During a stormy afternoon on 19 February 1937, a Stinson aircraft travelling between Brisbane and Sydney crashed into the Lamington Ranges killing four of the seven on board outright and sparking a search that failed to turn up any wreckage.
Nine days after the crash, Beaudesert grazier Bernard O'Reilly set out on foot to find the Stinson wreckage. Through his superior bush skills he found the crash site and, to his surprise, two survivors in desperate need of medical attention. After making them comfortable, he left them to organise a rescue party.
The details of this famous moment in Queensland history are contained in the Inquest file of the Stinson plane crash and is one of Queensland State Archives' most requested records. The 252 pages have been digitised and a selection of the documents are available on the Queensland State Archives website: https://web.archive.org/web/20090709180129/http://www.archives.qld.gov.au/research/stinson.asp
Included are several witness statements and coroners information sheets.
Niles Elvery
Manager Public Access
Queensland State Archives
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