Murrumburrah High School Principal John McFadyen was presented with a plaque to commemorate the first Air Mail flight from Sydney to Melbourne in 1914. Harden Murrumburrah Historical Society member Lorraine Brown handed over the plaque. The current High School grounds were a part of the original air strip.
Lorraine Brown representing the Harden Murrumburrah Historical Society, presented John McFadyen, Principal of Murrumburrah High School with a plaque at Tuesday’s school assembly. The plaque commemorates the Centenary flight of the first air mail flight from Melbourne to Sydney. The original flight took place in July 1914. Tom Lockley of the Aviation Historical Society is the man behind the plaque. It is appropriate that Murrumburrah High be the recipient of the plaque as the school now stands on the land that was the aerodrome at the time of the flight. A circle of stones marks the spot where the plane actually landed. French Aviator Maurice Guillaux who was on a promotional aerobatic tour of Australia, replaced American flyer Eugene Stone who had been contracted to make the flight by the PMG, after he crashed his plane. Guillaux could only fly for 2 hours at a time because of refuelling requirements. Following the railway lines, he stopped at Seymour, Wangaratta, Albury, and Wagga before landing at Harden at 4.06. After refuelling he travelled only 3 miles before he was forced to return to Harden because of unfavourable conditions. After two nights spent at the Carrington Hotel, he left Harden at 7.45, and refuelled at Goulburn before arriving in Sydney to be greeted by a large crowd and a civic reception. Not only was the first airmail flight made in Australia, it was the longest flight made in the entire world at that time. Lorraine said another plaque had been given to the Historical Society as they had been involved with the re-enactment in 2014. She said it was hoped another plaque would be placed somewhere in Newson Park in the future, to inform tourists of our history.
