About 35 years ago I visited Norman Brearley at his home in Peppermint Grove to ask if he would attend the opening of the new Geraldton airport. Sir Norman would be the guest of Skywest Airlines and he would be invited to pilot the aircraft on the northward journey.
The spry nonagenarian bounded out of his chair to shake my hand in a ready acceptance of the invitation to return to piloting once again.
So imagine my surprise when today in Derby I learned of Brearley’s establishment of West Australian Airways first 1921 air service linking Derby with Geraldton and thence to Perth which then was the world’s longest passenger airline route. Sir Norman then employed, as one of his initial 5 pilots, Charles Kingsford Smith.
That was a full year ahead of the commencement of Qantas out of Winton and Longreach in Queensland.
And on this our travels around Australia we also plan to see the Queensland outback which includes the place of origin of Brearley’s contemporary Sir Hudson Fysh.
Interestingly it was the Kimberley parliamentarian M.P. Durack MP who assisted Brearley in his early north-west establishment years, plus assisting the aviator setting up a hangar on Langley Park at the rear of Durack House on Adelaide Tce Perth.
But back to the Skywest invitational flight by Sir Norman. He attended the airport opening in Geraldton, briefly taking the controls from the right hand seat en-route. Brearley was a very popular inclusion at the event and he took me gently aside during the festivities and told me that an old aircraft engine displayed in the new facility was once a part of West Australian Airways operational aircraft.
“Brian, I never did own one of those engines” he intoned, but let’s not spoil their celebrations!”
Tomorrow here in Derby we are planning to visit Wharfinger Museum, the harbinger of Derby’s historical significance including the early airline business. Perhaps it would be handy to have Sir Norman looking over my shoulder.
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