WHO WAS PAUL McGINNESS? by Museum Curator Tom Harwood The other founders of QANTAS called Paul Joseph McGinness (PJM) ‘the spark of QANTAS’, because he first had the idea and the passion to pursue it, but what’s his story? Not even he seemed to know the exact date but PJM was born in the Ballangeich […]
HOW CLOSE DID QANTAS COME TO NOT BEING QANTAS? By Qantas Founders Museum Curator Tom Harwood How close did QANTAS come to not being QANTAS? Very, very close if the variety of names that were thrown around between the foundation meeting at the Gresham Hotel in the last week of July 1920 and the registration […]
What’s not quite right in this photo? At about 7am on the morning of October 11th, 1944, Short S.23 flying boat VH-ABB, ‘Coolangatta’ took off from Rose Bay for Townsville with 7 crew and 22 passengers. The electric flap motor failed and the flaps had to be […]
Australia’s Prime Minister Billy Hughes spent Christmas 1918 at Cobham Hall which was being used as a convalescent hospital for Army officers in Kent, England. The Commandant was Australian-born Florence Bligh, then Lady Darnley who, on Boxing Day, persuaded Hughes to have a conversation with Australian patients Captains John Finlay, John Leahy and Robert McKenzie […]
Last week Qantas Founders Museum had the pleasure of welcoming a very special visitor and his family to our museum. Jim Drane worked for Qantas from 1949 to 1981 and was a flight engineer on the Super Constellations, the Boeing 707s and the Boeing 747s. Jim’s family had contacted the Museum when they heard about […]
In 1956, ex-soldier, engineering fitter and member of Wigan Wheels Cycling Club Donald Lee was selected as a Reserve in the British Cycling team for the Melbourne Olympic Games. Unfortunately he wasn’t required so stayed home in Wigan, Lancashire making things like safety lamps for coal miners, oil pipeline valves and gyroscopes for Blue Streak […]
Roger Goode was a volunteer on the Super Constellation project for eight weeks from April – June 2018. Roger has a unique connection to the Qantas Super Constellations and other Museum aircraft. Thank you Roger for sharing this story with us and for all your hard work on our “Connie”. MY CONNIE CONNECTION Hi my […]
This week marks the 100th anniversary of the recommendations which led to the awarding of the Distinguished Flying Cross to two of the founders of Qantas, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness. Lt. Paul McGinness and his then most-regular Observer, Lt. Howard Fletcher were on patrol with Lts George Peters and James Traill on August 24th […]
TEN REASONS TO VISIT QANTAS FOUNDERS MUSEUM IN LONGREACH Qantas Founders Museum is an award winning, not for profit museum in Longreach, Queensland, 1400km North West of Brisbane. The museum, which is not owned or operated by Qantas, was opened in 1996 and is dedicated to telling the story of Qantas Airways from its humble […]
The month of May was a very big month for Qantas Founders Museum with the arrival of its Super Constellation in Longreach on 24 May 2017. In September 2014, the museum was the successful bidder for Lockheed Super Constellation N4247K, in an auction held by the Manila International Airport Authority. The aircraft, which […]
