Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I attended the inaugural fund-raising event at Rolleston: Wings, Wheels, Rugby. Proceeds from the day are being donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Rolleston Medical Centre. Rolleston is located 90 minutes south of Emerald and 3½ hours west of Gladstone, with a population of about 120. The day kicked off with about 80 light aircraft coming from all over Queensland. During the day, I attended a discussion meeting with rural pilots to hear firsthand their concerns with CASA.

The highlight of the day was the inspection of the locally-based historical aircraft collection of Rolleston locals Ross and Peggy Smith. On display was the Smiths' twin-engine Lockheed 12A Electra, which played a role in World War II. This aircraft arrived in Melbourne in 1937 and was purchased by Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Ltd, now known as BHP. Known as the 'Silver City', this plane flew BHP officials, and was later used to carry Australian prime ministers, around the country. In 2003, the aircraft was bought by the Smiths. It made its home in Rolleston. I congratulate the Wings, Wheels and Rugby committee for putting on such a crowd-pleasing event.