Jumpers   

that  jumped

 at

Labertouche

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Visiting English jumper:  Ernie first jumped at Labertouche on the 17th of January 1971 and thereafter was a regular visitor.  He returned to England and later emigrated to Australia.

Ben Page

Visiting Jumper:   Ben first jumped at Labertouche on January 27th 1979 from 7,000ft.

Participated in Jumpmaster Course at Labertouche, September 1981.

Visiting Jumper:   First jumped at Labertouche on December 14th 1974 from 7,000ft.                  77

Bugsie's first jump was at Labertouche in April 1980.

Another skydiver who carved a place for himself in aviation.  Rob is a refrigeration technician with a thirst for adventure.   His exploits in his Piper Tri-Pacer that he converted to tail wheel configuration are legendary.

Always ready to jump with the Golden Eagles and never away from the dropzone on weekends for many years, he was the "fix it" man at the Centre.

Rob owned a Piper Tri-Pacer that he converted to a 'tail dragger'.   It was a plane that had been a regular jumpship at Pakenham in the early 60's and on one occasion back then, Steve Filak and Claude asked the pilot to 'take it up till it smokes' and got 12,500ft for exit.

As one of the consortium who brought FXK to Labertouche, he shared most of the flying of that aircraft with Colin Holt and Sam Smalley.

Now married and raising a family he is still making the occasional jump.

Visiting jumper:  Ray first jumped at Labertouche on November 5th 1977.

Ray represented Australia at the following World Championships:

3rd WPC in RW, Chatreauroux, France 1979   "Rapid Transit"

4th WPC in RW, Zephyrhills, USA 1981 "Prometheus"

7th WPC in RW, Foz du Iguacu, Brazil  "Dreamtime"

8th WPC in RW, Ampuriabrava, Spain   "Fourth Force"

9th WPC in RW, Lucenec, Czechoslovakia   "Fourth Force"

10th WPC in FS, Eloy, Arizona, USA    

Ray opened a Tandem Operation on the Gold Coast

Most jumpers remember him as the skysurfer in the groundbreaking Coca Cola television advertisement.

Visiting SAS Jumper:  Fess first jumped at Labertouche on December 26th 1972 and took part in the 1972/73 Nationals.

A Member of the first official military team to compete in an Australian Parachute Championships at Rylstone/Kandos in 1975

A regular visitor to the Centre he sometimes acted as an instructor and dispatched a few students.

Saw service in Vietnam with Danny Wright in 1971 and is still in touch with the jumpers from the seventies.

Worked with Aussie Power at the SAS Regiment Sport Parachute Club and took up flying while recuperating from an injury.

Flew jumpers at Clive Smith's Dale River dropzone.

John's first jump was made at Labertouche on the 29th of March 1969 as a member of Monash University Skydivers.

He was a member of the "The Valley Rats" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships at Labertouche 1973/74.

John was a member of the Australian Relative Work Team 1975 "Joint Effort" that won the silver medals at the 1st World Championships of Relative Work Parachuting at Warendorf, West Germany that year.   Unfortunately he suffered a leg injury in training and was unable to participate in the competition.

John went on to represent Australia in the 7th World Championships in Relative Work, Foz du Iguacu, Brazil 1987.

Visiting South Australian jumper:  Colin first jumped at Labertouche in August 1967.   He was active in the development of the APF in the 1970's and was an APF Board Member from 1969 to 1973.

Dave's first jump was made with Melbourne University Parachute Club at Labertouche on the 4th of April 1976.

After moving to Texas, USA he became involved in Accelerated Free Fall training and qualified as an AFF Instructor in January 1983 (The first Australian to do so).

Dave, Mike Dyer and Greg Chambers qualified as Tandem Pilots under Bill Booth at Deland, Florida, USA in September 1984.  He, Greg Chambers and John Chapman established the first tandem only operation in Australia at Pakenham, Victoria.

He was involved with the National Safety Council of Australia with an interest in Tandem as an aid to SAR until its demise.

His work as a scientist took him to Adelaide, he became part of its skydiving core group and was Chairman of the South Australian Parachute Council for 2 years in the early 1990's.  He is currently working on the development of a gene based cure for cystic fibrosis.

Dave's wife Michelle is also an experienced skydiver (1000 plus jumps) and they have two children, Jack and Natalea.

Visiting Jumper:  A member of Jindivik Sport Parachute Club, Bob's first jump at Labertouche was on 16/04/1966.

First jumped at Labertouche from 7,000ft on the 27th of March 1970

Visiting Commando Skydivers Jumper:  John  first jumped at Labertouche on the 18th of September 1968.   

He went to California to chase the good jumping and stayed for some years before coming back to Melbourne.

John was a member of the 10 Man Speed Star Team "Star Pact" at the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships 1974.

Visiting Jumper:  Pat first jumped at Labertouche on December 4th 1967.

Ray's first jump was at Labertouche on December 10th 1977.

He was a regular jumper at the Centre for many years.

The photo at left was taken when Ray was participating in an advertising shoot for a portable television set.  He was suspended from a cherry picker for a part of the promotion.

When last heard off; Ray was an Air Traffic Controller in Western Australia.

Visiting Canberra Jumper:   Jim first jumped at Labertouche on July 19th 1970

Visiting jumper:  Allan first jumped at Labertouche on January 23rd 1983 from 4,000ft.

John's first jump was at Labertouche on the 28th of October 1972.

Visiting Jumper:  Bob first jumped at Labertouche on December 31st 1969

Visiting Jumper:   Gary first jumped at Labertouche in December 1975 from 8,000ft.    

He was a member of the team "Wings of Lemon" in the 4th Australian Relative Work Championship 10-Man Star Event. (1975/76)

Gary was an APF Board Member and was Chairman of the Board for a term.

Visiting Jumper:  

Foundation member.  Ron was an active jumper with 1RVR Parachute Club and Southern Cross Skydivers, he organised most of the club's social activities at Labertouche.   A staunch Southern Cross Skydivers supporter, he organised the first Southern Cross reunion at Labertouche in 1971.

Ron jumped in the 13th Australian Parachute Championships (73/74) at the Centre.

He was an optical technician and also spent some years working on the north-west coast of Australia; cut off from mainstream jumping.

Ron was one of the first jumpers to switch from fore and aft equipment to the piggyback system and is seen at left wearing an early Crossbow system.

We have lost contact with Ron, if you know of his whereabouts, let him know that we would welcome contact.

A dedicated Southern Cross Skydivers member.

Visiting Canadian jumper:  Don first jumped at Labertouche on the 10th of December 1966.   He and his wife travelled from Canada for a jumping holiday.

Visiting Jumper:  Paul first jumped at Labertouche on December 20th 1973 for the 13th Australian Championships and fun-jumped during the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships 1974.

Tom's first jump was at Labertouche on the 29th of October 1972 and was issued with APF "A" Certificate No. 753 on the 1st of January 1973.

Jan made her first jump with Southern Cross Skydivers - Latrobe Valley at Pakenham on the 4th of November 1962.

A Nursing Sister, Jan first jumped at Labertouche on the 28th November 1965.

Jan represented Australia at the 11th Would Parachuting Championships in Thalaquah, Oklahoma USA in 1972 and was Team Leader of the Australian Team "The Gully Cats" that went to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA, for the First World Cup of Relative Work in 1973.

Jan was married to two legendary skydivers: Bob Morrison who was killed in a car accident on his way home from a skydiving party and later to Geoff Bingham.   

When her second marriage broke up, she sailed her yacht to Tasmania and did a bit of lobster fishing.   She sailed as Engineer on cruise boats up the Gordon River, was Master of the "SS James Goodwin" for some time and is now working in Remote Area Nursing and living in Zeehan, Tasmania.

Robyn's first jump was at Labertouche on the 23rd of August 1981 under the watchful eye of Colin Holt.    

After a few years jumping at the Centre, Robyn did a lot of jumping in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs before heading to the United States where she worked at dropzones on and off for five years doing AFF and camera.

Then back to Australia, jumping at Kooralbyn, Coolangatta and Byron Bay.   

Along the way Robyn married Lou Armstrong (a well known Northern Territory jumper) and they now live on the NSW North Coast and have two daughters, Shelly and Page.

One of the Centre's products of which we are proud, a ready smile and vibrant personality assure Robyn of success at whatever she turns her hand to.   

Visiting Jumper:   Frank first jumped at Labertouche on November 11th 1977 from 7,000ft.

Visiting Jumper:   Joe jumped in from Pakenham in the 70's and often came to make a few jumps.  

Was a ski instructor and represented Australia at the World Cup of Para Ski, Schladming, Austria 1974. 

Was working as a tour guide in Thailand for some years and returned to Czechoslovakia when perestroika took hold in the Eastern Block.

Now lives in London working in transportation.

Visiting Jumper:  Howard first jumped at Labertouche on April 25th 1975 from 8,000ft.

Visiting Jumper:  Pancho practiced for and jumped in the 13th Australian Parachute Championships (73/74) at the Centre.  

Visiting Jumper:   Howard first jumped at Labertouche on October 30th 1977.

Visiting Jumper:   Rod first jumped at Labertouche on March 7th 1982 from 8,500ft.

Visiting Jumper:  Jim came to Labertouche to practice for the Port Pirie Nationals in December 1965.

Was a wool classer and a parachute instructor.   He took parachuting with him wherever he worked.

Started a parachute club in Hobart, Tasmania in 196? and it was active each year when Jim arrived for the shearing season.

One of the pioneers that spread parachuting wherever he went, Jim has settled down on a farm close to Brisbane

Visiting Jumper:  First jumped at Labertouche on October 12th 1967

Visiting Jumper:  Aussie made his first jump in the military as a member of 2 Commando Co. in 1961.   Later that year he was a foundation member of 2 Commando Co Skydivers.  When military legalities did not allow the club to exist within the military structure, the club became Commando Skydivers and Aussie was a very active member until he headed off to England to join the British Army and 1st Battalion Para Regiment.

As a member of the Parachute Regiment's Red Devils, Aussie came to Labertouche with "The Peregrines", a British Army team to practice for the Australian Parachute Championships that were to be held at the Centre over the Christmas/New Year 1966/67.

On return to Australia in 1970, Aussie spent 20 years with the SAS and was Team Leader of the first official military team to compete in an Australian Parachute Championships at the 1975 Rylstone/Kandos, NSW Nationals.

He conducts a parachuting operation in Perth.

Visiting Jumper:  Ralph came to Victoria from New South Wales and first jumped at Labertouche on ??/??/??   He jumped regularly at the Centre throughout 197? and was part of the Golden Eagles display team.

Became Chief Instructor of Commando Skydivers and conducted a Tandem Operation at Pakenham and later at Tooradin.

Now operates "???" at Bridgewater, Victoria and a tandem dropzone at ???,

He represented Australia as a member of "??" at the ???

Hilary's first jump was at Labertouche on the 28th of March 1971.   She spent considerable time as a regular Labertouche jumper.

Hilary became an international jumper spending a lot of time jumping in the USA.

Visiting Jumper:  Tony first jumped at Labertouche on April 12th 1975 from 8,000ft.

Visiting Pakenham Jumper:   Roy first jumped at Labertouche on April 13th 1980 from 6,000ft.

Visiting Jumper:   Geoff first jumped at Labertouche on July 15th 1979 from 8,500ft.

Visiting Indonesian Team Member:  Rudy first jumped at Labertouche on December 26th 1975.   He took part in the 14th Australian Parachute Championships, Accuracy Event.

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