For an early history of the Casey Airfield at Berwick we will turn to Early Days of Berwick (2)
The Casey Airfield was established at Berwick in 1938 by Colonel Rupert Ryan, owner of "Edrington," for the use of his brother-in-law, Mr R.G. Casey., M.P. who had recently purchased a new Percival Gull monoplane, which he and his wife then used for commuting to and from Canberra.
The Casey's were flying enthusiasts and allowed their many flying friends free use of the property for flying practice, field days and competitions. Included amongst the many to receive advantage from this was the Royal Victorian Aero Club, and the well-remembered Gertrude McKenzie Flying School.
During 1948 the Victorian Motorless Flight Group founded a permanent base for gliding at Casey Aerodrome, and continued to operate there until the early 1960's, having flown thousands of hours during the period. (3)
As Early Days of Berwick notes on April 16,1968 Colonel Keith Hatfield and Major Ron Kerrison took over the airfield and operated a flying school under the name Group Air Pty Ltd. Sadly, less than two years later, on November 22, 1969, Major Kerrison and his passenger, Mrs Roma McLeod, were killed in an air crash at the field. Colonel and Mrs Hatfield continued to operate the airfield after this tragedy. (4)
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The Casey Airfield was established at Berwick in 1938 by Colonel Rupert Ryan, owner of "Edrington," for the use of his brother-in-law, Mr R.G. Casey., M.P. who had recently purchased a new Percival Gull monoplane, which he and his wife then used for commuting to and from Canberra.
The Casey's were flying enthusiasts and allowed their many flying friends free use of the property for flying practice, field days and competitions. Included amongst the many to receive advantage from this was the Royal Victorian Aero Club, and the well-remembered Gertrude McKenzie Flying School.
During 1948 the Victorian Motorless Flight Group founded a permanent base for gliding at Casey Aerodrome, and continued to operate there until the early 1960's, having flown thousands of hours during the period. (3)
As Early Days of Berwick notes on April 16,1968 Colonel Keith Hatfield and Major Ron Kerrison took over the airfield and operated a flying school under the name Group Air Pty Ltd. Sadly, less than two years later, on November 22, 1969, Major Kerrison and his passenger, Mrs Roma McLeod, were killed in an air crash at the field. Colonel and Mrs Hatfield continued to operate the airfield after this tragedy. (4)
Leslie Keith Hatfield was born in Queensland in November 1919. He served in the British Army in World War Two and whilst in Japan, met Elsa Dickson. Elsa had been born in Shanghai and was on her way to Australia and had reached Manila when she was interned for over three years by the Japanese in the Philippines. Elsa was released in February 1945 and went to Japan with the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces, and there met Keith. Keith joined the Australian Army after the War and flew with the American Air Force in Korea. (5) Keith died in November 2013. He was interviewed in 2004 by the University of New South Wales as part of their Australian At War film archive, you can read a transcript of the interview here https://australiansatwarfilmarchive.unsw.edu.au/archive/htmlTranscript/2047
When the airfield was established in 1938, Berwick was a small country town, however by the 1990s, it had developed into a suburb of Melbourne and it appears that a small airfield had no place in Berwick anymore. The beginning of the end came in 1992 when the Berwick Campus of Chisholm TAFE was constructed and it finally closed in 1994 when it was announced that the Berwick Campus of Monash University was to be built on the site.
The Airfield, photograph undated, possibly 1940s.
Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries.
Lady Casey standing beside a small aeroplane, most likely at Berwick, c. 1930s.
State Library of Victoria Image H2013.295/1
Casey Airfield (photo undated)
Image: Berwick Nostalgia: a pictorial history of Berwick, Victoria (6)
Berwick Showgrounds with the Casey Airfield on the right, c. 1938.
Photographer: Charles Daniel Pratt/Airspy.
State Library of Victoria image H91.160/1411.
See high-res version here https://handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/20325
Aerial photograph of the Casey Airfield, taken December 27, 1963.
The road bi-secting the photograph is Berwick-Clyde Road. The Railway line shows up as a curve from the top left to the bottom right of the photograph. You can see the criss-crossing of the runways. The hangars appear in the centre of the photograph, they are the white dots, the dark dots are the rows of cypress trees, still seen in the 1992 photograph further below.
Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
Victorian Motorless Flight Group at Berwick.
Photographer: Rod Kinnear.
The Herald, February 6, 1954. See here for clearer images http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245139695
There is a great video on You Tube taken during the 1950s of the gliders at Casey Airfield - see it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgE-vXjGWw0
An air show at Casey Airfield. The Photograph is most likely from the 1980s.
City of Berwick photographer. Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
Casey Airfield, October 1992
City of Berwick photographer. Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
Casey Airfield, October 1992. Shows the encroachment of new houses.
City of Berwick photographer. Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
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Casey Airfield, October 1992.
In the background - the construction of the Berwick Campus of Chisholm TAFE
City of Berwick photographer. Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
The official announcement that the State Government had obtained the Casey Airfield site for the Berwick Campus of the Monash University. Photograph dated January 6, 1994. Left to right are Federal Member for Latrobe, Bob Charles; Tertiary Education Minister, Haddon Storey; Monash University Deputy Vice Chancellor, Ian Chubb; City of Berwick Mayor, Cr Norma McCausland and the State Member for Berwick, Robert Dean.
City of Berwick photographer. Image: Casey Cardinia Libraries
Footnotes
(1) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/casey-richard-gavin-gardiner-9706 and https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/casey-ethel-marian-sumner-maie-12296
(2) Early Days of Berwick and its surrounding districts, compiled by Norman E. Beaumont, James F. Curran and R.H. Hughes (3rd edition published by Rotary, 1979) The book was originally published in 1948.
(3) Early Days of Berwick, op. cit., p. 151.
(4) Ibid
(5) University of New South Wales as part of their Australian At War film archive transcript https://australiansatwarfilmarchive.unsw.edu.au/archive/htmlTranscript/2047; POW Research Newtwork Japan
http://www.powresearch.jp/en/activities/report/201210aus.html
(6) Berwick Nostalgia: a pictorial history of Berwick, Victoria (Berwick Pakenham Historical Society, 2001.
This is an expanded version of a post I wrote for my work blog Casey Cardinia Links to Our Past.
