VH-BLG  Avro 652A Anson 1

                           

                               . Another Loneragan brothers/Aircraft Disposals, Mudgee, NSW civilian conversion of an ex RAAF
                                 Anson....in this case W2486.  CofA issued October 1949.  Conversion spearheaded by their chief
                                 engineer Harold Thomas who later went on to establish the Camden Museum of Aviation. The above
                                 photograph, from the Geoff Goodall collection was taken at Brisbane circa 1952.   VH-BLG was
                                 retained by the Loneragan family for their pastoral, commercial and hotel business interests (Loneragans
                                 owned the largest department store in Mudgee). It boasted an "executive interior" (installed by Airflite
                                 at Mascot).   Seen below is a close up of - BLG taken at  Bankstown  in 1953 (Geoff's collection again).
                                 Eric Loneragan is seen on the left, Bryan on the right.  The aircraft is carrying the name "White Heather"
                                 since the Loneragans were the Australian agents for White Heather whiskey at the time:   Note large
                                 manual ADF loop aerial on top of the nose.
                                 Finally, at the foot of the page is poor old -BFG as Geoff himself saw her in the railway yards at
                                 Mudgee, NSW in January of 1973.  Along side were the remains of the Loneragan's Percival Vega
                                 Gull VH-BQA.  VH-BLG was officially written off during 1959 when it made a wheels-up forced
                                 landing near Mudgee while carrying live sheep!   (No reports on what happened to the sheep).  The
                                 Anson and the retired Vega Gull were dumped in town and rotted there until both were collected by
                                 Sydney enthusiast John White in 1975.  The Loneragan family also donated 2 brand new Cheetah IX
                                 engines, undercarriage and tires, radios and ancilliary equipment, a complete rudder, 16 bomb bay
                                 doors and many cockpit instruments.  White commenced a static restoration of the Anson's forward
                                 fuselage in a storage shed in Windsor, Sydney - his group was the embryo Historic Aircraft Restoration
                                 Society which grew into today's HARS with its airworthy Constellation, Catalina, and Neptunes.