Slides relating to lectures given by Sir Hudson Fysh on the beginnings of Qantas, and on Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith, ca. 1920-ca. 1960 / Sir Hudson Fysh

SLIDES 216/Boxes 1-4

fonds

ca. 1920-ca. 1960

Graphic Materials, Photographs

909960

225 slides (4 boxes) - lantern, positive - 8.3 x 8.3 cm

Wilmot Hudson Fysh (1895–1974), airline director, was born in Launceston. After the First World War, he and another ex-serviceman, Pat McGinness, were commissioned by the government to survey the Longreach–Darwin section of a London-to-Australia flight – their T-model Ford becoming the first car to journey overland to the Gulf of Carpentaria. In 1920, they and three Queensland graziers established Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (QANTAS), which successfully tendered for passenger and mail service.

Despite fierce competition, in 1934, Qantas and Imperial Airways founded Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, which secured the airmail contract between Australia and England. When the Australian government assumed ownership in 1947, Fysh became chairman and remained as managing director until 1955. He relinquished chairmanship in 1966. Knighted for his work, he wrote an autobiographical trilogy.

Reference:
Centre for Tasmanian Historical Studies. University of Tasmania. http://www.utas.edu.au/library/companion_to_tasmanian_history/F/Hudson%20Fysh.htm (accessed 22 Oct., 2012)

Slides show Qantas aircraft from early biplanes to the Boeing 707, and include photographs of aviators and airmen. There are aerial views taken from planes, photos of Qantas commercial buildings and interesting interiors of early passenger planes with passengers reclining in their bunks or dining at tables. In Box 3 there are some photographs of Fysh and Pat McGinness in their T-model Ford on a trip surveying the Longreach-Darwin section of the flight route to England, which also includes photographs of Aboriginals encountered on the journey.

This pictorial material is part of Sir Hudson Fysh papers at MLMSS 2413 ADD-ON 736

Copyright restrictions may apply: Photographs in this collection created before 1955 are all out of copyright. Photographs created after 1955 are in copyright for the life of the creator plus 70 years.

Lists of the slides have been kept in files together with lecture notes that accompany the slides. All this material is with manuscript collection at MLMSS 2413/Box K21859/Item [ 2 ].

Other pictorial material at Pic.Acc.3590

Pic.Acc. Upgrade Project - Information transferred from Pic.Acc.3253 as part of the eRecords Project 2012-13

Dated by cataloguer

Taped edges of some slides sticking together.