Ron Asher
Job Description
Relief Spotter Pilot
Period
1966 to 1967
“In 1966 I, with my wife and 3 young children left Kalamunda to live on a farm which we had purchased in the Denmark district. The property was run down and not viable, so I needed (like many others) to work off the place. Being in possession of a current commercial pilot’s license, I approached the then manager of the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company, Mr. Jock Murray, and I was delighted that he offered me the job of relief pilot, to act as back up for John Bell and Ray Robertson, who both trained me in the art of whale spotting and the handling of the float plane.
Later in the year, the company acquired a Cessna 337 aircraft for land-based operations – a different experience altogether, but not as much fun as the float-plane.
One experience – on returning to Albany one day, with Ray Robertson in the float-plane, a waterspout suddenly formed almost in our path – we circled around it and took a photo that was published in the ‘Albany Advertiser’. In retrospect a foolish thing to do, because they were popping up all over the place.”
Ron Asher