OSCAR GARDEN

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1930, Page 3

OSCAR GARDEN

A GREAT AVELCOME

,’By Telegraph—Per Pres* Asßociatlnji.'i’

WELLINGTON, ’ Novym.f £ Mr Oscar Garden, the New Zealand

« i aviafcr, ’arrived to-day by the Uiima- " * roa from Sydney. He was given a big reception by .a* large crowd on • the wharf, and. later a civic reception at the town Hall by the Mayor, Mr and leading citizens. 'C? 1 WELLINGTON, Nov. 25. •• marked the civic reception given Oscar Garden at the_To».n Hall this afternoon. The building vas packed jtp overflowing. Mr Sfaiinage, Kingsford Smith's wifeless operator, was also on. the platfbrm. The Mtfyof, Mr ■ Troup, expressed Wellington's -ap* preciation of Garden’s success as an airriian iiipn?; sjfalarider, and welcomed him to -the city. Hon. Mr Cobbe congratulated the 'Onbtbe siide'eSs. of his plucky, lonely flight,- which would stimulate . avfatipp .ip. ’tjie Dominion greatly.- Tile . . spirit oi -A- race of .great ancestors-; still . livod. ~ , . !

,;’Mr-;M. F.Luckie, Senior City CortnH alpq welcomed the airman.• Wing Commander Grant Dalton ;; praised Garden’s feat, referring • esi peeiatly to its being done with so '.tmbdest a. machine and engine. He remarked that, it was better to spend £3£> 6ver. tliree months in learning to

flv than to spend it oh amusements

StanPagesaid that the hfcfse be ‘‘-'P’hnetv ; of 'flvino; mfide. him realise the enterprise 'of Garden. ->•' ’Str T. E. CorlcilV. President o: the Manx••Soeietv, after bearing ■, Scotch, Trisli and English voices. Mr ... . Garden might be glad to henr to-icsrto remind him of the Isle of Man where Garden’s' mother lived., ami of Dcag- ‘ : Jus,' where Carden went to school He ‘presented the airman with a pair of greenstone and gold cuff links, > the greenstone to remind him of New Zen. • , land, 'and .the three legs of Man to , «i reipind him of his parentage. ..v ...v ,-.Ciarden, who was given an ovation, that Wellington’s reception had taken his breath away. One of. the pleasantest, things on Jiis trip was . New Zealanders all along the V- route. He hoped the flight would give Hv a fillip to aviation in the Dominion. '■-V . ;.As' co’ his flight, lie had only followed 'in other’s footsteps. “Do you know.

why I took on the flight; from Eng- * hind to New Zealand?” he asked, , . “When. I 4 said New Zealand, I was thipkiug in ignorance, as such a flight, is impossible with a bus like Gipsy Moth, and I knew that if I failed, it would do the game no good. When - flying, I soon got my license, the right to fly alone. I' then went for a B / ticket,, for a commercial pilot’s license. To gain that you have to put in 100 hours’ flying. 1 had done only 41 hours when , I left England, so I thought I could put in the rest flying . to. Australia instead of round the, aerodromes of England!” Hite thanks for the reception were followed by cheers for him. Oscar Garden is to spend about? 1 a month on a flying tour of New Zealand in the GipSy- Moth maclnne' ih

which he flew from England to Aus-

....itriilia;' 'i :<He will be accompanied by •: Captain:' #>-W.' Haig, tile flying officer ' of the Vacuum; Oil Coy for New Zealand and Australia, in the latter’s own plane. , Garden will remain at ’Wellington until Friday, when he will proceed to !his home at-Timaru, afterwards going to Christchurch, taking in., the (Smith Island ‘‘Tri'His ’flight. He will then return to Wellington, and fly around the North Island. Ho lias received suchm number of wireless messages that practically every Fl'i;v Club in New Zealand has invited him to visit its locality.