Ad Astra No.117 December 2009

Page 37

THE OLD GEELONG COLLEGIANS’ ASSOCIATION

The Duigan Story The Geelong College and Australia’s Centenary of Flight What does The Geelong College have to do with the Australian Centenary of Flight? Embedded in the College’s history are links to Australia’s first aeroplane pilot, Mr John Duigan. John Duigan attended Brighton Grammar in the 1800s, and upon finishing school, went on to attend The Working Man’s College (which later became RMIT). John then went to study Engineering and Electricity in Europe and England, but became intrigued by the ‘new’ aviation. All over Europe, people were putting together pieces of cloth and wire with heavy engines, trying to get ‘up there’. Upon returning to Australia, John went to the family’s sheep station ‘Spring Plains’ near Mia Mia in central Victoria which his brother, Reginald, managed. During this time, John communicated with some of the early flyers in Britain, receiving new aviation magazines as they were published. Soon enough, John’s intrigue led him to construct a large biplane glider which was tethered to a straining post with 40 feet of fencing wire. In a strong wind, John’s glider became airborne and this is how he taught himself flying control. With help from Reginald, John began constructing a full scale flyer made from Mountain Ash, Red Pine, hoop iron from wool bales and quarter-inch coach bolts. The Tilley engine, suspension and wheels were made in Melbourne. After two years, John had constructed Australia’s first aeroplane and became Australia’s first pilot. On 7 October 1910, John flew nearly 200 metres in his plane.

So what does John have to do with The Geelong College? Five of John Duigan’s relatives attended The Geelong College! Reginald Duigan’s three sons (John Duigan’s nephews) Wing Commander Brian Duigan (OGC 1929), Squadron Leader Terry Duigan (OGC 1930) and John D. Duigan (OGC 1942) attended The Geelong College between 1929 and 1945. Wing Commander Brian Duigan flew Wellingtons, Lancasters and Mosquitoes in World War II, and Terry Duigan flew Catalinas

and Liberators. At 80 years plus, John D. Duigan built and flies his own Ultralight machine on Flinders Island where he now lives. Wing Commander Duigan’s son, John L. Duigan, attended the College from 1963 to 1966. The late Terry Duigan and his wife Dr Gwynne Duigan, have a son Michael Duigan who also attended The Geelong College from 1956 to 1961. Michael now lives in Sydney.

However the connections do not end there! Mr Terry Egan, who was Head of Fine Arts at the College from 1972 to 1997, attended an annual gathering of Australian light planes in Narromine (he flew himself there, of course!) and was involved in a discussion about building a Duigan replica. On returning to Geelong, Terry made contact with Terry Duigan’s wife, Dr Gwynne Duigan, who was living in Newtown. Gwynne was enthused about the project and so began a 12-month process to build a flying replica of Australia’s first aeroplane.

John Duigan airborne in Bendigo and Mia Mia

But there’s still more! A number of friends of the College joined Terry on the replica build team. Mr Robert Wells, who taught at The Geelong College from 1975 to 1994, and Mr David Head and Mr Geoffrey Everest, both past parents of the College have assisted Terry to construct the replica in his workshop in Newtown, faithfully following John Duigan’s design and materials. To date, the completed airframe has been built, most of the fabric has been placed on the wings and works on the undercarriage and propeller are underway. A working replica of the Tilley engine is underway, however will not be completed in time if further funds are not found. The Duigan family and two major benefactors have enabled the airframe and ancillaries to be completed, but the team would love any College connections to contribute in a large (or small) way to finish off this amazing project. A celebration of the replica will be held at Mia Mia in mid-July and a flight is planned in Bendigo for 7 October 2010, marking 100 years since John and Reginald Duigan first took to the skies in their aeroplane. You can follow the progress of the replica project by logging on to www.duigancentenaryofflight.org.au

The replica airframe under construction in Geelong

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