Entrepreneur and aviator Dick Smith has personally funded and installed a monument at Culcairn in southern NSW to mark one of Australia’s most significant early aviation milestones, after becoming frustrated by delays from local authorities.
The site commemorates the end of the first flight from England to Australia by a single-engine aircraft, completed in 1920 by pilots Ray Parer and John McIntosh. Their journey ended in a forced landing near Culcairn due to engine trouble, bringing to a close one of the most remarkable long-distance flights of its era.
Smith had initially sought support from Greater Hume Council in 2023 to establish a permanent marker at the site, even offering to contribute financially. However, after more than two years without a decision, he chose to proceed independently, commissioning a large metal sign detailing the achievement.
The sign, manufactured in Sydney, was installed on private land near the original landing site with the help of local resident Paul Lowe, whose family has a direct historical connection to the event. His grandfather, Keith Lowe, assisted in dismantling the aircraft after the forced landing so it could be transported to Melbourne.
Smith said it was important the “incredibly famous flight” was properly recognised, particularly given its place in both Australian and global aviation history. The marker is now visible from the Olympic Highway, although Smith has indicated he would still like to see further support from authorities to establish a safe roadside stopping area for visitors.
"I think we have organisations like the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame which are doing an excellent job, but generally speaking, GA is in such dire straits that there are fewer people to encourage us to look into the past," Smith told Australian Flying. "Bureaucracy is holding back projects, but it is also a lack of funding and the general economic situation where we have high costs through inflation. I always think that people like myself ,who can afford it, should support aviation history wherever they can," he said.