FIRST AIRMAIL FLIGHT TO ANTARCTICA

Grey River Argus, 6 August 1948, Page 8

FIRST AIRMAIL FLIGHT TO ANTARCTICA

CHRISTCHURCH, August 5 A Catalina amphibian flying boat landed at Wifiram at 0.45 this morning. The aircraft was a Royal Australian Air Force machine, which was returning from a flight to Macquarie island, one of Australia’s Antarctic dependencies. Flying from Hobart to Macquarie island, the aircraft provided the first air-mail service in Antarctica. The commander, Squadron Leader R. H. S. Gray, said that the purpose of the flight was primarily to take an engineer to the Australian Antarctic Research Expedition’s base at Macquarie island .to replace an engineer who had been drowned. The opportunity had also been taken to carry mails from Australia to the island and pick up return mail. Thus the flight was actually the first air mail flight to Antarctica. Some stores and equipment for the expedition had been taken and the Catalina was taking back to Australia scientific material collected by the expedition. The Catalina left Hobart at 5 a.m. Australian time yesterday morning and arrived at Macquarie island, where it landed on the sea at 1 p.m., also Australian time. It left at 3.15 p.m., Australian time, for New Zealand. The .Catalina had a bad trip down to Macquarie island, but the flight to New Zealand was macle in good conditions.