West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Wednesday 6 January 1954, page 12


FLYING PADRE FOUND SAFE NEAR STATION Father O'Sullivan, the fly-ing padre who was reported missing while on a flight in a Tiger Moth aircraft from Port Hedland to Geraldton on Monday evening, was found safe early yesterday morning. He had made a forced landing in poor visibility on a claypan five miles south of the Woora-mel airstrip, about 200 miles north of Geraldton. Father O'Sullivan was found by Capt. J. J. Gent, the pilot of a north-bound MacRobertson Miller DC3 which diverted from its normal course to search the area. As Capt. Gent flew low over the stranded aircraft, Father O'Sullivan appeared from under the wing where he had been sheltering and waved to show that he was uninjured. Ground Party Capt. Gent's radio message re-porting the find was intercepted by Mr. Frank Burt, who was searching in the vicinity in his own aircraft. Mr. Burt flew to the scene and later directed a ground party from Wooramel station to Father O'Sullivan. Roads had to be cut from Wooramel to the stranded plane which had been forced down by engine trouble. Another priest in the ground party repaired the aircraft and flew it to the Wooramel airstrip late yesterday afternoon. An R.A.A.F. Dakota which had been sent from Pearce to take part in the search was re-called when it became known the missing plane had been found.