Hunter Valley Gliding

   20-Apr-14

With CGC's Easter/Anzac gliding camp at Watts Bridge called off last Friday, I delayed my return from Newcastle to Brisbane and was able to spend a lazy day at the Hunter Valley Gliding Club's Easter Regetta (Warkworth Airfiled near Jerrys Plains ... an hour's drive west of Newcastle) with my brother-in-law Peter Alderdice. As at 5.00 pm last night Pete was the GFA's and HVGC's newest member!  We had two flights in HVGC's Puchacz VH -XQY (pictured behind Pete).

The sheik from Scrubby Creek ... no its Dave Goldsmith (Vintage Gliding Australia) preparing their Ka6e for wife Jenne to fly. Its a small world, Dave's cousin is the Anglican priest at my home town of Peak Hill (Fr. Graeme Gore who officiated at my dad Henry's funeral recently). Also, GEA was part of the glider fleet at Kevin Roden's old club in Leeton, NSW. He had several flights in her a very long time ago! 

Looking northwest towards Denman (Jerrys Plains to the right) it looks like a normal rural valley ... however, as can be seen from the following pics, the mines have made their mark!

View back to the south-east (with Mt Thorley mine to the right at top of pic). That's Warkworth Airfield in the centre of the pic (running east west about one-third down from the top with four white buildings lining the southern boundary).