First published in The Age on April 30, 1954
QUIET DEPARTURE FROM CANBERRA
Rain Delayed Plane With Russians
CANBERRA — The Commonwealth Government spared no effort to ensure the smoothness of the Russians’ departure from Canberra early today.
Staff of the Russian Embassy at Canberra AirportCredit:Winton Irving
The only hitch in the arrangements was caused by torrential rain which fell during the morning and forced the departure time of the two Skymasters in which the Russians travelled to Perth to be delayed almost an hour.
Some of the Russians are reported to have become suspicious at the delay, but they were reassured when officials told them it was due only to the weather.
The departure aroused little public interest, only casual passers-by watching the Russians go.
The two chartered Skymasters took off from the partially flooded runway within five minutes of each other, the first leaving at 9.42 a.m.
The precautions against any demonstration or upsets began with the posting of additional police outside the embassy grounds from before dawn.
Other police had kept an all-night vigil.
Five car loads of Commonwealth peace officers arrived at the embassy at 6.20 a.m. Some of them had come from interstate.
After consultation with embassy officials the Director-General of the Commonwealth Investigation Service (Mr. B. Whitrod) ordered the peace officers to begin loading Soviet baggage onto two large Government trucks which had arrived.
Senior officials of the Department of External Affairs, including the assistant secretary (Mr. J. K. Waller), discussed arrangements with the Soviet Ambassador (Mr. N. I. Generalov) and other embassy members.
14-Car Convoy
At 7.50 a.m. 14 sleek Commonwealth cars arrived and formed up on the embassy drive.
When the trucks left for Fairbairn R.A.A.F. airport with the luggage, four peace officers sat in the open on the back of each truck in drenching rain to guard the luggage.
The Swedish charge d’Affaires (Mr. A. B. E. Ros) arrived at the embassy before the party left for the aerodrome.
The Swedish Embassy is now looking after Russian interests in Australia.
The Russian Embassy in CanberraCredit:Winton Irving
The cars, escorted by police, went in convoy to Fairbairn, where the Russians sat in them for about 20 minutes before boarding their aircraft.
At a signal, they left the cars together to board the planes.
It was a miserable-looking scene as the 52 men, women and children walked across the tarmac with rain blowing in their faces, unsmiling, carrying hand luggage, and some without overcoats.
Only the children were excited.
According to the Commonwealth drivers, the Russians barely spoke on the trip to the airport.
Mr. Generalov, who travelled in the T.A.A. plane, was second last aboard.
“Thank you very much,” he said, smiling to Mr. Ros. He raised his hat in farewell to him but did not acknowledge the others at the airport.
One or two children waved from their windows as the planes taxied down the runway, and there were one or two waves in reply. ,
A security officer travelled in each of the two planes.
The head of the protocol section of the Department of External Affairs (Mr. F. H. Stuart) and an assistant, Mr. J. Elso, also travelled in the aircraft, which soon vanished in the low cloud.
Alsatian Left
An ironic incident occurred as the Russians were leaving the Soviet Embassy today when an Alsatian dog, formerly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Petrov, ran behind the cars.
When the cars in which the Russians travelled to the airport were about to leave the dog raced to one car and put his front legs up to the driver’s window.
He chased the last car in the procession, containing the Soviet Ambassador (Mr. N. I. Generalov) for almost half a mile before he was outpaced.
The dog was later seen roaming round a nearby shopping centre.
It was learnt later that the Russians yesterday made arrangements for a Canberra resident to look after the Alsatian.
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