Ernest Jason Hassard MBE (1913 - 1986)

Born 27 Apr 1913 in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Ivy May (Pearce) Hassard — married 12 Jun 1937 (to Feb 1946) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Husband of Dorothy (Riviere) Hassard — married May 1951 in Victoria, Australia

Died Mar 1986 at age 72 in Strathmore, Victoria, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Melanie Paul [send private message]

Biography

Ernest Hassard MBE is Notable.

Ivy May Pearce and Ernest Hassard before taking off for the Brisbane to Adelaide air race, 1936.

Captain Ernest Jason Hassard MBE was born on 27th April 1913 at Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. Jason, as he was known, was the eldest child of Edward Hassard and Isabella Virtue. ^[1]

Jason learned to fly with fellow aviation pioneer, his Uncle Keith Virtue (just four years Jason's senior), in DH60 Moth VH-UIA at Lismore in 1930 and got his commercial pilot's licence at the age of nineteen years. He initially got weekend work with Virtue's New England Airways flying their Ryan, Genairco or Tiger Moth on joyrides, mainly at Mascot Aerodrome (Kingsford Smith Airport), in Sydney's southern suburbs. ^[2]

Their wedding cake was surmounted by a tiny replica of the groom's monoplane.

Ernest married aviator, Ivy Pearce, on 12th June 1937 in St John's Church of England (Anglican) Cathedral, Ann Streeet, Brisbane, Queensland. ^[3] They had three children before Ernest left the family in February 1946. Ivy was granted a divorce in 1950.

Ernest Hassard MBE is a Military Veteran.
Served in the Royal Australian Air Force 1940-1947
He attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant

Ernest was commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War, resigning his commission on 1st July 1947. ^[4]

Following the war, Jason was employed as a pilot with New England Airways, later re-named Airlines of Australia. Airlines of Australia later merged with Australian National Airways (ANA) which, in turn, merged with Ansett Airlines in 1957. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he operated internationally on ANA's contracted routes to the USA (for BCPA) and to London (for Air Ceylon). On 9th January 1953, he clocked up his 20,000th flying hour, and in 1959 his millionth mile flown. ^[2]

In May 1951, in Victoria, Jason married Dorothy Collum nee Riviere. It was a second marriage for them both. ^[5]

Jason was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to aviation in the January 1957 New Year's honours list. ^[6]

Captain Jason Hassard compulsorily retired from Ansett-ANA at 55 years of age on 16th October 1968 with 31,550 hours in his eleven logbooks. Not content to rest there, he took a job with freight-only airline Brain & Brown, flying DC-3s, with whom he clocked up another 4,145 hours. By the time he ceased flying, with 36,695 hours under his belt, Jason had the second-highest number of hours of any pilot in the world.

Jason passed away, aged 72 years, in March 1986 at Strathmore, Victoria. ^[7] He was survived by Dorothy.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #18392/1913
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Airways Museum: Jason Hassard; accessed 14 Sep 2020
3. ↑ Queensland Marriage Index #1937/B/28348
4. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: Flight Lieutenant Ernest Jason Hassard; accessed 14 Sep 2020
5. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #10118/1951
6. ↑ Australian Honours: Member of the Order of the British Empire; accessed 14 Sep 2020
7. ↑ Victoria Death Index #6793/1986

Further reading

• Yule, Peter. The Forgotten Giant of Australian Aviation: Australian National Airways. Hyland House 2001.