Director of The RNZAF Museum

Squadron Leader Tom Anderson

Squadron Leader John Barry (1978 - Feb 1993)

Squadron Leader Dave Provan (Feb 1993 - ?)

Mrs Therese Angelo

The RNZAF Museum Trust Board

The RNZAF Musuem Trust Board was set up on the 30th of August 1979 to oversee the running of the museum.

The Current (2009) Board members include:
Name	Position on Board
Air Vice Marshall Peter Adamson, CB, OBE, RNZAF Rtd., former RNZAF Chief of Air Staff Air Commodore Gavin Howse, ONZM, AFC, Deputy Chief of Air Force, RNZAF Air Commodore Graeme Goldsmith, CBE, AFC, RNZAF Rtd. Dame Cheryll Sotheran, DNZM Sector Director, Creative & Tourism, NZ Trade and Enterprise Mr John Mounce, Aviation Consultant Cr Bob Shearing, Christchurch City Councillor Mr Peter Townsend, Chief Executive of Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce Mrs Therese Angelo Director of the RNZAF Museum	Chairman _ Member _ Member _ Member _ Member Member Member _ Also attend meetings _

 

For historical interest, the original 1979 line up on the board were as follows:

The 1979 RNZAF Museum Trust Board
Name	Position on Board
Air Vice Marshall D.E. Jamieson OBE Chief of Air Staff Air Commodore Ian M. Gillard OBE AFC Deputy Chief of Air Staff Mr. W.D. Leuchars MBE ED President NZ RSA Group Captain Pat Neville OBE AFC AOC, RNZAF Support Group Mr. D.G.B. McLean MSc. MA (Hons) Secretary of Defence Mr. R.G. Richardson NZ Federation of Brevet Clubs Air Vice Marshall C.A. Turner CB CBE RNZAF Rtd. Dominion President RNZAF Association Dr. John Yaldwyn PhD (Director, National Museum)	Chairman _ Member _ Member Member o Member _ Member _ Member _ Member _

And the 1988 Trust Board was thus:

The 1988 RNZAF Museum Trust Board
Name	Position on Board
Air Marshall Sir Richard Bolt, RNZAF Rtd. Air Commodore A.E. Thomson, AOC, RNZAF Support Group Mr. J. McCrea, General Manager Operationss and Personnel, Air New Zealand Mr Warren Hunt (Hon. Group Captain) Sir Robertson Stewart (Christchurch businessman) Air Marshall David Crooks, RNZAF Rtd. Dr. John Yaldwyn (National Museum) Dr. M. McNamara Flight Lieutenant L. Sommer Group Captain Ross Donaldson (Base Commander, RNZAF Wigram) Squadron Leader John Barry (Director of the RNZAF Museum)	Chairman Member _ Member _ Member Member _ Member Member Member Secretary Also attend meetings _ Also attend meetings _

 

The Black Hand Gang

 

The Black Hand Gang is the nickname of those who get or got their hands dirty in the restoration workshops at the Museum. They are the fine highly skilled craftsmen who have restored many wrecks back to pristine aircraft now on display at Wigram

Restoration Team - RNZAF Full Time Staff

Aircraft Restoration Flight Commanders

Sqn Ldr William 'Sandy' Currie ( 1980 - August 1992)

Warrant Officer Dave Mitchell (Aug 1992 - ?)

Warrant Officer Dennis Gibbons (? - May 2007)

Warrant Officer Dan Thomas (May 2007 - present)

 

Other Staff

Flight Sergeant Alan Woodley

F/Sgt George Januzemis

F/Sgt Jerry Marshall

Sergeant Kevin Bennett (Acquisitions and Storage, retired January 1993)

Sgt Lyn Buttle

Corporal Dave Nicholson

Corporal John Harris (Safety and Surface - till 1993)

Corporal Steve Leach (Safety and Surface - 1993 till ?)

Corporal Adrian Benny (Safety and Surface)

and many more...

The Black Hand Gang ex-Military and Civil Volunteer Staff

Bill Weir

Brian Roberts

Bill Valendar

Les Heath

Sgt L. Bell

Phillip Whitcombe

Bernie Streeter

Arthur Henry

Brian Smith

Doug Gillian

Jim Wright

Sandy Currie

Jack Simpson

Ross Townsend

Tom Ramsay

John McKim

Bill Fitzharding-Jones

 

The Volunteer Team that restored the TBF-1 Avenger at Wigram in the late 1970's

Flight Lieutenant Paul Harrison (Team Leader)

Flight Lieutenant Kel Aldridge

F/Sgt George Januzemis

Sgt Pete Tolhoek

Corporal Trevor Wood

And a group of weekend helpers including ATC cadets, among whom were Barry Tod and Ken Tod

The Geriatric Air Force

The Geriatric Air Force was the fine band of men and women who formed in the early 1980's to set to and sort out the masses of equipment and parts in store with the museum. Some catalogued everything, others cleaned up parts and made them usable, whilst others sorted tiny screws and nuts and bolts into the right jars, etc. They also sorted out all the publications that would help to put old aircraft back together. Their base was at Weedons, and without them the restoration work would have taken much longer and been much less smooth a job. They had their own badge, the RNZAF Eagle as worn on sleeves in WWII but with a bowler hat, spectacles, a pipe and other accoutrements. The GAF members were mostly ex-RNZAF or WAAF, with others being ex-NAC, etc., and they included among its ranks:

Russell Orr

Brian Cox

Max Ruane

Pat O'Sullivan

Bill Southgate

Ian Martin

Frank Eichbaum

Laurie Purdie-Smith

Alec McGregor

Jack Maloney

Murray McGill

Bill Ashwell

Frank Mushet

Lois Cole

Celia Waite

Alison Braithwaite

Errol Braithwaite

John McDonald

Keith Clark

Heywood Foster

The Moth Doctors

The Moth Doctors were a small team who set to work and restored the Tiger Moths for the museum, including the one on display in the Atrium and the one which later went to the Central Flying School Historic Flight and is based at Ohakea. Their expert members included:

Johnny Checketts

Bernie Creedons

George Kingsbury

Bob Swadel

The Museum Guides

The Museum Guides were another wonderful bunch of volunteers, and one of the few volunteer units still in operation today. They all love to give up a day or two in their week to show members of the public around the museum. Most are ex-RNZAF, many served in WWII.

The following guides were those who worked in the Museum when it first opened in 1987, as per their rostered days:

Mondays David Barker Harvey Hammersley Margaret Hilton Trevor Husband Maurice Johnston Pam Simpson Charles Tapper Peter Street Jack Taylor Warren Bennett	Tuesdays Tony Leach Tom Ramsay Shirley Rudd Laurie Turner Bill Vallender Bert Walker Min Watson Jim Henderson Ted Fancy Maurice Marshall	Wednesdays Jean Angelo Douglas Edwards John Erickson Yorkie Glentworth Ron Henry Arnold Hoyle Roy Waterman Gordon Holmes Laurie Edwards
Thursdays Kathleen Almond Noeline Allen Curly Bell Maud Cherie Ian Comrie Eddie Edwards Ted Garrick Alan Frewer	Fridays Matt Allen Bob Elson Barbara Elson Ian Leith Barney Maloney Mary Maloney Neville Staples Jim Young	Saturdays Bob Aitken Pat Burke Rita Cuff Reg Dear Les Drury Erle Duxbury Flavia White
Sundays Pat Barry Eddie Carruthers Les Farnley Geoff Harrison Ian Latter Phil Whitcombe Graham Johnstone Rose-Marie Barry Betty Barry

As the years have gone by since 1987 many more guides have joined the team, and others have left or passed away. Additional names to the above who've been guides since 1987 are:

Errol Braithwaite (former WWII Air Gunner and well known author, now dead)

C.A. "Colin" Bailey (former Navigator)

Don Dean

Colin Rudd (former pilot)

 

If you can add the names of any other guides to this page, please contact me.

The Archivists

 

Mrs "Terry" Dowman - Research Officer

Mrs Therese Angelo

Jane Provan - Former Curator

Vicky Garvington - Current Curator

Matthew O'Sullivan - RNZAF Photographs Archivist

 

The Shop Staff

Friends of the RNZAF Museum

Other Contributors to the RNZAF Museum

 

Museum Management Committee members - Group Captain G.C. Hubbard, Squadron Leader Ian McBride, Squadron Leader 'Bud' Mills, Squadron Leader Bill Chappell, Flight Lieutenant Mike Bain, Squadron Leader John Francis

Sqn Ldr Dave Frowen (Model Making Co-ordinator)

Rex Crawford (Museum Modelling Consultant)

Modellers whose models are on display in the musuem include: Mike Barlow, Jan Bell, Clem Boyd, Alan Boyd, Dennis Christiansen, John Cooms, Rex Crawford, Bill Fitzharding-Jones, Dave frowen, Trevor Gibling, Ross Giddy, Air Commodore John Gordon, Graham Hosie, Cliff Jenks, Steven Jenks, Dave Lochead, Tom Mayer, Brent Peacock, David Roberts, Brian Smith, Murray Smith, Dave Stewart and Paul Tibbutt.

Harvey Courtman (Display Case design)

LAC Dave Nicholson (Lighting)

Alan Polashek (Awards, Medals and Accoutrements Consultant)

Dr. D.A. Larnder (Awards, Medals and Accoutrements Consultant)

Mr W.L. Harrington-Hutchings (Aviation Library)

Warren P. Russell (Aircraft Colour Schemes and Markings)

Errol Martyn (NZ Military Aviation History 1909-1939)

Dr. Vincent Orange (NZ Military Aviation History NZ'ers in the RAF 1937-1945)

David Duxbury (NZ Military Aviation NZ'ers in Singapore and Pacific 1940-1945)

Cliff Jenks (NZ Military Aviation History post-1945)

 

Curators

Squadron Leader Miles Pointon

Peter Strugnell (1978-1993)

Peter Calkin (1993-2005)

Paul Gibson (2005 - 2007)

 

Other Full Time Staff

Margaret Calkin (Cafe manager)

Alan Peck

Glenda ??

Volunteers

Don Simms

Glen Turner