Awards To Pilots Of

Crashed Drover

AWARDS have been made to two men involved in an airplane crash in New Guinea 19 months ago.

The men are C. R. Hibbert, who has been awarded the George Medal; and T. P. Drury, who has been awarded a civil commendation for valuable services in the air.

In April, 1952, Hibbert, senior examiner for the P-NG Dept, of Civil Aviation, was piloting a Drover plane from Wewak across the Bis marck Sea to Momote, Manus Island. In the plane were Drury and another passenger.

When 100 mile on their journey, part of the port engine propeller broke away, penetrated the cockpit and injured Hibbert’s foot. Al though in severe pain, Hibbert got the plane under control and sent out a distress signal. He then was forced, because of his injured foot, to hand over to Drury who, al though he had not handled a Drover before, successfully ditched it in the sea. Although weak from loss of blood, Hibbert continued to discharge his responsibilities as captain, organised the escape of the party to a rubber dinghy and the assembly of an emergency radio transmitter which helped in sub sequent rescue operations.

The party spent many hours in the dinghy before a rescue craft from Manus reached them.