West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Monday 24 September 1951, page 2


NEW AIR CHIEF ON CITIZEN. TRAINING The Citizen Air Force would play a large and all-Important part in Australian defence preparations, the newly appointed Officer Commanding Western Area, R.A.A.F. (Group-Capt. W. L. Hely) said at Pearce yesterday morning.

Group-Capt. Hely, who arrived in this State by air from the Eastern States on Saturday night, will not take up his appointment until the middle of October. At present he is the "guest" of Wing-CQmmander N. Ford, uWho has been Officer Commanding Western Area for the past three years. Wing-Commander Ford has been appointed Assistant-Commandant of the .A.A.F. Staff School at Point Cook, Victoria, and will leave to take up this position on October 15. "I believe that a number of Vampire jet aircraft will be sta

tioned at Pearce in the near future," said Group-Capt. Hely. "With these aircraft, members of the Citizen Air Force in this State could be brought up to date with modern methods of warfare." Although he is new to the R.A.A.F. station, Pearce,. Group-Capt. Hely says that he is no newcomer to this State. "Geographically, I suppose that I *know more of Western Australia than most West Australians," he said, adding that his knowledge of the State was limited to the regions north of Carnarvon. Port Hedland residents will probably remember him as a

flight-lieutenant in 1936-37, when lie was based there. During this period, he carried out extensive aerial surveys of the Kimberleys. Group-Capt. Hely has been called the "North-West air pioneer." He has also been termed the "officer in charge of air searches in Central Australia." The title refers to two extensive air searches in which he took part--one for Dr. Clive Fenton, the noted "flying doctor," in April, 1937, and another for Sir Herbert Jepp in the same year.