I joined Adastra in early 1957 and sadly, we had to go to quite a few funerals that year. However, I mainly remember the happy times spent working for Adastra Hunting Geophysics and the people I encountered there. At all times you could rely on Barry Howe to be the guiding hand whenever a problem arose. Never, in my memory, did he unfairly criticize a member of his staff. Barry was ably assisted by the ever singing (humming really) Allan Horn. Allan never seemed to get flustered although we really tried hard to do so. We also had a lot of fun with the girls down at "The Hut". In fact, I ended up marrying one, Glenis Holland. Our first date was at the "Adastra Hunting Geophysics Anti-Social Club's Ball" held on 22nd August 1958. Glenis and I have now been married now for 43 years and we're still going strong.

Alter mastering the art of Geophysical Data Reduction and the art of Pencil Contouring, I moved on to ground survey. Ground Electro Magnetometer survey was my speciality, although I did some time working with Rob Walsh on Magnetometer Surveys around NSW. On the ground EM surveys I was always to be found somewhere out among the spinifex in North Western Queensland. For some years I do not seem to have experienced a "Southern" winter, as it was thought that this was the best time to walk the hills and plains of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Rick Boughton, who had been best man at my wedding, and I co-designed the Adastra Hunting logo. We used the Hunting Horn and wings from the Hunting Clan logo and "stole" the "A" from the front of an old Ardath cigarette pack.

In 1959 I moved to Aero Services and worked with both Brian Lennon and Doug Morrison. Next stop was with AMEG Pty Ltd, where I managed their Geophysics Department. Finally, I moved to Melbourne where I was employed to set up and manage their Geophysics Department. I again came in contact with Ted McKenzie who at that time was Operations Manager for Aero Services Corp, Philadelphia.

John Bertles
March 2004