Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senators Birmingham, Fawcett, Ruston, Bernardi, Antic, Gallacher, Hanson-Young, Wong, Patrick, Marielle Smith, Farrell and Griff, move—

That the Senate—

(a) notes that today, 12 November 2019, marks the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the first ever flight from England to Australia;

(b) records its enduring respect for the feat achieved by the four-person crew, comprising pilot Ross Smith, navigator Keith Smith and mechanic Wally Shiers, all from South Australia, and mechanic Jim Bennett from Victoria;

(c) recalls that they:

(i) competed alongside five other Australian crews who responded to the invitation by then Prime Minister Billy Hughes to race from London to Darwin in a British built plane in pursuit of prize money of £10,000, provided they completed the journey within 30 days,

(ii) departed Hounslow, England, on 12 November 1919, stopping at Lyons, Pisa, Venturina, Rome, Taranto, Canea, Cairo, Damascus, Ramadi, Basra, Bundar Abbas, Karachi, Delhi, Muttra, Allahabad, Calcutta, Akyab, Rangoon, Bangkok, Singora, Singapore, Batavia, Surabaya, Bima and Atamboea before landing in Darwin 27 days and 20 hours later at 3.50 pm on 10 December 1919, with an actual flying time of 135 hours,

(iii) overcame great adversity to become the only crew to reach Darwin within the 30 days, with two crews perishing in accidents, two others abandoning the race due to crashes and the other crew taking 206 days to reach Darwin,

(iv) flew a Vickers Vimy, registration number G-EAOU, made largely of wood and fabric, with an open cockpit that variously exposed them to snow, sleet, hail and extreme heat, which is one of only two such aircraft still in existence, housed at Adelaide Airport, and is scheduled to be relocated into a modern, purpose built facility within the airport terminal by 2021, and

(v) were widely praised around the world for this accomplishment, with the New York Times editorialising that Captain Ross Smith "must be hailed as the foremost living aviator"; and

(d) extends its thanks to those who have helped to coordinate celebrations to mark the centenary of this epic flight and, in doing so, to raise awareness of the courage, ingenuity and perseverance of these skilled aviators.

Question agreed to.