A RIDE in a Hudson bomber over the skies of Temora helped propel former Australian politician Andrew Tink to tell a story.
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The story of a fatal plane crash near Canberra; an accident which destroyed a government.
Mr Tink, who served as a member of the NSW legislative assembly between 1988 and 2007, was in Wagga at the weekend for a literary lunch hosted by the Wagga Women's branch of the NSW Liberals.
Australia had been at war for close to a year when a Hudson bomber - the A16-97 with 10 people on board, including three cabinet ministers - crashed into a ridge near Canberra Airport.
In his latest book Air Disaster Canberra, Mr Tink describes the events and political consequences of the August 13, 1940, crash.
"This area, in the wider sense, has played a very significant role in me being able to tell this story, which has not been told before," Mr Tink said.
"The Temora Aviation Museum has the only air-worthy Hudson bomber anywhere in the world, the only flying example of this plane ... that's the heart of my book."
While writing the story, Mr Tink attended a showcase day at the museum and was offered a ride in the aircraft.
"My wife hates me saying this (but) it was the most exciting hour of my life," he laughed.
"I will always be grateful for that experience."
He said there was "just no substitute" for speaking to the museum's chief engineer, Andrew Bishop, and the deputy director of flying operations with its historic flight club, Doug Hamilton.
By getting Mr Tink airborne, he was given the opportunity to run the key chapter of the book - the crash - past them.
"(This story is) a turning point, I think, in the history of this country - it basically led to the destabilisation and end of the Menzies/Fadden wartime government and led directly to John Curtin becoming Prime Minister," he said.
