Jim Clarke's collection

[Dave Homewood]

In the July 1982 edition of NZ Wings it says Hudson NZ2013 was up for sale for NZ$19,000, the owner Jim Clarke feeling it was deteriorating too much on roadside display on his Oamaru farm.

The RNZAF Museum had looked at it and estimated a 9000 hour restoration would be required to taxi it, but they couldn't afford it and he'd refused a lower offer from them. Mr Clarke had had several enquiries from the USA so it may have easily been sold abroad.

Thankfully however as we know the ATC and other groups raised funds and did buy it for Wigram, and it's now beautifully displayed in perfect condition in the RNZAF Museum.

Interestingly the piece says that Ferrymead's Mosquito had also come from Mr Clarke's farm and he had a second Hudson there too. So, what happened to this second Hudson? Was this the one that's at Ferrymead? Or the RNZAF's second example (which is reputed to have appeared in a NZ TV series called, from memory, The Sea Urchins, with Rebecca Gibney in her first ever role).

Has anyone ever seen or got photos of the Hudsons at Oamaru? The earliest postwar photo I have seen of NZ2013 has it on a truck arriving at Wigram and driving up the apron past the CT4B's.

[Bruce]

I vaguely think either the Ferrymead or MOTAT machine was the second one at Oamaru - sorry I cant say which one. I Vaguely recall the "Sea Urchins" programme, but that had sections of aircraft sunk underwater, and I beleive these were bits of Fieldair lodestar (Hopefully we will no longer see examples of film makers destroying aircraft - "Race for the Yankee Zephyr was filmed at a similar time and destroyed a DC3). I thought the RNZAF "Reserve" Hudson was the interesting "Top half" of a partially scrapped machine - unless they had even more Hudsons in store somewhere.....

[Dave Homewood]

The Motat one, NZ2031, has been there long term and came from Rukuhia. It was restored in the early 1970's just after the Ventura, both being restored by a team lead by the enthusiastic bank manager Barrie East. He sadly died suddenly just before the Hudson was completed. It still awaits the wings being put on, but I have been inside it and it is surprisingly complete and genuine inside.

I RNZAF's second example, NZ2084, was almost a complete fuselage. The top-half piece you're thinking of (photos of the top half on Phil Treweek's page) is seperate again. NZ2084 was at Wigram during the restoration of NZ2013, and later was leeant to a Chch gallery. They used it as a source of spares and patterns during NZ2013's restoration, and one of the restorers at the time, I think it was F/Sgt Alan Woodley from memory, or possibly one of his subordinates, told me the fuselage had previously been used in the Sea Urchins. That may have been a mistake, but I got that from the restorer's mouth. I used to visit the Hudson often during lunch breaks to follow its restoration as I worked just next door in Hangar 6.

[Dave Homewood]

Just a follow up - according to Ivan's site here
www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/nz2001.shtml
NZ2084 is no longer with the Aviator's Gallery and is now at Ferrymead along with NZ2035, so it looks as if it is helping to restore another Hudson.

However, NZ2035, the Hudson being restored at Ferrymead, was found on a farm near Blenheim, so is not the Oamaru mystery aircraft.

NZ2013 and NZ2031 are accounted for, as is John Smith's NZ2049. They were not from Oamaru either.

The only other Hudson left has to be the fuselage NZ2084. Ivan's sight doesn't say where it came from, only that it was "recovered in mid 1990s " This in itself is incorrect because it was at Wigram as far back as 1991 when I was there.

As for being at Oamaru, this too I find odd as it was originally sold to Mr Larsen of Rukuhia. That's a long way to tow a Hudson if you want it as a farm shed/lawn ornament. Especially if it later went back north to Auckland to be filmed in the 1970's (according to the RNZAF Museum chap). I'm beginning to think this is not the Oamaru one either.

So what is the story? Was Jim Clarke's second Hudson a completely seperate, South island disposed aircraft? Did it perhaps go abroad as the article suggested might happen with '13 at that time (it said several Americans had shown interest in buying '13 when the RNZAF couldn't afford it. Thankfully that never happened as it's beautifully cared for now in its rightful home)

I'm totally confused. And I have heard nor read anything more about Lodestar parts being used for the filming either Bruce, but that may be a possibility. But this museum chap was very confident about '84's use in the series. Maybe both were.

Do you recall who else was in that show? I think it was two Maori boys and a girl, who I thought was Gibney, but cannot find any trace of this on the net relating to her (or anyone). I didn't dream that series, did I? I have a memory of them clambering over the sea shore rocks and stuff, and of finding the submerged plane. But no other memories.

I'm beginning to wonder if the unidentified Hudson fuselage section at Ohakea was actually the Hudson used in The Sea Urchins

[Dave Homewood]

This takes me away from the topic at hand a little BUT...

I'm not completely mad - I just found a reference to Rebecca Gibney being in a Television New Zealand film "Sea Urchins". Few! It did exiist.

Sorry, page is in foreign lingo, have to translate, but it's there
www.flyingdoctors-fanclub-germany.de/rebecca_gibney.htm

But there's more confirmation on this thread of the series, and a surprise cast member! from some forum
mediasleeper.co.nz/forum/messages.php?thread=409
"Sea Urchins, starring Robbie Rakete, 3 Maori boys cruise around on a p class small yacht. Kiwi famous five type show. "

I recommend to any Kiwi who grew up in the 1970's and 80's to read that thread - you'll realise just how good we had it compared to kids of today, and just how bad TV has gotten. Ahhh, nostalgia...Remember the days when BCNZ made children's films specially for the holidays? They were great. One was about a grumpy old man who had a dog called Ratsguts. They don't make em like that any more!

[Dave Homewood]

I think I have now worked this out:

This is, as I can make out, the post-RNZAF lives of the Hudson surviviors

NZ2013
Sold by WARB tender WARB/9201 from Taieri to Jim Clarke of Maheno, Oamaru, Gardiners Valley, South Island, on the 9th of May 1949. It spent a period as a hen house. Mr Clarke decided to put the aircraft up for sale in 1982, for $19,000 due to deteriation where it was displayed outdoors by the roadside. Despite interest from US buyers it remained unsold. The RNZAF also showed interest but the price tag was too high. The ATC and other groups began to fund raise on behalf of the RNZAF Museum. It was purchased in 1984 (?) and recovered that year. (where to? RNZAF Base Weedons perhaps?)
The airframe was then shifted to RNZAF Base Wigram during 1985. The restoration began in 1987. The Hudson was restored using parts from various other aircraft, especially the fuselage of NZ2084 and the wings of an unknown example which had come from the Blenheim area, where they'd been used as the roof of a farm shed. Some of the tail also came from a Lockheed Lodestar ZK-AKX, recovered from that aircraft's 1949 crash site in the Tararua Ranges.
The Hudson was completed to pristine condition in 1996 and placed on display at the RNZAF Museum on the 17th of July 1996.

NZ2031
Sold by WARB tender 8699 from Taieri to Mr. Carr on the 9th of May 1949. Carr stored the Hudson on his farm near Dunedin. The wings had been torched off at roots. He used it as a farm shed.
The fuselage was donated to the newly established MOTAT by Mr. Carr in 1966 and it was airlifted to Auckland by an RNZAF Hercules of No. 40 Sqn - a squadron that had once flown Hudsons itself.
The plane was stored at MOTAT's Western Springs facility until 1973 when it was shifted under cover at Ardmore airfield. It then shifted back to MOTAT in 1978 for restoration. The restoration team was lead by bank manager Barrie East, who had also restored the MOTAT RB-34 Ventura. The Hudson was substantially completed by 1984, but Barrie East died. Since then it has been on display at MOTAT, Auckland painted as NZ2031 in early war colours. It has not yet had the wings - which I believe came from a Fieldair Lodestar - as did parts of the tail I believe) fitted. This is planned to be done when the new extension to the aircraft museum is completed in a few years time.


NZ2035
Sold by WARB tender 9205 from Woodbourne to Mr. Edwards on the 9th of May 1949.
The aircraft was onsold to the Holdaway family at Dillon's Point, near Blenheim.
At some point in the late 1960's or early 1970's, the aircraft was loaned by the Holdaways to the Marlborough Museum of Flight. This museum closed down in 1973, and the aircraft returned to the Holdaway farm.
The aircraft was then sold. The book Veteran and Vintage Aircraft - 4th edition (1974) reported it to be then at Blenheim Airfield (I assume Omaka or Woodbourne) and in the possession of Motat. This may be wrong because the aircraft was sold to Ferrymead Aeronautical Society in Ferrymead, Christchurch, and transported there, arriving on the 27th of September 1973. Presently the Hudson remains on display at the Ferrymead Museum and its slow restoration continues.


NZ2049
Sold by tender number F603/413 from RNZAF Station Woodbourne to Mr. Edwards on the 11th of December 1947.
Edwards onsold this aircraft to Jim Clarke, who stored it outdoors on the roadside of his farm at Maheno, Oamaru, next to Hudson NZ2013. It appears Mr Clarke decided to sell this one around the same time or shortly after NZ2013. It was sold to collector John Smith and presently stored under cover his property at Mapua. The aircraft was, I was told by John, completely gutted by the RNZAf before sale because the universities were donated all the guages and electical equipment, etc. His aircraft is also minus its wings. I thought he's told me he had the wings but others have told me he doesn't - can anyone confirm this?

NZ2084
Sold by tender number F603/597 from Rukuhia to Mr. Larsen on the 2nd of March 1948. This aircraft was supposedly used in the 1980 television series "The Sea Urchins" in a scene where the aircraft was sunk in water. This has not been confirmed as yet.
The fuselage found it's way to the RNZAF Museum somehow, and was there in the early 1990's helping with the restoration of NZ2013.
Following the completion of '13, the fuselage of '84 was loaned to the Aviator's Gallery in Christchurch who displayed it among their artworks.
At some point it moved again, to the Ferrymead Museum, Christchurch, where it is helping to restore their other Hudson.

If you can add any further details of the lives of these aircraft, or anything about the Hudson fuselage section at RNZAF Ohakea's museum, I'd be very grateful.

I'd also like to find the final fates of
NZ2001 last known owner Department of Agriculture
NZ2003 last known owner Department of Agriculture
NZ2010 last known owner Mr Caley
NZ2080 last known owner Mr MacIntosh
NZ2067 last known owner "unknown buyer"

See more on those here
rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=Wartime&action=display&thread=1126187400

I'd also like to know which aircraft the wings came from that were used on NZ2013 - as found on a shed roof in Blenheim. Any idea?

Sources for these fates on this page include:
New Zealand Wings Magazine - various issues
Classic Wings magazine - Issue 34 (Vol 9 No 1, 2004) article on surviviing Hudsons by Ron Cuskelly of Australia
Veteran and Vintage Aircraft - 4th edition (1974) via Flood on the Flypast Forum

[stephen]

What ever was the fate of the two sunderlands parked up close to the side road at hobsonville in the late 1960s...I suppose broken up...what fun they were to explore!

[Dave Homewood]

I've just been informed by Denys Jones who is the restorer of NZ2035 at Ferrymead that NZ2084's fuselage is not at Ferrymead as Ivan's site says. His belief is the gallery owner may have scapped it. Damn!