There’s nothing Aussies love more than something quirky to ogle at as they drive about.
Oversized icons and fish-out-of-water monuments dot our landscape, imbuing it with a piece of larrikin charm.
During the nineties and noughties, Armadale Road had its own celebration of that quintessentially Australian humour – a bright yellow Mooney M-20 with Kevin Bloody Wilson emblazoned on its tail.
“Mum and Dad picked the plane up from a carpet business in O’Connor. They had it inside – no idea why – but had to get rid of it, so Mum and Dad claimed it,” Troy Pacey said. “I don’t think there was a real reason for it, but there was never a dull moment with those two, that’s for sure. And having Kev on it sealed the deal.”
The plane found a new home on Peter and Jan Pacey’s 13.5-acre Forrestdale plot, in full view of passers-by, and quickly became a talking point for locals.
“It just became a bit of a landmark out there on Armadale Rd for 20-odd years,” Troy explained.
“And it was great for giving directions – we’d always say ‘just keep an eye out for the yellow plane’.”
That always came in handy come the March long weekend when Peter and Jan would host their annual Outback Country Music Show which attracted up to 700 pilgrims from all over the country to their little patch of Armadale.
These music shows became another local icon the Paceys generously contributed to the area.
“They were always great parties,” Gavin Pacey said. “And they just got bigger and bigger.
“They both just had a passion for country and loved entertaining.”
The Paceys were born hosts, true salt-of-the-earth types who would give you the shirts off their backs.
“The show only went for a few days, but people would stay for weeks,” Gavin said.
“They’d come for the show but stay for Jan’s cooking,” Lisa Pacey said. “Everyone became Jan and Peter’s friends – more than that, they were family.”
By the time the Outback Country Music Show was born, the pair had already contributed a great deal to Perth’s burgeoning music scene, putting on Rock ‘n’ Roll shows at the Claremont Showground and the Fremantle Sailing Club, and putting up the Royal Polynesian dancers who famously graced the La Tenda stage in the 80s.
But the Outback shows attracted some giants of the country music industry to Perth – three-time Golden Guitar winner Reg Poole was a mainstay of the festival, as were the Gunbarrel Highwaymen.
“I was fortunate enough to be part of their Outback Festival every year since its inception and you could never meet two more beautiful people than Peter and Jan. They were warm, friendly, hospitable, generous people with a love of country music that shone through,” Reg Poole said.
Curtin Radio’s Brendon T Moylan (Born In Boots) was the regular compere.
“Looked forward to this show every year, as did the artists [and] the patrons … they put so much into those weekends that they were always a huge success,” he said.
And over the years, the Paceys pulled some international stars too including Irish crooners Mary Duff and Charlie Landsborough.
“They were characters – they’d be up until 3am drinking,” Gavin said, chuckling.
But the real legacy of the Outback Country Music Show was the leg up it gave to emerging locals.
“A lot of people who played and won Boyup Brook – they got their start here,” Lisa Pacey said.
In 2013, the developers started to move into Forrestdale, and the Paceys saw the writing on the wall.
They reluctantly packed up and moved to Serpentine, taking both the yellow plane and the Outback Country Music Shows with them.
Over the course of seven years, the Pacey’s transformed their property into a dedicated entertainment space, with a fixed stage, kitchen, ‘general store’, and ablutions blocks.
And people flocked to the new site on Rowe Rd.
“The last one we couldn’t fit another caravan in, it was chockers,” Lisa said.
“In a way it put Serpentine on the map.”
A portion of proceeds from the shows were always donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service or the Cancer Council. And handwritten ‘thank you’ notes cover the walls of the Paceys’ study.
Shortly after the 2020 show, Jan lost her own battle with cancer. And Peter passed away less than a year later.
But the legacy they’ve left behind them will continue to bring smiles to faces.
On Sunday, the yellow plane made its final ‘flight’ down south, marking the end of an era.
Gavin and Troy have donated it to the Total Hemp Company down in Nannup, in honour of their mum and dad.
“Mum met Glen when she had cancer – she used his oils,” Troy said.
“But Glen also accommodates a lot of people on his property who are doing it tough in life.
“He’s building a walking trail along the Blackwood River and we donated the plane, a big cowboy hat, a hand-painted Slim Dusty panel, and an old tractor as novelties to put along his trail.”
“It’ll be good to see it go somewhere it’s appreciated,” Gavin said.
“And it’s nice that we’ll still be able to visit, and to remember them and their very colourful life.”
