Week 16 Air
Both of my parents told stories about their first encounters
with aeroplanes.
Mum (born 1924) remembered that the famous Australian airman
Charles Kingsford Smith landed his plane in Quirindi when she was a child, and
also that he gave joy rides to some of the many people who came out to see
him. I can’t find any mention of this
visit on Trove but it must have been some time after the famous Trans-Pacific flight
of the Southern Cross.
Kingsford Smith and his three - man crew flew across the
Pacific in three short stages in 1928. They left Oakland, California on 31 May,
refueled in Hawaii and Fiji and then crossed the Australian coast at Ballina,
not far from where I now live, and flew up the coast to Brisbane, where they
landed at 10.10am on 9 June. Their flight had taken 83 hours and 25 minutes.
A few days later Kingsford Smith and his partner, Charles
Ulm were in Scone, NSW, not far from Quirindi, so perhaps this was the time of
the famous visit.
Dad’s memories were quite clear. He wrote:
When I was about six or seven the first aeroplane to
visit Lismore arrived amid much excitement.
Few of us had ever even seen a picture of an aeroplane – I certainly hadn’t
-and when the teacher, as part of the advance publicity for such a momentous
event, asked us to draw what we thought an aeroplane looked like, the results
were strange and wonderful. All except
one. Georgie Krause, about whom I shall
have more to say, had actually seen an aeroplane and was able to draw something
that was recognisably near the mark – although none of us could believe it
until a few days later the machine appeared and well, wonder of wonders, landed
in a paddock in South Lismore, about half a mile from the school.
In those far off
days, there were no landing grounds actually designed and built for the landing
and take-off of aircraft. Most of the
machines were flimsy affairs made of a canvas covered framework, more like a
kite, with a not very reliable motor.
All they needed was a reasonably flat surface, free of obstacles, such
as could be found on the outskirts of most towns, with a wind sock to indicate
the direction of the wind. With such
inadequate equipment, hundreds of aspiring airmen piloted their crazy aircraft
over thousands of miles, crashing now and then, occasionally killing
themselves, just as often picking themselves up and sticking their aeroplane
together, and trying again until, sooner or later, the pitcher went too often
to the well. Anyhow, this particular
aeroplane came to and went from Lismore without mishap, in the process
enriching the lives of a lot of children for whom such events were to become
commonplace in the years to come.
I have found the details of this story, written up in The
Northern Star, on Trove – it took place on 25 August 1920, so Dad was six years
old. It made a such a strong impression
that he never forgot it.
From The Northern Star:
PEACE LOAN.
Aeroplane Arrives in Lismore.
The aeroplane, which is touring the North Coast in furtherance of the second Peace Loan, arrived in Lismore
yesterday. Lieut.
.F. S. Chapman is the pilot and Mr. J. Hogg the engineer.
The machine is of the splendid Avro make rendered so familiar to the people of Lismore by the
comparatively prolonged stay of Lieut. F. L. Roberts in the town some few weeks ago. There is also the
greatly interesting fact that the aeroplane is a gift to the Commonwealth by the British War Office. The roar of the engines
over the town about 1.30 p.m. drew a large number, of people into the streets. The aviators were beheld encircling the town in a magnificent manner at a height of upwards of 5000ft. The air, however, was full of
''pockets," the machine dropping 200ft.. or 300ft. at a time.. The high winds prevented the aviators from
performing any stunts, but they hope to do some before leaving Lismore. The town was encircled three
times, some Peace Loan printed matter being dropped each time. After going round the town the airmen proceeded to land. It was found that Risk's paddock was not wide enough with the wind in evidence, so the
aviators landed in a suitable paddock about, a mile further south.
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