More than a Model.

It still holds pride of place in a display cabinet, more than half a century later. It is a tiny model of a Hawker Hurricane – nothing special to look at – but there hasn’t been a cabinet large enough ever built to capture the memories that this little aeroplane has shared with me.

I was only eight years old or thereabouts and I was spending another wonderful hour in Syd Marshall’s hangar at Bankstown Airport. My Dad knew Syd well and he would take me to walk in wonder around the treasures within those hangar walls. A Japanese “Oscar” and a German “109” were just two of the World War Two fighters on display. A pair of Mustangs were there and Dad had towed targets in these very aircraft when I was even younger. Now, Syd would let me sit in the Mustangs and recreate dog fights, always “checking my six”.

As a kid, I was in heaven.

(Image: The Australian Women’s Weekly – via Trove)

At the rear of the hangar was a series of glass cabinets containing models of aircraft from all eras and even a concept craft called a Space Shuttle. I would peer through the glass, amazed by the varied forms and colours of the models within. I would point to my favourites and ask a never-ending series of questions. Yes, I was in heaven.

One model had always captured my attention. It was a small Hawker Hurricane, I’m guessing 1:72 scale. It was camouflaged and its nose bore a scythe and a banner that read “Night Reaper”. Each trip to the hangar, I would race to where it was at rest and admire it once again.

This particular day I pulled a 50 cent piece from my pocket – which was a couple of months worth of pocket money – and asked Syd if I could please buy it. Dad almost died of embarrassment and started explaining that these were museum pieces and weren’t for sale. By contrast, Syd agreed but insisted that I kept my coin. He drew the Hurricane from its shelf and gave it to me uttering some words about how it was going to a good home. Dad was still in a state of shock.

Syd and his museum are long gone but that model has remained my constant companion. At first it lived on a cupboard in my bedroom. Then, Dad made a reinforced box to keep it safe and it has travelled widely with me ever since. When I was a young charter pilot in the Kimberley, the Hurricane sat atop my fridge. On my first day flying the 737, it was in my nav bag. On my first international flight, it travelled with me to Paris. When I was sworn into the Air Force Reserve, it made the journey to RAAF Richmond.

It was an act of kindness that Syd probably never gave a second thought but for this boy, it meant the world. I have many items that I consider to be treasures but this tiny Hawker Hurricane is special, for it never fails to remind me of the wide-eyed little boy that dreamt that one day he too would fly.