[woofa.express]

Another Walter Mitty.

I lived nearly 20 years in the town of Finley which is 10 miles north of Tocumwal. One evening at the Returned Services Club, or RSL for short, I met this incredible bloke by the name of Bert Townsend (now deceased). What a life Bert had. In WW1 Bert flew the Vickers Gunbus, pictured below, with the pusher engine/prop at the rear of the fuselage and gunner up the front. Following Armistice Bert returned to Australia and aerial mapped the entire coastline. During the Second World War he ferried Catalina flying boats to Australia. It was incredible, the exciting life Bert had.
The local military airbase was Tocumwal here where some 54 Liberator Bombers and 11 Vultees were based. When I first arrived in Toc there was still 5 massive hangers remaining (then kids with matches destroyed two which were used for hay storage) plus six big engine testing bays. Bert used to come here and grind crankshafts for the military. His aviation and aviation related exploits were just incredible. I departed the Finley RSL the night I met Bert in awe and admiration.

Next day at work I confided to my off sider, Laurie, that I had met this amazing bloke and relayed some of his exploits. Laurie asked his name and I replied I had forgotten and spent the morning trying to recall just that. Laurie asked if it was Bert Townsend. Yes yes I replied. Now that I knew I was so pleased. Laurie just laughed in my face. Bert had always worked at the local butter factory except for a short period during the war. I felt a little shattered. And when I added up the years Bert had spent in aviation he must have been 140 years old.

On future meetings with Bert I continued to listen knowing he had a better imagination than that of Walter Mitty. There’s a difference between Bert and Neil in the previous story. Bert knew his exploits were just not true. He told fibs. Big ones.