Nice to see that there are some like me who respect John’s wishes.
He fought hard to get some of these aircraft. The RNZAF often gave him unrealistic time frames to get the aircraft off the base or they would be destroyed (like 24 hours notice!), which meant that sometimes the saw/gas axe had to be used to save what he could.
Nobody was interested in what he was doing and for years people labelled him an eccentric/crazy who had planes and tanks that nobody thought would ever be worth anything.
Now people label him as stubborn and unwilling to preserve valuable artifacts for the general public to see. How times have changed!!! LOL.
In fact he is neither stubborn or unwilling. Just fed up with certain people and museums trying to tell him what to do with his personal property. He has preserved history exactly as it came to him. NOTHING has been changed on these aircraft since he collected them.
My fathers cousin had three Mossies in New Zealand. He stripped the wheels and hydraulics for farm equipment and then each Nov 5th would burn one for Guy Fawkes. That is what those aircraft were worth back then. My dad remembers how well they burned!
If you do make the trek to go and see him, take your wife/girlfriend with you to help break the ice. Keep you camera in your pocket or your car and don’t bring it out until he says it is Ok.
You’ll find that John is a great bloke with a great memory and a fountain of knowledge. Talk about apples. Talk about tanks (My father drove Valentine tanks, so we talked about that for ages!). Talk about planes. Prepare to be amazed.
DON’T tell him what he should do with his collection. It is his, not yours. Keep your opinions to yourself. He doesn’t tell you what to do with your life.
The aircraft are protected from the elements. They are time capsules that are preserved. Restoration would destroy that.
Other Kiwi’s on the forum probably know about a person close to John that is helping him, at a speed that John is comfortable with. Time will tell what happens to the collection, I just hope it is detailed in his will and that his wishes are respected after he falls off this planet.
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