How to set currentIndex of ListView to value other than 0 at start?

[Niltava]

I have a ListView that lives inside a Component that is loaded / unloaded per demand. However the value selected by the user on the ListView is to be remembered so that the same value is selected when User visits next time. Below is a complete snippet that mimics my scenario.

import QtQuick 2.7
import QtQuick.Controls 2.0
import QtQuick.Layouts 1.0

ApplicationWindow {
visible: true
width: 640
height: 480
title: qsTr("Hello World")

QtObject {
    id: internal
    property int contactIndex: 0
    property bool listLoaded: false
}

Button {
    id: button
    anchors.horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
    text: (!internal.listLoaded) ? "Show List" : "Hide List"
    onClicked: {
        loader.sourceComponent = (!internal.listLoaded) ? listViewComponent : undefined
        internal.listLoaded = !internal.listLoaded
    }
}

Loader {
    id: loader
    anchors.centerIn: parent
    onStatusChanged: if (loader.status == Loader.Ready) {
                         console.log("read current-index:", internal.contactIndex)
                         loader.item.model = contact1
                         loader.item.currentIndex = internal.contactIndex
                     }
}

Connections {
    target: loader.item
    onItemClicked: {
        internal.contactIndex = currentIndex
        console.log("saved current-index:", internal.contactIndex)
    }
}

Contacts {
    id: contact1
}

Component {
    id: listViewComponent
    ListView {
        id: listView
        width: 180; height: 200
        currentIndex: -1

        signal itemClicked(var currentIndex)

        model: undefined

        delegate: Text {
            id: text
            text: name + ": " + number
            color: ListView.isCurrentItem ? "red" : "black"

            MouseArea {
                anchors.fill: parent
                onClicked: {
                    text.ListView.view.currentIndex = index
                    itemClicked(index)
                }
            }
        }

        onCurrentIndexChanged: {
            console.log(listView, "current index changed to", currentIndex)
            // Some other operations need to go in here...
        }
    }
}

}

Contacts.qml is following:

import QtQuick 2.0

ListModel {
ListElement {
name: "Bill Smith"
number: "555 3264"
}
ListElement {
name: "John Brown"
number: "555 8426"
}
ListElement {
name: "Sam Wise"
number: "555 0473"
}
}

The problem is that as soon as the model is set, the currentIndex of ListView is automatically set to 0. Is there a way to prevent currentIndex of ListView from being automatically set to 0 when model is assigned?

[ODБOï]

@Niltava Hello,

property int _index : 4

ListView {
id: listView
width: 180; height: 200
// currentIndex: _index
Component.onCompleted : currentIndex = _index
}
like this your list will be set at index 4