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Today, Albury will shine a light on the importance of keeping the story about saving the Uiver alive, writes BEN ROBSON.
BRUISED by storms, blinded by the darkness of night, KLM DC-2 was all but lost to the world.
As millions across the world followed wireless and newspaper reports of the 1934 London to Melbourne air race, the stricken Uiver seemed doomed to failure so close to the finish line.
But then the folk of Albury imprinted their name with the town’s lights, flashing ALBURY in Morse code, into the consciousness of the Dutch people, and at 1.20am on October 24 the crew of the Uiver tossed out two flares as they came in to land and the safety of the ground.
Not much seems to have changed in 80 years.
The windswept race track, photographed by this week by The Border Mail’s Peter Merkesteyn, is still a flat and open space, and only the rumble of the KLM DC-2 Uiver and the cheering mass of Albury residents is missing.
“The story’s significance lies in Dutch-Australian relationships,” Noel Jackling says.
“We have a need to maintain the Uiver story for future generations and to explain the Dutch component of the story, because the Dutch see Albury as an expression of extremely good Australian-Dutch relationships since 1934.”
Noel is event manager for today’s celebrations, which begin today from 8am with a Dutch street organ playing in QEII Square, followed at 9.30am by a parade of vintage cars along Dean Street.
The lead car will be a 1928 Essex sedan which was actually there on the racecourse on that fateful night, illuminating the landing strip for the stricken and lost DC-2.
“The Albury Library Museum has the original number plate for that car,” Noel says.
“The parade will proceed out to the airport and there will be an open day with the memorial Uiver on display and vintage cars laid out in tribute formation.
“There will also be a series of war birds and civilian aircraft with guided tours every hour on the half hour.”
There’s a personal connection to the story for Noel.
Arthur Newnham was the man at ABC 2CO who implored his listeners to drive to the Albury racecourse and use their headlights to illuminate a landing strip for the plane.
“I was his lawyer,” Noel says.
“And he was a good friend of mine.”
Tonight from 6pm High Flying Heroes will be a unique evening hosted by the Uiver Memorial Community Trust at the SS&A Club, Albury.
It will be attended by the Dutch Ambassador to Australia Her Excellency Annemieke Ruigrok, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines general manager Pacific Simon Spinks, and Qantas pilot Captain Richard de Crespigny.
QANTAS flight QF32 Captain de Crespigny successfully landed his Airbus A380 after engine failure in 2010.
And a band will play a special piece found by the grand-niece of then Albury mayor Alfred Waugh.
“She found a gramophone record in the shed of the family home in flaking and terrible condition,” Noel says.
“But the sound on it was of a military band in Assen in Holland and the piece of music was composed for Alfred Waugh’s visit and tour in 1935.
“Tony Smith of the Murray Conservatorium has transcribed it and a band of 16 will play the piece, Albury, probably for the first time since 1935.”
The Uiver Memorial Community Trust will present how they plan to restore Albury’s plane.
And there will be an auction for a return flight to Amsterdam, sponsored by KLM, as well as hyacinths propagated in the Albury Botanic Gardens from flowers that arrived as a gift from Holland in 1934.