[?]arold Gutty’s Early Days

[?]tter to the Editor [?]arold Gutty’s Early Days

In Usa

WAS sad at heart when I read about the passing of Mr. Harold Gatty, (Sept., PIM), whom I ew quite well in the days when first arrived in the United El^oS.

The history of Harold is not mplete without mentioning those rly days and the man who friended him then and, you may 7 “grubstaked” him, so that he aid take up the study of Weems stem of Navigation and await an ening in aviation, rhis friend was Captain Norman rguson, a native of Timaru, New aland, and then master of the :ge US schooner-yacht Goodwill.

When Gatty met the Captain, the iter was over 70 years old, a tall standing man, about six feet tall, rd as nails, but with a very kind Captain Ferguson was an early Lpmate of Captain William Ross, b well-known trader in the mgas about 1900 and owner of rkentine Ysabel. He was last m in the South Seas, when the wdwill made a cruise to Tahiti d the Tongas and returned to s Angles via Christmas Island d Honolulu about 1924.

Ihe Goodwill was a steel two isted schooner of over 200 tons d was owned by Mr. Keith aiding, of Pasadena, California. ie carried a crew of 26 men and is tops when it came to upkeep d pay.

She very seldom went on a long iise and most of her sailing was ne on week-ends between Los igeles and Catalina Island, about miles away. [ do not know how Harold Gatty jt the Captain—it may have been letter of introduction, as without übt he needed work. And, as it ppened, there was an opening as lief Mate on Goodwill. Captain rguson gave Gatty the job at 30.00 per month, not forgetting lat we would call fringe benefits, ch as free laundry and subsistence len the ship lay up in the winter.

Harold Gatty could not have shed for a better job for his rpose—a lot of leisure time, which ve him a chance to study and >rk on some inventions such as a ift indicator for planes; a sextant r air navigation; and others. In tween times, he also started to ach Weems System of Navigation. is well known that the Lind rghs were amongst his later adents.

How long Harold Gatty was Chief ate on the Goodwill I can’t recall it some time later on, the Pioneer strument Co. wanted some one to ljust their aeroplane compasses.

Gatty resigned to take the job.

From that day on he became firmly established in aviation. His later career is well known.

I am, etc.,

Fred K. Klebingat

(Capt.)

San Pedro, California, USA.

November 12, 1957 * Mr. C. R. H. Nott, formerly one of Fiji’s best known District Com missioners, and latterly British Agent and Consul in Tonga, re turned to Fiji with his wife and daughter in November after six months’ leave in Europe. He now has taken up his new appointment as Secretary for Fijian Affairs.