High-flying Hazelton hails Rex resurgence With the little airline he started in a paddock now taking on the likes of Qantas and Virgin, Max Hazelton sees good days ahead for Australian aviation. words: Damon Kitney OF ALL the aircraft Max Hazelton has flown on over his 95 years, the Regional Express flight from Orange to Sydney on the afternoon of February 28 was extra special. At his side was his only son Graham, better known by his nickname Toby, who often calls his dad “boss”. The next morning, as the clock at Sydney Airport ticked over to 8.25am, they stood together at the arrival gate to greet Rex’s inaugural 737 jet service from Melbourne. The carrier was formed two decades ago from the merger of Kendell Airlines and the regional carrier Max Hazelton and his brother Jim started in 1953 called Hazelton Airlines. “It was very hard not to have wet eyes because it was such a big day. They were looking after me extremely well with a wheelchair. It was an amazing day,’’ says Max, his now permanently bloodshot eyes again turning misty for a moment behind his spectacles. The jet was flown by captains John Veitch and Brett Brown, both ex-Hazelton pilots who took voluntary redundancies from Virgin Australia last year. “They came home again,” Max says with a beaming smile. “(Rex
12 TrueBlue
Max Hazelton was a part of Rex’s first jet service.
