My father Captain John Rainsford Groves was a senior pilot with TAA right up until he sadly passed away aged 42 years in 1960.
We lived at No 3 Second Avenue, Strathmore – our street ran off Bulla Road. The Tullamarine Freeway goes across the land where the street and house were!
Our father used to take us to Essendon Airport before school and take us up in an aeroplane to do a test flight over the city! He flew DC-3’s and Convairs. He would drive us in a small jeep to Ops Command and collect the sheet of paper with the flight details. I remember helping ourselves to Minties and Barley Sugar sweets from a big barrel – these sweets were given to the passengers on take off and landing to help clear their ears.
Our father also went to Los Angeles once to collect a new Electra aeroplane.
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