NORTHERN TERRITORY AERIAL MEAT PIONEER

From Indiana ,  Douglas  Win   Howenstine,  a  genial,  get  up  and go  American , owner of  the  McArthur River  Station , near  Borroloola in  the  Gulf Country,  was   an enterprising individual.  He  set  up  a small meatworks  and   packing  plant  on   the station and  flew  frozen  beef  packs  and  quarters  to   Aboriginal communities, road construction camps  and  mining  towns  in  a   Cessna  185  with  an interesting history.   
 

The  plane  had  seen  service in  Papua  New Guinea  for  several  owners   in  the  1960s  , including  Ansett .  In  1968 ,it   was  based  at  Archerfield , Brisbane , with  T. A. C.  Aviation   and  sold  to Howenstine  .  There   were  eight  more owners of  the  plane before  it   was  sold   to  New  Zealand  in 1993.  Howenstine  used  the  plane  to  make  regular  trips  to  Mount  Isa , Queensland , from whence he picked up supplies, equipment , spare parts ,  and  to transport   passengers  to   various  parts  of  the  Top  End.
 

Born in 1918, Howenstine , after WW11 , helped  establish   and run companies  such  as  Wabash Magnetics and Wabash Technologies  which employed many people and  had  a research facility  at  Purdue  University .  After retiring from Wabash Magnetics   in  1966  he was  involved  in a number of  ventures including  building  a nursing home and charity fund raising . A major change in life came when he bought  the McArthur  River  Station, travelling back and forth , until  he settled in the Territory in 1974 ;  his wife was  killed in a car accident in America .  The station  was sold   in 1978  and became part of  the vast  McArthur   River  mine ; he  died  in  Indiana  on  Christmas  Eve , 2006 , aged  88.

I met  Howenstine   when I  called at   McArthur River Station  with  journalist   Kim  Lockwood, based in Darwin ,  who    was making  an  outback  news  gathering   tour in    1973.  During  that   visit  I  went swimming at  nearby  Bessie  Springs   Lagoon , above, fed  by   a   waterfall  plunging  down  the sandstone  escarpment .   Doug  presented  me  with  a   copy  , above,  of  Where No  Road  Goes , by photographer Bob Mossel,  an  account of  a  trip he  made  from   beautiful Lake Pedder , Tasmania , before it was  flooded by the  Hydro-Electric Commission   to  Papua New  Guinea  via the  Simpson Desert  and Arnhem  Land. It contains  views of  the  McArthur River  homestead   and   airstrip ,  the   river   and   Bessie   Springs .

Published by  Enterprise  Publications , Adelaide, with a foreword  by   the South Australian  Governor , Sir Mark Oliphant , the  book survived Cyclone Tracy  , although  showing signs of  exposure  to  water.    There  is  extensive coverage  of   life  at   the   Maningrida Aboriginal  settlement in the NT  and  the  extensive   PNG content ,which includes the impact of aviation on isolated  village life,  is  most interesting ...  (By  Peter Simon )