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Old 08-19-2018, 04:28 AM   #224
woofa.express
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Tocumwal, NSW, Australia
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Default Re: tell a Model A related story



Jim McCory.

I was Miles (Qld) base pilot in the late ‘70’s and hired Jim as a loader driver. A bloke from the bush who had joined the RAAF and became a radio technician then returned to the bush. A bloke with a good mind and if scruffs could be labelled 1 to 10, 10 being of the most scruffiest appearance Jim would make 10.

Jim inherited a farm from his dad. About 8 miles out of town. My brother in law Richard, from New Zealand and Jim and wife Kathy were having dinner with us one evening. The discussing turned to farming and Richard asked Jim the size of his property.3000 acres Jim responded. Dick was running some stocking figures through his mind. 3000 acres. (remember he came from New Zealand) He could run about 1500 steers and 1000 breading head plus other derivatives.

‘Jim’ asks Dick, ‘how many head do you run?’

‘Well’ says Jim, ‘Earlier in the week I shot 5 because I couldn’t keep them home so now I’m down to 23.’

The New Zealand farmer had his jaw drop to his navel. The country was as scrubby as Jim was scruffy

Jim and Kathy shared a home with Jim’s parents. One very hot summers night when there was insufficient airflow Jim cut in extra windows with the chainsaw. Guess these holes were filled in for the winter. I guess because I don’t know. They built their own house nearby. Kathy hand made the concrete bricks and Jim built. Their insulation was polystyrene packaging trashed by a chaff cutter. They both had ingenuity as well as integrity.


Years later I took my 2 Riverina friends, Johnny and Gerry to a Keyland social event at Dalby.There they met Jim. Both expressed surprise at my hiring a bloke that hadn’thad a haircut nor beard cut in ages. I wouldn’t have done so in my own business, Riverina Airwork.

I might add that Jim met Kathy in America whilst doing radio tech training on the F1-11’s. They married and because Jim had not sort permission from the military to marry he was sent home. Don’t think that worried either of them. They had no kids for fear of bringing them into this world. They worried about the political and military future of this world. Ithink that is a shame.

It is more than 38 years since I departed Miles and I still get reports of Jim from Keyland. They love him. They talk about him of course.They still employ him.


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Last edited by woofa.express; 08-19-2018 at 10:53 AM.
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