Australia. Royal Australian Air Force Collection,
PictureNT,
PictureNT,
Date
1920,
Description
Aircraft is De Havilland DH 61, registration G-AUHW. Flown by Les Holden, a member of the famous South Australian transport company (later merged with General Motors). Holden flew the aircraft in the search for the 'Southern Cross' in the infamous 'Coffee Royal' Affair in which Kingsford Smith, Ulm and crew were lost near the Prince Regent River in N.W. West Australia, some 250m. from Wyndham. Holden located the 'Southern Cross' at 9:50am (local time), 12 April 1929 and Kingsford Smith and his crew were subsequently rescued. As an aside, the Westland Widgeon aircraft G-AUKA 'Kookaburra' was lost during the search and the crew of Hitchcock & Anderson perished in the desert near Wave Hill. Holden also flew 'Canberra', as G-AUHW was named, to the N.T. two months later in June 1929 when he flew the Minister for Home Affairs C.L.A. Abbott (later the Administrator of the N.T.) on a tur of the N.T. to discuss air travel in the inland. They flew via Brunette Downs, Newcastle Waters, Wave Hill and V.R.D., flying over the remains of 'Kookaburra' G-AUKA, on the journey to Wyndham.,