The detailed life history or work (TAA) history, listed here, are provided to The TAA 25 Year Club by family and/or friends.
Disclaimer: The information provided is not vetted by the Museum and is presented as provided.
However, due to the size restriction on the Newsletter, we are unable to publish all we receive.
To keep these histories we have inserted them below.
Just Click on the Name to see the details.
History provided by John Tilton, ex TAA public relations manager.
Date Provided. Published, 4 Sept 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald
Lance joined TAA in September 1946 at the age of 15, employed as junior clerk/office boy in TAA’s Chart House in Little Bourke Street. From there he moved to Essendon as a filing clerk, where amongst other duties, became the scribe for his supervisors – i.e. he wrote their memos!! Lance was a great orator as is witnessed in his memoirs.
After being good with the gab as he always has been, he was recommended by the Overhaul Division Superintendent, Gordon Myers, to become inducted in TAA’s initial round of apprentices. As a result, he became TAA’s first ever apprentice! He predominantly worked in Aircraft Maintenace, becoming the Dock Maintenance Superintendent and representing the airline on many occasions in the USA (Boeing etc) before retiring in 1991 after 45 years with the airline.
I have worked with Lance (Steel Wool to his friends) on many fronts during my 45 years with TAA, and have always found him to be professional, principled, disciplined and helpful. He encouraged and organised social functions, was the founder of the TAA Apprentice Social Club, and culminated in the initiation of the STAARS (Simply TAA Retired Staff) lunches (held quarterly) in 1995. In all that time, Lance only missed one of those lunches, in February this year, where he was too unwell to attend. I will always value that I was one of Lance’s closest confidants and will certainly miss him and value my memories of him.
History provided by Kevin Anderson
Date Published 6th April 2024
History provided by
Date Provided.
History provided
Date Provided. 29/11/2015
History provided by Ian Williams
Date Provided. 29/11/2014 Written for Courier Mail
History provided
Date Provided. 01/02/2016
History provided by Peter Sweetten
Date Provided. 06/03/2016
Robert Francis O'DayDate Published March 2024
William Arthur (Bill) Shepherd
History provided by Eddie Creaney
Date Provided. March - April 2016
History provided by David Reece
Date Provided. 10 January 2017
Brief history provided by David Reece
Date Provided. 19 August 2017
Infomation provided by Eddie Creaney and Kevin Anderson
Date Provided. 03 March 2018
History provided by Captain Doug Cornwall,(ret.)
Date Provided. 9/08/2012
History provided by Deirdre Lewis, Elaine Swaine's goddaughter
Date Provided. 9/04/2012, The Age newspaper, Melbourne
History provided by
Date Provided. 09/01/2015
History provided by her Brisbane work colleges
Date Provided. 06/01/2015
Stanley Ernest RUTLAND (Stan)
The link below takes you to a funeral notice that appeared in the "Townsville Bulletin" a couple of weeks ago for Stan Rutland, he worked in TSV as a LAME and prior to his TSV days he was in dock maintenance in MEL.
History provided by Robert Merson
Date Provided. 12/10/ 2015
History provided by Margaret Rush, Written for the Melbourne Age and Sydney Morning Herald
Date Provided. 07/07/2016
History provided by Frank Sullivan
Date Provided. 28/09/2016
History provided by Eddie Creaney
Date Provided. 30/01/2017
Infomation provided by Joan Nathan
Date Provided. 07/08/2017
Infomation provided by Annie Adams
Date Provided. 30/09/2019
Margaret (Mardi) Ochernal
Mardi was the SA State managers Secretary, through at least 4 State Managers. She was 90 years old and the last of three sisters.
Infomation provided by Michael Turner
Date Provided. 27/06/2020
Infomation provided by Doug McKenzie
Date Provided. 11/08/2020
Infomation provided by Nancy Walker
Date Provided. 14/09/2020
Infomation provided by the Family
Date Provided. 23/06/2022
Australian Aviations Greatest writer. Story provided by Adam Thorn extract from Australian Aviation
Date Published 18 August 2021