Roger’s Dromedary Days
Readers, Sir Roger is excited to have stumbled across this photograph of extraordinary contrasts from the early days of last century. The aeroplane in these days was the world’s newest form of transport. The aircraft’s Shell (oil?) is being delivered by camel – one of the world’s oldest forms of transport. It was taken somewhere in Australia. We think the aircraft is a de Havilland DH84 Dragon built in the early-ish 1930s.
The photo is important to Sir Roger because it is from a lately rediscovered family album, but Sir Roger has no idea of its provenance, the place, the people, or the purpose of the intended flight. Sir Roger’s grandfather, from whose collection it is believed to have come, was a Church of England minister¹ in the backblocks of northern NSW at the time, but this doesn’t look like NSW, except for Broken Hill, perhaps. And by the way, look at the hat on the camel-cart driver! They don’t make them like that any more.
Can you help? What would they have been carrying? Can you shed any light on this amazing image of a lost, pioneering Australia, readers?
¹ Yes, with this sort of background Sir Roger is one big-time apostate!
[tags]Australia, pioneer, aviation, transport, history, de Havilland, DH84, camel, outback, Shell, Church of England, Broken Hill, values, historical values, Australian history, Australian values, photography[/tags]
Posted: 11 February, 2009 in Australian Values, aviation, Culture, History, Life, mystery, Religion.
Comments
Comment from Roger Migently
Posted: 14 February, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Well! Thank you for your research, sir. It does seem it might be either Coota or Charleville, both of which in the thirties were likely barren but perhaps Charleville is more likely to have been visited by camels, isn’t it?
Sadly, Sir Roger’s pa was not around either of those districts and it seems that this might not have been a family heirloom at all. We showed our find to a pilot friend who thought he recognised it and thought it was a promotional shot of some kind (probably for Shell, but perhaps Qantas?). Not therefore Sir Roger’s Grandma, Dame Tung Migently, if you really think the figure is a woman.
We have added two thumbnails to the post. If you click on the thumbnails you will see larger images. The oil is in the rectangular cans, rather than drums, and we fancy the cans come in the boxes. Who knows? But how about that guy’s hat.
Comment from wanderer
Posted: 14 February, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Yes, that’s a hat; a few rabbits gone in there. Apart from the sizable rim, cop the sensible peaked crown, compared to the gentleman, thanks for the thumb, who sports a hat of another purpose. Lord Muck en route to Sydney, boarding his flight to Cootamundra, to sit in the waiting room for the 0320 to Central, assuming they don’t crash in the Coota fog, a sort of aerial Dunbar.
I don’t think Qantas flew the 84 Dragons. Connellan?
Comment from Lang Mack
Posted: 14 February, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I had seen that before somewhere long ago, and have been going through my books to find it, if I can (find it) I’ll let you know.
Comment from wanderer
Posted: 14 February, 2009 at 10:15 am
There’s more isn’t there, in the album. It’s fantastic. And there’s the car, and is that a smartly dressed woman? I’ve tried zooming in, but like most things for me, the closer I look, the less I see. Wouldn’t oil be in drums? It looks like boxes, produce, supplies. Mail would be in bags presumably. So, the car suggests a substantial outpost or town. A well dressed female passenger – minister’s wife? is that Sir Roger’s grandmother?
While trawling the net reading about the de Havilland DH84 Dragon, this came to light, from the Australian Heritage Council, plus ca change etc:
in 1933…”The choice of Cootamundra as the terminus of the England-Australia air route was extremely curious. It was based on the principles that the town was mid-way between Sydney and Melbourne and not far from Canberra, and that passengers and mail could proceed from there to Sydney or Melbourne by rail. It was a less than ideal choice though, as Cootamundra was plagued by the foggy weather which had been Larkin’s nemesis back in 1924. Moreover, the express trains between Sydney and Melbourne passed through the town in each direction at the unwelcoming hours of 2 and 3am! The proposal was widely and rightly ridiculed, but the Commonwealth persevered, and for nearly four years passengers and mail from London to Sydney and Melbourne were deposited at Cootamundra. This unlikely terminus was reached by a Butler Air Transport DH84 Dragon connecting with the Darwin-Brisbane Q.A.N.T.A.S. flight at Charleville.”