Celebrations
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FUTURE EXHIBITIONS OF THE DUIGAN REPLICA
GEELONG
Sunday 12th December, 2010.
The Duigan Replica will be on show at the Steam Packet Gardens on the water front, during the Celebrations for the Centenary of the City of Geelong in 1910.
BALLARAT
The project team is to exhibit the Duigan Replica Aircraft at Ballarat Airport on the following dates and times:
Tuesday 25th January at 10am* (Centenary Reenactment Day - Enthusiasts and Media)
To commemorate the demonstration flight of the Duigan to The Argus newspaper
at Mia Mia on the same date in 1911.
Entry to the museum, and viewing of the Duigan Replica: $6 per Adult, $3 per child, $11 per family.
Museum open 9am to 12pm - including Duigan Photo and Powerpoint Displays.
Wednesday 26th January - Australia Day (Public Day) at 10am* and 2pm*
To invite the public to an exhibition of the aircraft at those two times.
Entry to the museum, and viewing of the Duigan Replica: $6 per Adult, $3 per child, $11 per family.
BBQ and refreshments will also be available.
Museum open 9am to 4pm - including Duigan Photo and Powerpoint Displays.
Friday 11th of February at 10am* (Exclusive School Excursion Day)
To invite local school excursions to an exhibition of the aircraft.
Museum open 9am to 12pm - including Duigan Photo and Powerpoint Displays.
Entry to the museum, and viewing of the Duigan Replica, with speaker, is available
to school excursions at a cost of $2 per child.
*On all three days:
It is intended to exhibit the aircraft operating (subject to weather conditions).
It is intended to display the aircraft in front of the Ballarat Aviation Museum hangar
and to have that area roped off for public landside access.
AVALON AIR SHOW
The Duigan Replica will be on show at the Avalon Air Show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
GEELONG
Saturday 19th March, 2011 - The Geelong College Open Day. The Duigan Replica will be on show.
Click here to view the Aircraft in action.
BENDIGO
Negotiations with the Council of the City of Greater Bendigo and the Bendigo Flying Club have been unrewarding. Therefore the Duigan Replica will not be on show at the Bendigo Easter Fair or at the Bendigo Airport on the 3rd of May 2011, the anniversary of the first public flight of the original Duigan at the Bendigo Racecourse in 1910.
PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS OF THE DUIGAN REPLICA
AUSTRALIAN CENTENARY OF POWERED FLIGHT CELEBRATIONS REPORT
A bluestone monument capped by a propeller, from a Liberator bomber, stands on the Burke and Wills Track, 5 kilometres from Mia Mia, adjacent to Spring Plains. The Monument, designed by Terence Lawless Duigan, the son of Reginald Duigan, was erected in 1960 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first flight.
The Festival events were organized by, ‘The Australian Centenary of Powered Flight,' a committee consisting of local and city members, with the president, Paul Fox, the chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation and the Secretary Jill James, Treasurer Grant Hulls, Committee Anton Hasell, Colin Smith, Ned Upton, Ian Ross, Amit Menghani, Mike McKellar and Julian Fraser.
On Friday, 16th July, the Centenary Celebrations opened with a ceremony at the Duigan Monument. The Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretser AC, unveiled a plaque to commemorate the occasion. A large number of people attended, including almost all of the descendants of the Duigan brothers. Three light aircraft, a Winjeel and two C T - 4's, flew over the Monument at the close of proceedings. The Winjeel one CT 4 came from the RAAF museum at Point Cook and the other CT 4, privately owned is based at the Kyneton Airport.
The Duigan Replica was constructed by a team of retired experts recruited by Terry Egan, a retired Geelong College school master, all of whom have had experience in restoring motor cars and building aeroplanes. These are, David Head, a retired auto - motive engineer, Norman Cook, an auto - engineer, retired from Fords Motor Company, Robert Wells, a wood worker and retired Geelong College master, Geoff Everett and William Andrews, retired accountants and ‘car buffs.' The Replica was shown on public display for the first time on the Mia Mia Oval. It was removed from the trailer, especially constructed for transport by the team, and assembled later in the day.
A festive Black Tie Dinner was held on the Friday evening at Nungara in a large shed, heated and decorated for the occasion. One hundred and fifty guests were present and excellent speeches were given by John Denis Duigan, the only surviving son of Reginald Duigan, and Terry Egan, the leader of the Replica team.
On Saturday, 17th July, many activities took place at the Mia Mia Oval. The Duigan Replica was the main feature, attracting crowds of people all day. Unfortunately, the engine again gave trouble and could not be started, even to rotate the propeller. It had been going the days before the machine was transported from Geelong. However, heavy rain had fallen in the Mia Mia district on the previous two weeks, making the ground very soft and muddy and thus unsuitable for light aircraft, so even if the engine had fired, the plane could not have taxied.
Helicopter rides were very popular, keeping the aero busy all day. Three vintage car clubs, the ‘Alvis car club of Victoria,' the ‘Armstrong Siddley Car Club,' and the'VSCC,' (Victorian Sports Club) exhibited approximately fifty cars. The beautifully restored, Pierce - Arrow which had once belonged to John Robertson Duigan, now owned by Malcolm Sloane, son of the original buyer, was on show outside a tent where Mark Pilkington, the secretary of the Australian Aviation Restoration Group, which manages the Australian National Aviation Museum, arranged a Power Point presentation of the building of the original Duigan and of the Duigan Replica was shown together with the ‘History of the Duigan Family.' Many photographs from these series were displayed. DVDs and First Day Covers were on sale. Mark also displayed four historic aeroplane engines from the Museum:--
V 4 - 1910, (installed in Larry Marshall ‘s aero), a Kelly Lewis Renault Copy V8, 1915, (from B2 at Pt Cook), 1974 A.B.C. Cirrus Upright in line 4 cylinder, (from De Havilland Cirrus Moth), 1930 Armstrong Siddley Genet 5 cylinder radial engine (Junkers 550 monoplane).
In other tents, books, mainly concerning aviation, were on sale or order. These included ‘A Flying Life,' by David Crotty, a Curator in the History and Technology Department of the Victorian Museum, a just published accountant of the life of John Robertson Duigan.
In another tent, tools invented by Reginald Duigan were on display, some bearing his name, engraved. A number of these were for sale.
Local food and wine proved very popular.
On the Saturday evening, members of the Duigan family entertained the members of the Duigan Replica construction and supporting team and their wives and partners to dinner at the Redesdale Hotel, by way of celebrating their two years of very hard work and magnificent achievement.
All things considered the festival was a great success, despite the cold weather and the mud! Many expressions of appreciation and enjoyment were received. The members of the organizing committee of ‘The Australian Centenary of Powered Flight' are to be congratulated for their achievement and we look forward to 2060, the 150th anniversary of the first flight of an Australian aeroplane.