aviation

Joan de Bondt. The inaugural Kerang Air Show held last weekend was the brainchild of Barry Wood, president of the Murray Valley Flying Club. His vision was to involve the public in celebrating a weekend of aviation, with the addition of motorcycles, military vehicles, the SES, tractors and vintage cars.

This year marks 100 years since the first subsidised air-mail service in Australia, and Geraldton holds a rich history in the momentous milestone. In 1921, Major Norman Brearley, a decorated pilot with the Royal Air Force, was awarded a Government tender to deliver the country’s first subsidised air-mail and passenger contract. Tragically, during the inaugural flight, one of the three planes flying from Geraldton to Carnarvon met with disaster near Murchison House Station. 100 years later, that milestone is being commemorated with an RAAF aerial acrobatics display and the launch of a historical booklet.