General News
30 August, 2025
Historic 'Drover' relocated from George McCoy Park for restoration
The iconic plane will be repaired and restored before moving to its new permanent home.
It’s kept watch over George McCoy Park for more than 45 years, but on Friday, the "Drover", an iconic piece of Australia’s aviation history, took its first tentative steps towards a new life at the Royal Flying Doctor Service Mount Isa Base.
The de Havilland "Drover" aircraft was restored back in the 1980s, when two separate aircraft were joined to create a display that’s acted as an enduring symbol of hope.
The elements haven’t been kind to the old plane, and with construction nearly complete of the new RFDS and LifeFlight base at Mount Isa Airport, it was decided to remove the Drover from its pole and give it a bit more than a spit and polish.
In the coming months, the aircraft will be lovingly restored at a temporary workspace on site, before being moved to the entrance of the new RFDS base and put back on show.
John Larkin the Flying Doctors' head of tourism, is being joined by aviation engineer Jim Shannon to work on the project.
“This is a really important piece of Australian aviation history with only a handful of known Drovers still in existence,” Mr Larkin said.
“Obviously, the first step is to make sure we get the aircraft down from its current location with as little damage as possible before we gently move it to its workshop location.
“Once we have it there, we’ll be able to carry out a full assessment of the repairs needed to bring it back to its former glory.
“Some of the bits needed to carry out the restoration accurately will need to be manufactured on site, so there’s some definite challenges.
“Fortunately, I have one of the best aircraft engineers in Australia, Jimmy Shannon, working with me on the project.
“This is a really exciting restoration.”
The de Havilland ‘Drover’ aircraft wasn’t made in large numbers but was regarded as a solid, all-round plane when it graced our skies in the 1950s.