archerfield

This photograph was taken on 13 September 1943 @ Archerfield airfield south of Brisbane. Mrs. Roosevelt's tour of Australia was well documented. [ ref. home.st.net.au/~dunn/people/eleanorroosevelt.htm ]

This image has been included in the Indicommons.org post Women across the Commons, prior to International Women's Day.

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Vintage Australian Photos, and we'd love to have this added to the group!

Once the main airport in Brisbane, Archerfield Airport holds a rich history from the time it was first established in the 1930s. Today, Archerfield Airport serves as a major general aviation airport and secondary airport for the city. Within the property are a licensed pub, aircraft hire, flight training facilities and a heritage-listed cemetery. Its art deco passenger terminal remains intact from the time it was built in 1941. This fully preserved structure pretty much gives the present a glimpse of the past. A public aviation museum also exists within the airport. It was in 1927 when the area was first tested by Captain Lester Brian, chief flying instructor for Qantas Airways, to see if it could be used an airfield. The government purchased the site in 1929 to build the airport and named it Archerfield to distinguish it from the surrounding farmlands. On 1 April 1931, the airport officially opened. Qantas moved its operations from Eagle Farm to Archerfield. Ansett ANA and Trans Australia Airlines also offered regular passenger transport services at the airport. During World War II, Archerfield Airport was abuzz with activity as it became a significant airfield for the military. It hosted the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It was after WWII when the Eagle Farm airport grew in significance and Archerfield got delegated to secondary airport status. The airport turned its focus to flight training afterwards. Today, one of the oldest flying schools in the world, the Royal Queensland Aero Club, still operates at Archerfield. Source: robertsonnews.com.au/rich-history-of-archerfield-airport-...

Royal Queensland Aero Club is the oldest established flying school in the world, this year they will proudly celebrate their 90th anniversary of continuous flying operations. Early members of Royal Queensland Aero Club include many of Australia's most distinguished aviators including Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, Bert Hinkler and Lores Bonney. RQAC has a long association with Qantas, having first signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd (Qantas) on 28th March 1930. In 1940 the RQAC commenced training of Pilots for the Royal Aust Air Force at Archerfield using Club facilities and aircraft. Royal Queensland Aero Club has a proud heritage of aviation training they have not been content with to rest their proud traditions and reputation. As they enter their 91st year of operations RQAC endeavors to provide flight training at the highest standards with an emphasis on continuous improvement at all times. Source: www.bestaviation.net/school/aeroclub_rqac/

The British saw a Dutch postal service to Australia as undermining British prestige. The flight of De Uiver also needs to be looked at within the geopolitical spectrum. On the one hand, the Dutch had shown that a faster service could be established. On the other hand, the Dutch success made the British even more obstructive. It took until 1938 before a regular passenger and mail service could be established. Flights from NEI to Australia stopped once the war reached NEI in 1942. The last regular KNILM flight to Archerfield arrived on 19 February 1942. This was at the same time an evacuation flight that brought senior KNILM staff to Australia, weeks before the Japanese occupation of the NEI. Soon after the war, the resumption of the commercial KNILM service from NEI was planned, depending on the development of the political situation in NEI. Already the Dutch 19 Squadron at Archerfield (see below) had taken delivery of a Douglas Skymaster airplane from America, and two more arrived soon after that, to be used for the Indies run. These planes became a temporary nucleus for a revived KNILM service. Source: paulbuddehistory.com/travelogues/the-dutch-at-archerfield...