Here is Part 2 of Iain's Story
I remember you guys taught Mike and me to play crib and cards, I think it was 500. Ralph and Charlie already knew. I became quite good, and the pot was cigarettes. Well at one stage I had cartons of them and I didn’t even smoke. I then lost most of them to you at liar dice.
Mike and I were both very good chess players, but
do you think we could teach John Boynton? Not a chance. He could not grasp the
game at all.
I remember the PTS volley ball team. We would go
around to the stores section during lunch and flog them. In the end we weren't
invited any more. I think they found us too aggressive. Life at PTS was great.
You guys also taught us to play squash. I was never that good at it but held my
own against about half the crowd. Although I was very fit when I joined, I
certainly worked up a head of steam being run ragged around the court by
Trevor. A great time had by all.
I also remember being picked up by you at about 4:30
in the morning to get to PTS for early morning jumps. You use to roar along in
those Air Force vehicles and I am sure you worked on the principle that, as
there was no one else on the road, you didn't need to slow down at
intersections at all. Use to scare the crap out of us. Mike Wiltshire just
figured you were mad! At times I had to agree with him!
Another time when I had moved to the house we
bought in Cranbourne Park, Mike came round to pick me up at about 5AM, he
roared up and screeched to a halt, then leaped out of the vehicle, took cover
behind the bonnet and using the megaphone shouted, 'We know you’re in there
Bowen. Come out with your hand up'. Vera nearly had a stroke, and walking to
the vehicle, I could see all the neighbours peeking through their curtains. He
was a dag!
The 3rd July, 1971, I married my
girl, Vera. PTS formed an honour guard with umbrellas and Vera was presented
with Sgt. Fred Bear as she walked out of the RLI chapel and nearly dropped him.
She had no idea he was full of weights! I was so chuffed to be associated with
the PTS crew.
Then the reception. Mike Wiltshire thought it would be great fun to
stick a potato up the exhaust of my car. When Vera and I went to leave, the car
spluttered and ran rough, so my brother decided to lift the back of the car up,
with much help from you guys. All roaring with laughter you lifted the back
wheels high off the ground just as I gunned the gas, and, just as Wendy Hughes
walked past. The potato flew out and hit her fair and square on the side of the
head, dropping her in her tracks. You then dropped the car which caused me to
wheel spin off, covering Wendy in dust and dirt! Vera and I had no idea of this
as we roared off into the night.
11th July 1971, the great parachute
team of Iain Bowen, Charlie Buchan and Rich Carol from Safety Equipment, formed
the famous 'Courtney Cavaliers' team and competed at the nationals at Mt.
Hampden. All jumps were from 3200 feet, with all target distances below 3.08
metres. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs, especially Charlie who was still quite
new to FF.
We came well down the ranking, of course, with the
top civvy teams doing consistent dead centres. We did 4 of our jumps from a
Cessna 180. The other 2 were from a Beaver, another first for the three of us.
We competed the next year and had Garth Barrett in the team and were doing very
well until I blew the last dispatch! My log book shows I managed to pull out a
1.5mt spot.
29th July 71, Trevor decided we
were getting slack doing T10s and FF all the time, so at 0915hrs, he put us out
on X-types with containers in a stiff breeze. I was number 1 in the stick. We
stood up and got ready, right arm across the reserve and reaching down to grasp
the front webbing of the CSPEP, left hand down holding the strop. Then action
stations, one two, one two, we went down to the door.
Just as I turned the corner and let go of the
static line, 3708 hit an air pocket and lurched, I staggered back and was then
thrown forward. In order to stay on my feet, I let go with my right hand and
grabbed both sides of the top of the door to steady myself. Trevor was number 2
dispatcher and thought I was doing some FF type exit stance, and banged my
right arm down without even giving me time to compose myself. Then out we went.
I landed on the grass runway and broke my right foot. I remember Trevor
complaining to you that I didn’t even know how to exit the plane properly, when
all I was trying to do was stop myself from falling over.
Sgt Iain Bowen receiving his Parachute Jumping Instructor Brevet from the Commander of the Rhodesian Army Lt/Gen Coster 10th Sept 1971.
On the 10th September 1971, I qualified as a Parachute Jumping Instructor. I was so proud, as it was seen as very prestigious by my SAS comrades. As O.C. PTS you signed my RRAF log book, and Trevor, as PTS. WO., wrote in the cover. 'Welcome aboard Iain, and may you have many soft landings'.
Several days later we flew down south, in a SAAF
Hercules, to Wonderboom, to jump in the Combined Services Parachute Team. That
was great as you would know, especially the Super Frelon helicopter. I remember
going off the ramp and working hard not to be flipped over by the huge
downwash. At first you seemed to fall into this vacuum then wham it hit you,
just fantastic! The other jumps were done from a Cessna 185.
4th October 1971. I did my first
No. 1 dispatcher for FF, i.e. got to do the spot out of 7303 from 8000ft. My
log book says it was a demo for the RLI. No mention whether I missed the
planet, so must have been OK.
6th October 1971. Three of us did a
demo jump from 3200 ft out of 7053, for a basic FF course. This must have been
the first one. 22nd October FF course jumps 13 and 14, comments
in my log book states 'Boss jumping with large camera'. On the 27th my
log book entry states I jumped with the Boss and had the heavy camera on my
helmet. The jump was from 8000ft over Seke.
29th October, FF course jump number
20. I jumped after with Frank and I had the camera. Comment states 'the camera
didn't work'. On the 2nd December we did the 2 Dak jump for the
film crew. 18 troops in each aircraft. All went out in one long line, looked
great.
Then on the 7th January 1972 Tony,
jumping a DB from 2000ft out of 7303, broke his leg again.
On the 10th February, 1972 we did a
Vic 3 formation with 20 paratroopers in each aircraft. T10, with CSPEP, 1000ft
over Seki. The camera crew were just below and off to port in a trog. It looked
great from where I was as number 2 dispatcher.
Life at PTS was definitely getting busier, By March
1972 we were up to basic course 36, and, in April, number 3 basic FF course. We
had also just run a course for E.R.E. (no remarks to say who they were). We
must have been a bit short of FF chutes, as, during that course, I used my own
PC for several jumps. All packed by safety equipment though.
17th March 1972, I did my last
X-type jump onto hard ground. Mike and I did a stick of 2 as drifters for 36
basic course, jump number 4 out of 7303. I did two more X-type jumps, but both
of them were water jumps into Lake Mac.
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