FLIGHTPATH | 41Many Wirraways that had been purchased
by CAC for Ceres production eventually
made their way to collectors and restorers.
In 1963 A20-652 was purchased from CAC
by Peter Frearson who displayed the air-
craft at his Fleet Wings petrol stations in
Pascoe Vale and then Reservoir. In 1983 the
aircraft was purchased by Dusty Lane, Ge-
off Milne and Vin Thomas who started res-
toration to airworthy condition. The regis-
tration VH-WIR (the same that A20-649 has
hoped to use) was obtained and a compre-
hensive restoration to zero hours was car-
ried out from 1984 to 1986. The aircraft
made its first post-restoration flight from
Essendon on 19 September 1986. In August
2006 the aircraft was sold on eBay to Peter
Smythe, who needed to mount a legal chal-
lenge to confirm the validity of the sale. In
2010 the aircraft was purchased by Queens-
land Air Museum with a grant from the John
Villiers Trust. The aircraft is now displayed
at the museum in Caloundra and kept in air-
worthy condition.
Several Wirraway airframes passed
through Pearce Dunn’s Warbirds Aviation
Museum in Mildura during the late 1970s,
one of those being A20-719 (C/N 1171). The
aircraft went to Jack McDonald in 1982 and
he commenced the restoration process at
Point Cook. In late 1989 the project was pur-
chased by Rob Greinert who formed a syndi-
cate with Jack Curtis, Doug Haywood, Iain
McLeay, Ray Seaver, Brian Parkinson and
LE F T: One of Lincoln
Nitschke’s Wirraway frames
on display in his remarkable
private collection in
Greenock, South Australia.
[James Kightly]BELOW: The most recently
restored Wirraway is also
the oldest survivor, A20-10
is seen here at its 75th
birthday event at the
Australian National
Aviation Museum,
Moorabbin, Vic. [Rob Fox]