Volunteer Air Observers Corp
Mar 2012. by Trevor Keightley and John Tantanini .

When we think of the wars that our local diggers have been involved in we tend to only think of them going to a far flung country, but there are many stories from around our own country that played an important part of the war effort, the following is an example of our district and the role of volunteers.

VOLUNTEER AIR OBSERVERS CORPS (Operated during WW2)

A network of Volunteers was set up around Australia covering an area up to 150 miles inland from Cairns to Port Lincoln in SA and from Albany to Geraldton in WA. The units were principally manned by civilian volunteers with WAAAF Clerks used as recorders in operation rooms in regional headquarter around Australia.

The volunteers were called spotters and any aircraft that crossed their zone would be recorded, they would note the direction, number of engines, height, and attempt to identify the aircraft if possible. They would then ring the telephone exchange and ask for “Air Flash” the operator would then if necessary disconnect any current call to put the call through to the VAOC center. Each spotter had their own code name.

OUR AREA: The members of the Volunteers Air Corps were required to report every plane that passed over the area to “Air Flash” Gympie. They ticked a pad with code questions regarding the aircraft, then reported the details. There was only one phone line between Maryborough, Tiaro, Inskip Point and Double Island, the last 2 places being weather stations. When a spotter rang in, the person using the line was disconnected and Air Flash was put through to Gympie where the location of the plane was plotted at once. The code for Tiaro was GEORGE APPLE 17 and the code for Bauple was JIG LOVE 8 (I wonder how Bauple got that code name) and was operated by the Mackellar family. The coded message was read of the pad so that the location of the plane could be recorded thus allowing the staff at Gympie to identify the plane as friend or foe.

John Tantanini and Desmond Thomas were members of the Maryborough VAOC and were located in the top of the Royal Hotel. Maryborough played a very important part in the defense of Queensland as it had an airfield and protected Walkers ship yards, railway depots, Sugar Mills, Sawmills, Bruce highway, bridges, port and fuel depots etc. John tells on one occasion, on a Sunday afternoon during a severe thunderstorm over Bauple, Lillian Davis, then 18 and a volunteer, heard but could not see, a plane circling over Bauple and contacted Gympie Air Control by going to Mr. Bert Bakers home–he owned the Post office and he contacted “Air Flash” for Lillian. They were able to contact the pilot who was lost and guide him to the airfield in Maryborough. (I wonder if Lillian was out in the storm on the way for more “SAY O” (SAO) biscuits)

Other spotters in the area were Gavin Watson of Theebine and John Blair of Yandina. To these and other Volunteers that served during the wars to protect our Country WE SALUTE YOU.