. Burt did a hairy landing too. It was a bit bumpy coming in and we touched down a fair way down the runway. For some reason he gave the throttle a tweak and we nearly took off again. Did a really tight speedy turn to get back. Thought we were bound for the ice cliffs.
Cooking again and did a bread bake tonight.
Heard Endurance on the Goon show and also John Cole talking to Fuchs and trying to dissuade him from coming to Adelaide thought without much success. Biscoe still anchored off Cone Island
7th March Saturday
Saturday scrub out.
It was quite a promising looking flying day, especially from Biscoe and Endurance reports.
Here we had to wait for some freezing rain that fell last night to melt from the plane. After 2.00 pm she took off with Burt, Robin Chambers and Dave Brown and got to Anvers in record time, 1 hr 25 mins with a 50kt tail wind, returning here with cargo about 7.00 pm
Was Dave B’s birthday party this evening. So we had a slap up nosh when they arrived back.
Weather seems to have broken, snowing now with winds from the north.
9th March Monday
Got in the flight to Stonington and Porquois Pas this afternoon but only after a lot of hanging about as the radio op’ at Stonners didn’t come up till 11.50.
Ron and Mick went for a jolly, apparently it was a beautiful calm sunny day at PQP.
Had a word with Chairman Bunny (Fuchs) this afternoon. If the weather is fine tomorrow he, Admiral Irvine and General Lathbury want to fly down. I’d said we’d try if the weather was good. He came up again on the Goon Show suggesting we landed on an ice berg out by Gedges Reef to save Endurance and us some distance.
The pilots seemed in favour so if the weather is good tomorrow they’ll have a try. I’ve got to get up at 5.45 for a radio Sched.
10th March Tuesday
Up at the ungodly hour of 6am but there was no flying, so I gonked off in the bar until 9am.
Spent most of the day measuring up the Genny shed and places to put this new generator. Just about finished typing the report today.
Had a priority tel’ from Ted (Ted Clapp I think) this evening wanting to know all about this landing on an iceberg. It was as though he had just found out. Actually John Cole told him early this morning – a bit of the old mystery and intrigue.
Scoff (Dick Scoffam) started on the new bunk room fire installation today as we’d had a tel’ saying go ahead. Also a load of tripe which repeated almost word for word what Id said in my tel’ already.
Getting up early again tomorrow in case there’s flying.
The comet is still with us – bright eyed and bushy tailed. (which comet?)
11th March Wednesday
Got up at 6am again today as it was lovely weather. Bert was off in the Beaver at 7.45 am en route to the iceberg.
I had a shower and woke all the troops for a scrub out to bull things up a bit. They arrived back here about 11am – that is the director, Admiral Irving, and General Lathbury.
Walked down with them to the base and showed them around the various buildings. Managed to lurk around the back of the generator shed and show Fuchs our prospective plans for an extension. After a part tour of Hampton we had nosh followed by the completion of the tour. It looked quite tidy after the clear up.
Endurance had saddled the director with a great heap of mail to frank which I did laboriously after lunch. I did the cancelling and he did the catchet. (not sure what that means now).
I was in the base office with lots of folks filing in and out of the radio shack. I’m sure they didn’t know the boss was in there. I was praying no one would make any rude comments about him.
After that he whizzed off the Stonners and had a fleeting chat on the air strip with Tony Bushell. Then they came back here long enough to refuel whilst the Admiral rushed off down to get a photo of the base.
Dave then flew them back to their iceberg and only just got back before dark as the mank had arrived and he had to fly low to get under it and follow the coast down to reach base.
I think they left with a pretty favourable impression of us and I don’t think we made any boobs.
Had a chat with Fuchs who reckoned it would be OK for me to go to the Bluff this winter. (ie to appoint a deputy BC- Alan Milne- and go dog driving. Didn’t quite make it to the Bluff, Ball Point I think. Sledge Oscar and the Huns with Tim Christie and Henry Blakely)
Managed to take a few photos all together – with me in one of them. Fame at last.
Also we had a copy of Flight Magazine with a long article about our aircraft which even mentioned me. More fame. (Things obviously going to my head! The article may be of interest though too soon to mention the iceberg Incident)
Put the spare turbine engine up on barrels behind the tractor shed tonight.
Richy Hesbrook – Adelaide Met. -1967 & 1968, BC – 1970