Ansett Flying Boat. Hobart. Tas. A.B. Series No. 622

Photographer: Probably G.R. Bester; otherwise his son J.K. Bester, or a company staff photographer.

Manufacture:  Printed at the Ash Bester Studio, 102 Elizabeth St., Hobart, on standard Kodak postcard paper. Date produced about 1950.

Usage: Unused

The plane is the Sunderland flying boat VH-BRC, built in 1943 for the Royal Air Force. Not used in WW2, it was transferred to New Zealand in 1947, and used on the Auckland-Sydney run. It was purchased by Barrier Reef Airways, and then, in 1952, by Ansett Flying Boats, for services to Barrier Reef islands and then to Lord Howe Island. It was transferred to Ansett Airways in 1954, which is about when this photo was taken.  It operated on the Lord Howe Island route up to the 1970’s, and was then sold to an operator in the Virgin islands. It is now in the Southport UK Aviation Museum.

Reference: http://www.aussieairliners.org/shortfb/vh-brc/vhbrc.html