LATE MR O’HARA

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19901, 2 June 1936, Page 10

LATE MR O’HARA

TRIBUTE TO AIRMAN. FRIENDLY AND LIKEABLE. There was no more likeable, more friendly airman than Pat O’Hara, who, after flying- safely last year across 1300 miles of the Tasman Sea to New Zealand was killed near Dubbo whei. “faithful Zealandia,” as he called hi. ’plane, crashed and burned, says the Sydney Sun.

y j Typical of the man was a message L > J lie telephoned before he left for Mel--1 j bourne. - j He felt that, somehow, an impres--2 j sion had gained ground that, be--1 j cause he was a wealthy man, he was . ! opposed to the policy of the Laboui > Government in New Zealand. Con- , scientious, Pat ’Hara asked that this L misconception be corrected. Guilder Millionaire. These were his words:— “There is a good future in store ■ for the Labour Party in New Zealand. They are a moderate, hardworking, hard-thinking Cabinet, with the confidence of the people, and they have the prosperity of the people at heart.” Walter Martin O’Hara, known as “Pat,” aged 34, born in New Zealand, was reputedly the largest private plantation owner in Java. In the currency of the country he was a “guilder millionaire.” He studied agriculture at Sydney University in 1925, before going to Java to take charge of the family estates there—rubber and coffee plantations at Loegoer, Dowo, Kali Clidik, and the Sido Rodjo estates. Last year he went to Sydney on 1 pleasure and business and, having learnt to fly some years ago in Perth, he bought a Klemm Eagle monoplane. Care for Mother. O’Hara asked of the “Sydney Sun” a small favour, the granting of which began a bond of friendship between him and the aviation writer. He did not want it stated that he had an aeroplane, as his mother in New Zealand thought ’planes dangerous, and would worry if she knew he was flying, he said. The same thought for his mother’s peace of mind—and no other consid-eration-prompted him to take “The Sun” into his confidence when he proposed to fly to New Zealand. He became “Pilot X,” and his secret was kept for a week, until, just before he hopped-off, the name of the mysterj pilot was stated from official quarters. In the dawn of September 17, he took off from Richmond, implicitly confident in Zealandla; he .reached Auckland tyat night. With his grin, and the courtesy, charm, and good-humour that twinkled in his brown eyes, O’Hara seemed incapable of ill-will; and certainly he bore none against the authorities who had refused him, at the eleventh hour, permission to fly the Tasman. Thought of Others. “Don't say anything against them,” he asked “The Sun” man. “They’re jolly decent chaps, really.” * When the Air Force did not wake him until 4 a.m., he said, as he donned his flying kit, “They thought they were doing what was best for me.” One of his last acts, before he left Sydney on his last flight, was to fulfil a commission for a “hard-up” friend in Java, who had asked O’Hara to try to collect some money owing in Sydney. In New Zealand he did joy-riding and handed all the proceeds, a considerable sum, to returned soldier organisations. He never forgot a friend, and, on his return to Sydney, wrote about 50 j letters to acquaintances he had made l in the Dominion. \ Everyone at Mascot liked him, knew his farewell, “Cheer-ho!” Ironically, it was probably this fine I friendliness of Pat O’Hara’s which led to his crash. ij Loss of Speed. He would have leaned away from ij the instrument board, waving out, a: he climbed the ’plane. The air speei would slip back—9o-80-70-t3O-50—and. 1 I before he was aware of it, the ’plane ! \ would have come to the critical stall- ’ | ing angle where it no longer has suf- I i ficient flying speed for lift; aileron j control goes, and it falls. In those last few seconds he would struggle to flatten out, keeping the 1 engine on. Too near the ground to regain con- I trol it crashed, and the petrol tanks, j full for his flight to Melbourne, j smashed open and did the rest. \ So dies a man who had everything j to live for. Money, friends, inter- ! ests, and the happiest personality— \ these were Pat O'Hara’s, until when, bound back to his Java home he waved to his friends, “Cheer-ho!”