VH-MLB  DHC-2 Beaver 1                                             (c/n 1567)

                               

                                   Delivered late in 1964 as the first VH-IDX, this Beaver was re-registered VH-MLB in February
                                   1965 when sold to Lukey Miller Aerial Service.  Greg Banfield's shot above shows it brand new
                                   at Bankstown in February 1965.   Color scheme was white with maroon trim.  It carried Farm Air
                                   titling when sighted by Geoff Goodall in the photo immediately below, taken at Sale, Victoria in
                                   May of 1966.   This indicates that the aerial dusting firm was a division of McInnes Central Airways
                                   which, in turn was part of the Lukey Miller outfit. (I guess if anything goes wrong, the deeper the
                                   layers of corporate structure, the more difficult it is to levy blame!).   -MLB later went to Western
                                   Aerial Crop Spraying and Spreading Services of Derrinallum, .Victoria.  It was involved in a typical
                                   crop duster prang in 1973 and, upon being repaired wound up, like the majority of Aussie Beavers,
                                   with Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd.   Greg Banfield's second shot, at the foot of the page, shows it at
                                   Bankstown in  January 1976 in standard Aerial Agriculture livery   .   Another crash near Captain's
                                   Flat, NSW (up in the wild Deua National Park country, south of Canberra) in December 1979
                                   saw it struck off the register.  It is presumed to have been scrapped on the spot.