AS Nivison, in conjunction with Ross Anderson, decided to use the Tiger Moth to try to drop both seed and superphosphate on Nivison’s Walcha property, Mirani.

Mr Nivison later said: “With the help of mechanics from East-West Airlines a Tiger Moth was equipped to make the drop and, after many trials and disappointments, superphosphate was successfully dropped on 1st February 1950. The pilot was Captain Bruce McKenzie of East-West Airlines. The methods of supering and loading the aircraft were most primitive. The super was done up in bags and taken to the aircraft by wheelbarrow and manhandled into the hopper, which held 400lbs. At that time super was put out at about 8-10 tons a day”.

Soon afterwards there were several Tiger Moths simultaneously working around Walcha doing this work, taking off and landing at short intervals.

“It was like having a mob of angry bees buzzing around you,” said retired grazier Jim Hoy on a visit to the Pioneer Cottage and Museum a few days ago.

This was not the first time this Tiger Moth was used for aerial agriculture in Walcha. It was also here in 1947 when used to spread 600 acres of linseed.

It was used for aerial agriculture in many areas including Armidale, Bombala, Cootamundra, Grenfell, Nimmitabel, Tumut as well as at Walcha. It was used to spray tobacco crops for several weeks at Dalby in 1956 and again in 1957 - the supering and seeding gear was removed and replaced with a spray tank and booms to suit this work.

Our aircraft was built for the Royal Australian Air Force by De Havilland at Mascot in Sydney in 1940 and is powered by a Gypsy Major engine built by General Motors Holden in Melbourne. It was used for elementary flying training at Narromine, Bundaberg, Lowood and Narrandera between 1940 and 1943.

During 1944-1945 it was stationed at West Sale where it was used by the Air Gunner School.

After the end of World War II it was offered for sale by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission and, on June 1946 2, it was sold for £250 to Edward Macarthur-Onslow of Camden who had established a flying and gliding school at Camden in 1937. The aircraft has had three different registrations. It was A17-44 to the RAAF. In its civilian life it was VH-ASQ from 1946 to 1950 when it became VH-PCB