 |
| Charles in his favourite spot |
From Right Stuff to Write Stuff
In an interview with author Kristen Alexander, Charles Page said, 'I have been lucky enough to enjoy my three main passions – flying, travel and writing. All three are related, as the flying gave me travel, and then I wrote about the travel and flying. I have lived in the UK, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong and Australia, and visited many countries'.
Charles gained a private pilot licence in the UK, and then qualified as an airline pilot after he arrived in Australia as a Ten Pound Pom in 1963. ‘I wanted to see the world as well as fly, and the best way was to fly the big jets like the 707 and the 747 on international routes’. First off, he flew DC-3s with MacRobertson Miller Airlines. After his course was retrenched in 1968 he moved to Canada and joined Pacific Western Airlines. There he flew the DC-6, Electra and Hercules before moving up to the 707 in 1972. After 11 years in Canada, he and the family were on their way to Hong Kong, where he flew the 747 with Cathay Pacific. He retired in 1995 and returned to Perth.
Charles’ first published piece was a 5,000 word article about flying in Africa, and it was published in a Canadian aviation magazine in 1977. So he had started long before settling down to retired life. After retirement, Charles took a travel writing course, fully intending to write travel articles and books. Of course, well laid plans of mice and Charles... because, ‘when I returned from an overseas holiday, I saw an ad in a month old writers’ magazine asking for someone to write the story of a Vengeance dive bomber that crashed in the West Australian wheat belt. This crash occurred in 1944 in the Shire of Yilgarn, and they wanted the crash and search written up. I had to present before the Shire Council at Southern Cross, and after a few days I was surprised to hear I had been given the assignment. I think it was because I had flying experience and had written some articles.’ The next thing you know, Charles was researching his first book, Vengeance of the Outback. A Wartime Air Mystery of Western Australia.
It was a great experience for Charles because, not only was he the author, but he played a significant part in the production process, not an easy task for your first full length writing project. He ‘had all the publisher duties of selecting and working closely with the editor, book designer and printer. I organised every stage, and was at the printers when the first book came down the chute. The whole exercise was a great learning experience.’ And at the end, ‘I took some of the books home in my car, savouring the new book smell all the way’.
And that takes us neatly to Charles’ second book, the biography of Wing Commander Charles Learmonth DFC and Bar. I asked him how he came to this story. ‘The name Potshot, in Exmouth Gulf, came up in the Vengeance book, and I was curious as to why it was changed to Learmonth. About that time, the Maritime Museum thought they had found Charles Learmonth’s crashed Beaufort underwater. I then interviewed his widow, and realised there was a good story there. Just then, Edith Cowan University advertised a course in biography, and that we would be expected to write a 6,000 word article. Well I wasted a whole day trying to find the classroom, only to find the course had been cancelled. I was so incensed, I decided to write the Learmonth biography anyway, and it grew from 6,000 words to 120,000 words, and I had the book, Wings of Destiny.’ This book was recommended by the Chief of Air Force in the Inaugural Reading List for the RAAF.
With two well received books in the bag, and on my bookshelf, I am naturally interested in Charles’ next project. ‘I am about half way through the first draft of The Kimberley Triangle. This non-fiction story describes a Tiger Moth forced landing, and a B25 Mitchell bomber ditching in 1945, and how their stories became entwined. The large number of incidents and accidents in the Kimberley region of Western Australia are brought into the story, as well as relevant aspects of the Kimberleys, and how the missionaries played a large part in search and rescue. It is a story of unbelievable coincidences, survival against the odds, and a ditched B25 with a rich cargo, guarded by raging currents and crocodiles. In my field research I have flown over and photographed the area at low level. I plan on another flight and possibly a search for the B25.’
But this fascinating story is not the only project Charles is working on. His other project is a search for the Boston bomber of Bill Newton VC. 'Together with my colleague, who has a boat and sidescan sonar, we hope to find the aircraft off Salamaua, Papua New Guinea. We have the search area down to about two square miles. Since the aircraft ditched, rather than crashed, it should be reasonably intact. We are awaiting delivery of a new boat, and for good weather and calm seas. I have also been given a memorial plaque to lower down to the Boston. This project should lend itself to a TV documentary, article, and possibly a book if the Boston is found.'
If you haven’t read Charles’ books, it is about time you did! There is nothing better than seeing how an author applies his or her own words of wisdom. Vengeance of the Outback has recently been reprinted and can be ordered from Shire of Yilgarn, PO Box 86, Antares Street, Southern Cross, WA, 6426, for $39.00 including postage, payable by cheque to Shire of Yilgarn, or tel (08) 90491001 with cc details. Wings of Destiny is out of print, but the ebook is available for $14.99 at the link provided here.
Charles, you have had a VERY interesting life.
ReplyDelete