FOR most of his life, Maurice Turner has had a deep fascination with planes, particularly those of the World War II variety, but it has taken COVID-19 lockdown for that flame to be rekindled.
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As a nine-year-old boy during war time, he would learn more and more about planes through the dozens of books he would read.
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"If I had have been old enough, I would have loved to have been a mechanic on plane in the war, I wouldn't have flown them though," Mr Turner said.
When Mr Turner retired in 2005, he was travelling in New South Wales when he came across a toy store which had a model plane set up inside.
"I saw in the toy store there was a couple made up and I spoke to the manager and he mentioned that he'd got his friends to do them to show what they looked like," he said.
"I bought a couple then, then I bought a few more, and a few more. I found myself heading up to Melbourne to just find planes to make. Before I know it, I'd done about 70.
After quickly running out of space for his 1-48th models, Mr Turner donated his work to the Ballarat Airforce Association where they now sit or hang at the Ballarat Airport.
"I bought a big glass cabinet for them and they looked quite good, but I just ran out of space, so I asked my son if he wanted them, which he didn't," he said.
"I'd read in The Courier they were looking at building a World War II museum at the airport but I couldn't find anyone who knew about it, so I went to the RSL club at Midland's Golf Club and they put me in contact with the president and he was very keen to have them.
Mr Turner said the COVID-19 lockdown had rekindled his passion.
"I hadn't actually done any for six years until the lockdown hit," he said.
"I had a couple of unfinished models sitting around so I got to work on them and now I've probably done 20 since all this started.
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