VH-UKY  de Havilland D.H.60G Gipsy Moth                     (c/n 1041)

                                 

                                       Here's VH-UKY in an uncompromising position in among the corn stalks at Lake Monger
                                       in the Perth suburb of Leederville on 28 January 1938.     It was an Aero Club of WA
                                       machine and was quickly rebuilt at Maylands, continuing to serve the club until impressed
                                       into the RAAF in July 1940 as A7-93.   The earlier image (below) from the State Library
                                       of NSW collection, shows -UKY with the first female pupil of the Aero Club of WA,
                                       alongside the Moth, circa 1937.    It was one of the few pre-war civil Moths to survive
                                       wartime use by RAAF, and was restored to the Register as VH-UKY in May 1945 to
                                       a private owner in Perth.    Resold the next year to Fred Betts of Belmont, Victoria, it.
                                       was written off  when it struck a sheoak tree after taking off from a paddock at Barwon
                                       Heads on 2 January 1947.   Fred had his older brother Edward with him at the time and
                                       both men were fortunate to receive no more than minor injurieis.  Aaron Betts, grandson
                                       of Fred, provides the family album photo at the foot of the page.  A full write up of the
                                       accident appeared in the Geelong Advertiser for 3 January 1947.  Aaron goes on to say
                                       "for years half of that tree survived and grew, and the week that my grandfather passed
                                       away (in ’86 I think it was), it was hit by lightning and destroyed!".