MATHEW ANDREW
BROWNETerritorial
Air Force RNZAF No 134334
Territorial
Air Force RNZAF No 134334
Air traffic Controller Ohakea 1970 –
1982
until retiring as Chief Air Traffic
Controller Napier in 1987- 88
There have been two
ATCs in Matt’s life, beginning in WW11 as a
foundation member
OF No 1 Wellington Squadron Air Training Corps
(The ATC ), and later in life as an Air Traffic
Controller.)
Joining the
Air Training Corps in 1943 No 1 sqn at
the age of sixteen,
Matt attained the rank of Warrant Officer
and had plans to train as a pilot
with the training programs available to
selected ATC Cadets through WW2
and for them to then eventually move on
to the regular intakes for aircrew,
training at the various RNZAF Bases and
stations in operation at that time,
as many other ATC Cadets had moved on
into through WW11.
On way to ATC
Camp
(possibly Ohakea?)
No 1 Squadron
No 1 flight on parade Buckle St,
W/O Andy King front W/O Matt Browne
behind.
(circ 1948)
Unfortunately for
Matt ‘ the world ran out of war’ and
the ATC Aircrew intake scheme
abruptly came to an end and disappointed many
potential future pilots and aircrews along
with those choosing the other opportunities for
specialist training in the RNZAF.
No 1 Squadron
Dinner Church Hall Buick St
(there are about 20 names, we will add
later )
No 1
Wellington ATC Squadron Cadets on the
March through Wellington.
He joined the
Wellington Aero Club and gained his
“wings” through the ATC flying training
scheme which was formed
after WW11 learning to fly in that ultimate pilot
training area in New Zealand!! Providing special
‘exciting‘ flying conditions.
Matt on
leaving St Patrick’s College at
Silverstream took on an
apprenticeship as a fitter and turner,
through this time he also
attended Wellington Technical College
night classes for 4 years.
Training
Harvards Ohakea Circ 1954
With aviation still
in mind he joined what was to become the other
‘ATC’in his life, a two year course
training as an Air Traffic Controller in
Wellington ( where he met his wife Beryl ).
He returned
to The Air Training Corps with a
commission
as a Pilot officer RNZAF Central Reserve
Wing until 1955.
Completing his basic training, he was
appointed to the
Paraparaumu ‘Tower’ (
Wellington’s only airport at that
time ).
Circ 1954
Ohakea Control Tower
From a DH Rapide.
W/O Mathew
Browne about to be
presented with a Sqn Trophy
W/O Mathew
Browne presented
with Sqn Trophy
So a long
career in Air Traffic Control began from
Stout St Wellington,
to Paraparaumu – a four year
appointment to Nandi in Fiji a period
at Palmerston North AT/Control and then
twelve years service
with the Air Traffic movements RNZAF Base
- Ohakea, where he
received his Commission as a Flight
Lieutenant in the Territorial Airforce.
On leaving Ohakea he
shifted with family to Napier where he became
Chief Air Controller until his retirement in 1988
A life member of the Hawke’s Bay Cricket
Umpires Committee, also serving as the Umpires
delegate on the management
committee of the Hawke’s Bay cricket
Association Matt Joined and became a member of
our Aircraft Heritage Group
( HB ‘AHA’ as he called it ) right from
our early beginnings, and gave considerable
encouragement for us to
continue with our recordings of our WW11 service
personnel, and always enjoyed our ‘Chat
Days’.
As an Umpire
and an Air Traffic Controller, both
requiring
good judgement and instant decisive
decisions !
Mathew Browne seemed to have these
special skills,
all along with being a good family man
with an
infectious sense of humour.
