APRIL 12, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Institute site still for sale
Above: The scene of the Lancefield crash. (Paul Jeffers/Fairfax Media) Inset: Pilot Terry Otway pictured with the plane involved in the crash. (Supplied)
Pilot a ‘true pro’ By Matt Crossman A Sunbury flying instructor who died when a light plane crashed and exploded into flames in a paddock near Lancefield on Saturday morning has been remembered as a great teacher and true professional. Terry Otway, 79, and a Lower Templestowe man, 48, who had recently moved from Sydney were killed while on a training flight after taking off from Penfield Flight School, in Settlement Road East, Sunbury, about 10.30am. School owner Vince Gulthorpe told Star Weekly Mr Otway, a former Ansett captain who had taught with the school for more than a decade, was an experienced pilot who had a tremendous reputation. ‘‘He was so approachable and was just a great teacher,’’ Mr Gulthorpe said. ‘‘He was
easygoing … he liked a joke, but he was also so professional. “It all flowed easy for him because he was so good at it.’’ Mr Otway and his student were killed when the single-engine, two-seater light plane crashed in a paddock near the intersection of Kilmore-Lancefield and Shannons roads just before 11.15am on Saturday. Witnesses told Star Weekly they saw the plane, which appeared to be struggling, flying low near Lancefield moments before the crash. Mr Gulthorpe said the school had never had any trouble with the plane. He said the school, which has two junior instructors, might not continue. ‘‘The guys are just devastated,’’ Mr Gulthorpe said. ‘‘Honestly, I don’t even know if we will be able to continue.’’
Mr Gulthorpe said a man had visited the school about the time of the crash to personally thank Mr Otway for teaching his son to fly. Mr Otway is survived by his wife, Betty, and two children. Police said it was believed the plane had experienced mechanical trouble. “We don’t know, but the efforts of the pilot may very well have been to seek out this paddock and save people on the roads or in houses,” Bendigo Acting Senior Sergeant Mick Peckham said. Air Traffic Safety Bureau inspectors remained at the scene on Monday. Police will prepare a report for the coroner. Anyone with information about the crash is being urged to phone Kyneton police on 5421 2900. - with The Age
The federal government has confirmed it still intends to sell the former Australian Emergency Management Institute (AEMI) site at Mount Macedon, dispelling rumours the training centre could be reopened in some capacity. The institute, set on three hectares of heritage gardens, has lain dormant since it was closed in June last year when the AEMI moved to a virtual model. The 40-year-old institute, which had close to 60 staff, had offered a diploma of emergency management to public servants and CFA and SES members. Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters said Mount Macedon residents remained fearful the planned sale could lead to inappropriate development and were concerned about possible maintenance problems at the vacant site. ‘‘People are asking questions about what the government’s doing, but at this stage there’s not a lot of answers,’’ she said. ‘‘There is a lot of fear and anxiety about what’s going to happen.’’ Speaking after a listening post had been set up in the village, Ms Chesters said heritage and bushfire overlays would be extremely difficult for the property’s new owners to deal with. ‘‘There’s also a number of sensitive and endangered species at that site,’’ she said, referring to populations of rare birds and plants, platypuses, koalas and echidnas. Ms Chesters said repeated questions to the government had failed to shed any light on the future of the property. She called for Mount Macedon residents to be consulted during the sale process. A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said that plans to sell the property remained in place. ‘‘The government … expects the sale to be completed within this calendar year,’’ she said, adding that maintenance contracts were in place for the former AEMI buildings and grounds. The government has previously said any sale would be subject to a deal ensuring ongoing access to parts of the site by Mount Macedon Golf Club and the Macedon Ranges Horticultural Society. The golf club has arrangements for a 15-year lease with an option for another 15 years. Matt Crossman