A WWII seaplane known as 'Our Girl' to the volunteers that have spent 26,000 man hours lovingly restoring her still hasn't reached her final resting place.
The PBY5A Catalina has been parked at a makeshift workshop in Rathmines for the past eight years, with the hope she would be displayed near the former RAAF base.
Today she'll be moved to a warehouse in Beresfield, with the Rathmines Catalina Association (RCA) and Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC) unable to see eye-to-eye.
"It's a project that's meaningful, I think the blokes see it that way themselves," RCA president Bill Anderson said.
"We were disappointed in their lack of vision but the council has to call the shots as they see it, we've tried to exit with as much dignity and grace as we can muster.
"There's no point in throwing eggs and calling names, that achieves nothing, we need to be on at least working terms with them because we still want to do things over here, but for the future what's best for the plane is to say, 'see you later'."
The Catalina made its way to Rathmines after a seven-year, worldwide search in 2013.
'Our Girl' was found in Puerto Rico on eBay, and had been used to transport oil exploration crews around South America.
A year later, she arrived in Lake Macquarie.
An LMCC spokeswoman said they haven't rejected the RCA proposal, but an external review found a hangar and interpretation centre wasn't feasible.
"In April 2021, council staff advised a number of potential actions which could be pursued jointly," she said.
"In September 2021, the association advised council that they were pursuing an alternative location. Council staff have been and remain available to discuss this matter with RCA."
The spokeswoman said the council celebrates Rathmines' RAAF legacy at the heritage centre and since 2019 has received $90,000 in heritage funding to upgrade signs on the site and curate exhibitions.
The men who work on her all have their reasons, some have military or aviation links, others have trade skills and according to Mr Anderson, "I don't doubt that in a few of the households there's some wives suggesting it would be great for them to get out of the house".
"Yes there are challenges and we work seven days a week at the moment, but that's the job," he said.
"You can't escape from the fact that all these young 20-something men and the 320 that never returned need to be recognised.
"We want to see it displayed, we want to have the public be able to see it, view it, and understand the story."
The plane will be moved today, in what's expected to be a significant logistical exercise.
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