A computer analyst, Janette's first jump was made at Meredith on 18/10/1981 under the tutelage of Greg Butler.  She first jumped at Labertouche on August 7th 1982.

Janette was a regular jumper at the Centre and  continued her jumping at Pakenham when the Centre lost its lease at Labertouche.   She was always willing to help with organisation and transport and was a regular face on the dropzone.

Janette gave up regular jumping  in 1986 and obtained an unrestricted private pilot's licence.   Her last parachute jump was on July 4th 1993 when she returned briefly to accompany a group of workmates on their first jump course at Pakenham. 

She jumped at Netheravon and Sibson in England and Deland, Florida in the USA.   Making 221 jumps and earning APF Parachutists Certificate D 1433

During the Asia/Pacific Championships at Dookie in 1985   Janette was Liaison and Driver for Colonel Wicha, Aide to the Thai Head of Delegation, General Wimol.  Later Major General Wicha and currently Senator and Leader of the House in Thailand.   Janette was welcomed by Wicha's family during a stop-over in Bangkok on one of her overseas trips to England.

Janette is currently working as a secondary school Mathematics and Information Technology teacher.

Jumpmaster Course, September 1981

Ian was a regular jumper throughout the early development of sport parachuting and provided printing services to the fledgling Australian Parachute Federation.

Ian left Melbourne to live by the sea on the east coast.

Niels was a member of Southern Cross Skydivers, he first jumped at Labertouche on October 24th 1965.

He was a member of the 10 Man Speed Star Team "Apple Tart" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (1974) and became a regular jumper at the Centre.

Niels served as Secretary of the Victorian Parachute Council from 196? to 197?

He was Team Manager of the Australian Parachute Team that attended the 8th World Championships at Leipzig in 1966.

A Civil Engineer, Neils was last heard of living in Perth, Western Australia.

Geoff was an FAI Judge and after jumping in Australia for a few years departed for the USA.

Visiting Jumper:   Made his 119th jump at Labertouche on the 09/12/65 training for the 6th Australian Nationals at Port Pirie.

Dave's first jump was made at Labertouche on ??.  He was on a working holiday from Canada.

One of Colin's elite group that called themselves "The Worms"

Dave progressed to instructor and opened his own dropzone at the Leongatha Airport.

We have lost touch with Dave since he returned to Canada.

Ron injured his ankle on his second or third jump but treated it as though it was just a slight nuisance.  The macho jumpers were very impressed.

For those who don't live locally, Ron Barassi is an outstanding Australian Rules Football legend and the best known Victorian Football League coach.   Depending on which team you barracked for he was either a saint or a devil.

These days he is a successful business man and popular on the Motivational Speaker Circuit.

At that time the media had a negative view of sport parachuting and Ron's involvement in our sport gave it positive publicity that was very welcome.    

Jenny became a Jumpmaster and was a regular jumper at the Centre for five years.   She left to tour overseas and we lost contact with her.   If anybody has a contact number let us know.    If you have a photo, we would appreciate it.

Visiting Newcastle Jumper: A member of Newcastle Sport Parachute Club, Bob first jumped at Labertouche on the 26th of December 1966. Bob was a member of the 1970 Australian Team. He was a member of the Australian Relative Work Team 1975 "Joint Effort" that won the Silver medal at the 1st World Championships of Relative Work Parachuting at Warendorf in West Germany.

He was a computer hardware technician and assisted the centre with its early electronics.

He was a member of the "The Kelly Gang" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships at Labertouche 1974.

Buzz has always been a campaigner for jumpers rights and was involved in a group of reformers known as the Unicorns back in the early 70's.   

An active FAI Judge and educator, Buzz is still active in CSPA and is the author of the comprehensive CSPA Judges' Manual.

He is the longest serving member of the FAI Parachuting Commission.   His long association with regulation keeps him busy as Secretary of the IPC Sporting Code Committee.

He jumped as a member of the 10-Man Speed Star Team "Leroy Brown" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (73/74)

The Army gave Gene different posting every two years.  He was fortunate enough to have more than one of his postings in the Melbourne area during the early development of our sport.

During his posting to Kapooka, he was Chief Instructor of Ripcord Skydivers and it was here that he began his career as a parachuting administrator and here that he introduced Clive Smith to the sport.

Gene was a member of the "Green Machine", a military 4-Way Team that represented Australia at the first World Championships in Relative Work and he organised a number of Australian Championships.

He was an FAI Judge of Parachuting and served as Australia's Alternate Delegate to the FAI Parachuting Commission for many years.

He had an outstanding career as a parachuting administrator and now divides his time between Lampang, Thailand and Brisbane with his wife Hong and son Nong Doi.               More  

Visiting Queensland Jumper: Donna first jumped at Labertouche on Boxing Day 1970.   She attended National Championships at Labertouche and was on some good Relative Work loads.

Donna represented Australia at the 11th World Championships at Tahlequah, Oklahoma 1972 and was Team Manager for the Australian Team at the 18th World Championships hosted in Ankara, Turkey 1986.

As organiser of the 2nd World Championships in Relative Work Parachuting, Donna broke new ground in professionalism for Australian skydiving events.   The championships was the first Australian parachuting competition to obtain major sponsorship and is still remembered  as an outstanding WPC by those who attended.

Donna was also responsible for the oral history of Australian sport parachuting, that she and Narelle Hall produced for the APF.

Married to Ron Law, she now lives Mount Nebo, Queensland.

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

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

Bing was a member of the Australian Parachute Team that attended the 11th World Parachute Championships in Thalaquah, USA in 1972.

We are still researching Bing's outstanding skydiving career and apologise for having avoided such a big job for so long.

Visiting Jumper:   David first jumped at Labertouche on January 6th 1974 from 10,500ft.

Visiting Queensland jumper:   John first jumped at Labertouche on July 19th 1970 and was a member of the 10 Man Speed Star Team "Apple Tart" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (1974)

Visiting military jumper:  Bruce was an army jumper who first jumped at Labertouche on the 17th December 1965 in training for the Port Pirie Nationals.

See Staff Listing

A committed Commando Skydivers member, Dave was one of the working members who kept Pakenham looking good.  He could always be found putting the dropzone in shape between jumps.

He became a Tandem Master and uses his photographic skills to promote  skydiving.

A hospitality industry executive, Mike was a manager at one of Melbourne's Collins Street Hotels.

Melbourne jumpers were Mike's guests at his parents ?? Hotel in Hobart Tasmania when a group flew to Hobart in the DC-3  VH-CAN for a jump weekend.

After becoming a proficient skydiver, he and Greg Butler joined the SAS Regiment and most of his jumping was then done in Western Australia.

He now lives in Kew, Melbourne.

Carol jumped with "True Trash" during practice for the 4th Australian Relative Work Championships 10-Man Star Event (1975/76).

She spent an extended period jumping in the United States at Ted Mayfield's DZ and now lives on the coast in New South Wales.

Alistaire was nicknamed "The Snake Charmer" because of his part time work catching snakes in the Labertouche area to sell to the venom milkers at a laboratory.    If somebody saw a snake on the airfield, Alistaire would be off after it and would always come back holding the snake by the tail at arms length looking for a hessian bag to put it in.

Took part in Jumpmaster Course at Labertouche, September 1981

Jim's first civilian jump was made at Labertouche on ??
Jim was a World War 2 paratrooper who always had a yen to jump again.    After becoming a widower, he decided that he could realise this ambition and came to Labertouche to do so.   After a turbulent student training and a few low openings, Jim got the feel of skydiving and went on to amass 2,800 jumps in ? years and was still actively jumping at age 89.

Jim was living proof of the POPS motto "You don't give up jumping because you're old, you get old because you give up jumping".

In later days Jim jumped with Commando Skydivers at Tooradin and the club held an annual accuracy competition bearing Jim's name.

Jim died peacefully with his second wife Barbara by his side in 2020.

Visiting West Australian jumper:  Bernie made his 128th jump at Labertouche on the 9th December 1965 to start his training with the West Australian Team that was practicing at the Centre for the Port Pirie Nationals.

He remained overseas for some time and on his return attended a national Championships at Labertouche.   He was the first jumper to jump onto the Gatehouse lawn.

Brian applied for pilot training with the RAAF, became an RAAF pilot, flew Vampire fighters, helicopter gunships in Vietnam, Sabres, Macchis and retired as a Wing Commander in 199?  he now flies Learjets and lives in Nowra.

Along the way he married Susie Wright, a fellow Leutkirch team member.   They have now separated.

Suzi was one of the students on the first civilian sport parachute course in South Australia and became Australian Style Champion.    She represented Australia at the 8th World Parachuting Championships at Leutkirch, West Germany in 1966.

She was for some time the best stylist in Australia and had a natural talent.   Suzi outclassed everybody, men and women, just  using her natural ability and a feel for what was needed.

World Champion and member of the US Army's Golden Knights, Loy held the patent on the Single T, Double T and TU canopy modifications and the "Deflect-O-Spill" method of controlling them.   Loy played a part in the development of the Security Crossbow canopy and Tandem harness container system.   Early sport parachuting development in the free world owes a lot to his professionalism.

Loy influenced the early development of accuracy jumping in Australia by answering Claude's letters asking for advice on his Deflecto-Spill techniques.

Loy died at home in Tucson, Arizona on 25 October 2009 at the age of 77.

Mike and Greg Butler joined the Australian SAS Regiment and having served out his enlistment and when last heard of, Mike was back in the hospitality industry in Tasmania.

One of the movers and shakers in sport parachuting, Trevor organised the 6th Australian Parachute Championships at Port Pirie in 1965/66

He was Editor and Publisher of Australian Skydiver magazine from 1965 to 1970.   The magazine was a significant factor in the development of Australian Skydiving.

After a long stint as an APF Board Member and involvement in Australia's first large dedicated jumpship (the DC-3 VH-CAN) he joined the Department of Civil Aviation as a Sport Aviation Inspector and eventually became its Regional Director of New South Wales.

On retiring from the Department, he has enjoyed sailing his yacht and is now settled on the coast in Queensland.

Greg and Mike Burke gave up successful careers to join the Australian SAS.   Greg took leave from the regiment to design an advanced bomb disposal robot.    Having completed the robot he became involved in a deep sea diving assignment with a film production company.   While diving, he went missing and was never found.   

Greg led a legendary life and was one of the most popular jumpers at the Centre.  A true Australian adventurer who lived life to the full.

And again as a member of the same team in the 4th Australian Relative Work Championships 10-Man Star Event (1975/76)

He jumped as a member of the 10-Man Speed Star Team "Star Pact" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (73/74) at the Centre.

Greg first jumped at Labertouche on March 14th 1981.

Visiting Jumper:  Chris first jumped at Labertouche on December 28th 1968.

Visiting  jumper:  Brian first jumped at Labertouche on December 25th 1970.   He jumped at the Centre in the 10th and 13th Australian Parachute Championships (70/71) (73/74)  

John first jumped at Labertouche on march 9th 1980.   He became a Centre Instructor and was responsible for the development of many of the training aids used at the Centre.

He trained many ab initio students with Eagle Skydivers at Pakenham, including a number of television personalities.

John was the first Tandem Master to be contracted by Eagle Skydivers.   He built many of the advanced training aids used by Eagle Skydivers at Pakenham.

He has recently left APF employment as its Technical and Safety Operations Officer in its Canberra Headquarters to continue the lifestyle he led prior to settling down in the APF Office ? years ago, except that he is now paragliding rather than skydiving.

Visiting American jumper:  Denny, a former member of the US 4th Army Display Team arrived from the USA and first jumped at the Centre in 1966.   He jumped regularly at the Centre and as Pope Denny was a leading Cardinal Puff activist.

John, ex Chief Instructor of Thruxton, immigrated from England and did most of his jumping in Sydney.  He first jumped at the Centre in 1966 and became a Centre Instructor. Pictured at left with his judge's fichet stuck through the rim of his slouch hat.

He had a cult following in Sydney Skydiving circles.  His residence in Paddington was not unlike a commune, with Cardinal Puff sessions conducted under the watchful eye of Pope John.    Annie McKie was one of his loyal disciples.

John coined the word "sedagarous" to mean something that in skydiving circles was good.  His aim was to get the word published in the Oxford Dictionary, it certainly became common usage in the Australian skydiving sub-culture.

He remained in the Melbourne area for some time and he and Denny Clark rented a house on the beach that was known as the "The Vatican" because of the regular Friday night Cardinal Puff sessions that were held under the supervision of Pope John and Pope Denny.

He returned to England for a while and was driving London buses but he is now back in Sydney practicing law.

Foundation member.  Sam was working in Western Australia when he heard that a new parachute centre was about to open full time in Victoria.   He had made three static line jumps and liked it.     He turned up at Labertouche with Blue Dog, ready to progress to skydiving as quickly as possible.   He certainly did that, he arrived in late November 1965 and by January 1966 he was a practiced relative worker.   

He enjoyed his skydiving so much he took a job locally and spent all his spare time jumping at the Centre.   He was a member of the 10 Man Speed Star Team "Ramblers Raiders" and the 4-Way Team "Ramblers" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships 1973/74.

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

Sam is a carpenter and he built the bunks in the Gorilla Pit and made other repairs to the Gatehouse.

Sam played guitar, and he, Sonny Ranney and Claude would sometimes jam jazz for hours at night in the Gatehouse.

A true Australian and one of nature's gentlemen.   He now lives in Queensland.

He was a member of the 10-Man Speed Star Team "Star Pact" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (73/74) at the Centre.

He w as a member of the team "Aces High" in the 4th Australian Relative Work Championship 10-Man Speed Star Event. (1975/76)

Don is a lecturer and still maintains an interest in aerial photography but shoots from the aircraft now specialising in air to ground.

He was an APF employee in both Mentone, Victoria and Curtin, ACT.  

Rick was APF Director Safety from ?? to ?? and Australian Alternate Delegate to the IPC Plenary Meeting in Rome 19?? 

He was Australian Team Manager for the 20th World Parachuting Championships in Lesce-Bled, Yugoslavia in 1990.

He has been the leading sport parachuting administrator in the Northern Territory since ??

Trevor is a long serving member of the APF Board and has been Chairman of the Board since 2001.

He was the leader of the Saint John's Victorian Para-rescue Team and recruited a number of the Centre instructors into the team.

A Law Clerk, Tom helped many of the Centre's jumpers with legal problems.

She jumped as a member of the 10-Man Speed Star Team "Leroy Brown" and the 4-Way Team "Gaye's Gobblers" in the 2nd Relative Work Championships (73/74)

Gaye spent a lot of time in the merchant marine and was living in Albert Park, a Melbourne suburb when she died.

Among his many adventures at the Centre, one earned him the title "The Loch Lab Monster".    On a night jump, he mistook lights reflected off the dam for the target lights and landed dead centre in the dam.  The dam was shallow and muddy, so when he stood up and walked from the dam with his canopy draped over him, Jo Craig thought he looked like the Loch Ness monster and coined the name. 

Gavan still lives in Melbourne, keeps in touch with many of the old Labertouchians and attends World POPS Meets.

He was a regular jumper at the Centre until it closed and he continued jumping at Pakenham with Eagle Skydivers.

Malcolm became a Centre Jumpmaster in 1981 and was an active member of Colin Holt's "Worms".

He is a Channel 9 cameraman and turns up at all of the Labertouche Skydivers' reunions.

He was a relative work pioneer and was prominent in the early development of the sport in Queensland.

Murray now conducts Murray Cosson's Australian Outback Flights in Alice Springs.

Bob's first jump was at Labertouche on the 22nd of June 1968. He was a foundation member of Monash University Skydivers,  gave generously of his time to the Centre and was a volunteer worker for the APF.

In 1972, Bob was Team Interpreter for the Australian Team at their training camp in Graz, Austria prior to it competing at the World Championships in Bled, Yugoslavia.   He then travelled to the south of Germany where he spent six months brushing up on his German.

Fluent in German and Japanese, Bob was an executive with  Herscht? a German chemical company but his love of flying saw him embrace commercial flying and he formed a partnership with Gary Gardner to open an air charter operation.   He was a pilot at the Centre for many years.

These days, Bob lives on the Mornington Penninsula, still flies corporate aircraft and travels a lot.

She and her husband Jim were regular jumpers at the Centre on and off according to their extensive travel around Australia.

A serious competition jumper, Faye was a member of the Australian Parachute Teams 1968, 1970 and 1974 at the 9th WPC, Graz, Austria, 10th WPC, Bled, Yugoslavia and the 12th WPC, Szolnok, Hungary.

She was heavily involved in the administration of the North Queensland Parachute Council.

Faye is designated a Master of Sport Parachuting by the Australian Parachute Federation, is an FAI International Judge and is Secretary General of the Asiania Parachute Council.

See also Faye Glassford

Visiting Sydney jumper: Jim came to Labertouche on the 12th of December 1965 to train for the Port Pirie Championships.   After becoming an Australian Champion at that meet, he travelled around Australia in his Morris car following the jump weather and courting Faye Glassford, who eventually became his wife.   He also jumped at the Centre in the 13th Australian Parachute Championships (73/74)  

He won a place on every Australian Parachute Team from 1966 until 197? and was also on the 19?? and 1988 teams.  

He and Faye bought a property just outside of Townsville, constructed an airfield and started Townsville Parachuting and Skydiving Centre.   The jumpers named the dropzone "Golliwog Farm" because Faye, Jim and their dog all had curly hair.

Jim was a member of the "The Kelly Gang" 10-Man Star Team in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships at Labertouche 1973/74.

He was a long serving member of the APF Board and he and Faye worked for the North Queensland Parachute Council for many years.

A plumber by trade, Jim became a land speculator and in retirement, he and Faye live in Coolum, Queensland, an area that is fast becoming a skydivers' retirement village.

George represented Australia at the 19?? Friendship Parachute Meet held in Anyang, China as a member of the 4-Way Relative Work Team "???".

When Eagle Skydivers moved from Labertouche to Pakenham in 1983, the Centre contracted George to conduct AFF Ab Initio Training.

These days, George operates a parachuting organisation in ??

Tony went on to become a competition parachutist and was on the Australian Style & Accuracy Teams that competed at Bled, Yugoslavia in 1970 and Tahlequah, USA in 1972.  

He jumped at the Centre as a member of the 10-Man Speed Star Team "La Cosa Nostra" in the 2nd Australian Relative Work Championships (73/74) and was a member of the Australian Relative Work Team 1975 "Joint Effort" that won silver medals at the 1st World Championships of Relative Work Parachuting at Warendorf in West Germany.

His very productive and pleasant life was ended in a road accident when his motorbike collided with a car head-on while making a turn in Ballarat.   The sport lost an ardent participant.

Janine's first jump was at Labertouche on September 19th 1981 under her maiden name of Hayes.

She married Jim Czerwinski in 19?? and they divorced in 19??

Janine was a member of Australian Parachute Teams at the 12th WPC, Szolnok, Hungary 1974 ..........

See Janine Hayes for earlier details.

A member of the Australian Team at the World Championships in Szolnok, Hungary, 1974 and Vichy, France in 1984.

Jim married Janine Hayes, a Labertouche jumper and the two of them operated a very successful parachute training organisation and air charter business in Toowoomba, Queensland.

He is a warbird pilot and still lives in Queensland.