diff --git a/include/osgViewer/View b/include/osgViewer/View
index cbe4a5ee4..d618127d7 100644
--- a/include/osgViewer/View
+++ b/include/osgViewer/View
@@ -60,10 +60,7 @@ class OSGVIEWER_EXPORT View : public osg::View, public osgGA::GUIActionAdapter
         const Scene* getScene() const { return _scene.get(); }
 
         /** Set the scene graph that the View will use.*/
-        inline void setSceneData(osg::Node* node) { setSceneData(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node>(node)); }
-
-        /** Set the scene graph that the View will use.*/
-        virtual void setSceneData(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> node);
+        virtual void setSceneData(osg::Node* node);
 
         /** Get the View's scene graph.*/
         osg::Node* getSceneData() { return _scene.valid() ? _scene->getSceneData() : 0; }
diff --git a/src/osgViewer/View.cpp b/src/osgViewer/View.cpp
index b4d440ab1..e2ca602c9 100644
--- a/src/osgViewer/View.cpp
+++ b/src/osgViewer/View.cpp
@@ -243,13 +243,13 @@ void View::setStartTick(osg::Timer_t tick)
     _startTick = tick;
 }
 
-void View::setSceneData(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> node)
+void View::setSceneData(osg::Node* node)
 {
     if (node==_scene->getSceneData()) return;
 
-    osg::ref_ptr<Scene> scene = Scene::getScene(node.get());
+    osg::ref_ptr<Scene> scene = Scene::getScene(node);
 
-    if (scene.valid())
+    if (scene)
     {
         osg::notify(osg::INFO)<<"View::setSceneData() Sharing scene "<<scene.get()<<std::endl;
         _scene = scene;
@@ -267,7 +267,7 @@ void View::setSceneData(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> node)
             osg::notify(osg::INFO)<<"View::setSceneData() Reusing exisitng scene"<<_scene.get()<<std::endl;
         }
 
-        _scene->setSceneData(node.get());
+        _scene->setSceneData(node);
     }
 
     if (getSceneData())
@@ -276,6 +276,17 @@ void View::setSceneData(osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> node)
         // the scene graph from being run in parallel.
         osgUtil::Optimizer::StaticObjectDetectionVisitor sodv;
         getSceneData()->accept(sodv);
+        
+        // make sure that existing scene graph objects are allocated with thread safe ref/unref
+        if (getViewerBase()->getThreadingModel()!=ViewerBase::SingleThreaded) 
+        {
+            osg::notify(osg::NOTICE)<<"Making sure we have set the thread safe ref/unref"<<std::endl;
+        
+            getSceneData()->setThreadSafeRefUnref(true);
+        }
+        
+        // update the scene graph so that it has enough GL object buffer memory for the graphics contexts that will be using it.
+        getSceneData()->resizeGLObjectBuffers(osg::DisplaySettings::instance()->getMaxNumberOfGraphicsContexts());
     }
     
     computeActiveCoordinateSystemNodePath();
diff --git a/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp b/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
index 5aaed116e..ea6df831c 100644
--- a/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
+++ b/src/osgViewer/Viewer.cpp
@@ -360,16 +360,6 @@ void Viewer::setSceneData(osg::Node* node)
     setReferenceTime(0.0);
 
     View::setSceneData(node);
-
-    if (_threadingModel!=SingleThreaded && getSceneData())
-    {
-        // make sure that existing scene graph objects are allocated with thread safe ref/unref
-        getSceneData()->setThreadSafeRefUnref(true);
-        
-        // update the scene graph so that it has enough GL object buffer memory for the graphics contexts that will be using it.
-        getSceneData()->resizeGLObjectBuffers(osg::DisplaySettings::instance()->getMaxNumberOfGraphicsContexts());
-    }
-
 }
 
 GraphicsWindowEmbedded* Viewer::setUpViewerAsEmbeddedInWindow(int x, int y, int width, int height)
diff --git a/src/osgWrappers/osgViewer/View.cpp b/src/osgWrappers/osgViewer/View.cpp
index fbe18975c..c5673b09a 100644
--- a/src/osgWrappers/osgViewer/View.cpp
+++ b/src/osgWrappers/osgViewer/View.cpp
@@ -112,13 +112,8 @@ BEGIN_OBJECT_REFLECTOR(osgViewer::View)
 	          "",
 	          "");
 	I_Method1(void, setSceneData, IN, osg::Node *, node,
-	          Properties::NON_VIRTUAL,
-	          __void__setSceneData__osg_Node_P1,
-	          "Set the scene graph that the View will use. ",
-	          "");
-	I_Method1(void, setSceneData, IN, osg::ref_ptr< osg::Node >, node,
 	          Properties::VIRTUAL,
-	          __void__setSceneData__osg_ref_ptrT1_osg_Node_,
+	          __void__setSceneData__osg_Node_P1,
 	          "Set the scene graph that the View will use. ",
 	          "");
 	I_Method0(osg::Node *, getSceneData,