CAPTAIN JOHN KESSEY

John Kessey joined the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1939 as a pilot trainee at RAAF Point Cook in Victoria. During his wartime career he flew over 180 daylight missions, primarily on the Beaufort aircraft, against the Japanese in New Guinea and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

On completion of hostilities in the Pacific in 1946, John initially joined Australian National Airlines and was trained on DC2, DC3 and DC5 aircraft becoming a captain, but was quickly ‘headhunted’ by Trans Australia Airlines and became a Check/Training Captain on DC3 and DC4 aircraft and, further, was appointed the Senior Regional Captain for the Victoria Region.

He later joined British and Commonwealth Pacific Airlines flying DC4 and DC6 aircraft between Australia and the USA where he remained until he started work in the family business. During these years he flew Lockheed 12 and Lodestar aircraft ‘to keep his hand in’. In 1960 he returned to flying, this time in Papua/New Guinea, to fly with Ansett Airlines on DC3, Bristol Freighter and Fokker F27 aircraft, but in 1976 returned to Brisbane, Queensland, where he flew F27s until he retired from flying.

John became a member of the Guild in 1971, and was instrumental in setting up the Queensland Working Group (QWG) of the Guild’s Australian Region. He became the Chairman of the QWG in 1990 and remained in that position until 1993. In 1994, he became the Deputy Chairman of the Australian Region, and became a Liveryman in October the same year. He was appointed Chairman of the Australian Region in 1995 and, once again, became the Chairman of the QWG in 1997, remaining in that position until 1999. He has been Welfare Officer for the Australian Region and QWG since 2001.

John is a highly respected Guild member and is looked on as an ‘elder statesman’ of the Guild in Australia by other members. His service to the Guild in Australia is exemplary, long-standing and crucial to the development of the Region. He is accordingly awarded the Guild Award of Merit.
 

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Previous Winners:

1959 E B Trubshaw Esq

1960 Wing Commander C E F Arthur AFC

1961 C L Pashley Esq MBE AFC and Group Captain H A Purvis DFC AFC

1964 C A Nepean Bishop Esq

1965 Miss Sheila Scott

1966 C C H Dash Esq

1967-69 Not Awarded

1970 Mrs V Dowling

1971 E Day Esq

1972 Not Awarded

1973 Lt Col R Smith ERD and Sir Frederick Tymms KCIE MC

1974 L A Wingfleld Esq MC DFC and Captain J E Futcher

1975 Captain R E Gillman DFC

1976 A P W Cane Esq

1977 J L B Cowan Esq

1978-79 Not Awarded

1980 Captain Brian Powell

1981 Captain Jack Nicholl

1982 Robert Pooley Esq

1983 Not Awarded

1984 W T F Rossiter Esq

1985 Not Awarded

1986 Captain Charles A Owens LVO

1987 Captain John D Mackellar

1988 Cyril (Ray) Jeffs Esq OBE

1989 Captain Neville Grady

1990 Not Awarded

1991 Captain Maurice R Aries

1992-93 Not Awarded

1994 Raymond Baxter Esq

1995 The late Ronald D Campbell Esq MBE

1996 Dr Michael Bagshaw

1997 Past Master Fred S Stringer

1998 Past Master Hugh Field

1999 Captain Ray Heiniger

2000 Captain Clive Elton

2001 Captain Jack Smith

2002 Captain Christopher Hodgkinson

2003 Captain John Bankier Robinson AFC* FRAeS

2004 Captain John Mason

2005 Michael Glover Esq

2006 Captain David Albert John Martin

2007 Captain John Kessey

 

 

Updated 15-Dez-2008
AWR