Mia Mia - Stinson Memorial
Mia Mia residents banded together to create a memorial for the ten people killed in a fiery plane crash, 75 years previous (on 31st January 1945).
The Stinson Memorial Project began in 2018 as a result of a chance conversation. This conversation revealed a previously unknown history of the area to one of those conversationalists and sparked a desire to redress that lack of knowledge and lack of recognition of one of Australia's significant air disasters.
Following on from some local press reporting, and under the auspices of the Mia Mia Mechanics Institute Inc., a group of interested people began the process of researching the crash, its victims and witnesses and undertook the design and implementation of a permanent memorial.
Support for the project was sought from local, state and federal political representatives, from service and community organisations and from the local community.
Integral to the success of this project was the support of the families of those lost in the crash. Many hours were put into finding the relatives and descendants and that work continues as not all have yet been found.
The information sign at site has the following text:
The tragedy
On January 31st 1945 at approximately 8.15am, the Australian National Airways mail plane VHUYY TOKANA was flying the daily route from Melbourne to Broken Hill via Kerang anal Mildura. The plane was observed to be flying at about to 300 to 600 metres height above ground. The port wing is reported to have broken off outboard of the engine, which caused the plane to lose control and crash here in the paddocks of Spring Plains. All eight passengers and two crew perished. Many local people arrived at the scene to assist, but couldn't get close enough to help as the flames and heat from the burning wreckage were too intense.
The Plane
The Plane was an "A" model Stinson manufactured in the USA in 1933-34, one of four purchased by Airlines of Australia. In 1943 the two remaining Stinson Trimotors had been idle for some years in need of parts and were now owned by the Australian National Airways. At the request of A.N.A the department of Civil Aviation's Aeronautical Engineering Branch detailed engineering modifications to make these aircraft useful, converting the planes into a twin engine configuration using two Pratt and Whitney 550 HP engines from the three Lycoming 235 HP engines. The conversion was carried out by A.N.A at the Essendon Airport workshop, and after flight testing the planes were available for service. The TOKANA had flown 2797 hours since the conversion to twin engines without mishap and had flown a little over 500 hours since its last Certificate Airworthiness Inspection.
The people of the districts of Spring Plains, Mia Mia anal Redesdale
The early morning flight of the mail plane was predictable and regularly observed by local people. When the first signs of the plane's fate became evident the authorities were soon alerted, the Post Mistress, Mrs S Govey and Reg Bennett, the property owner where the crash occurred, made calls to alert the Heathcote police. Stan Cullen arrived first to discover a scene of total devastation. Rupert Knight, Clarrie Coombe, Reg Bennett and many others attended but were unable to help under the difficult circumstances as flames leapt up to 10 metres into the air. The tragedy left an indelible impression upon the community, particularly the youth whose recollections after seventy four years made cause for this memorial to be created.
Crew and Passengers
Pilots: Captain Alan Leigh Murn, an experienced pilot who came to civil aviation from the Royal Australian Airforce in February 1944.
First Officer: Orvil Darcy Openshaw, was an experienced commercial pilot from New Zealand who joined A.N.A in August 1944.
Passengers: John Gordon Jensen. Production manager of the Mildura Munitions Factory.
Roy Fairfax Richardson. Mechanical supervisor with the Allied Works Council.
John Tayleur. Supervisor in construction with the Allied Works council.
Harry Franklin Black. Technical reoresentive of the Allison Engineering Company and an American citizen on loan to the RAAF from the United States Army.
Brothers, Peter Lawn aged 11 years and Kevin Lawn aged 10 years returning home to Kerang after staying with their aunt in Melbourne.
Father and son, Frederick Kerr aged 50 years and his son Colin Kerr 17, returning to Broken Hill where Mr Kerr was an Inspector of Mines and Colin was about to start his career as a cadet mining engineer.
The Prime Minister, The Hon John Curtin's tribute to the victims
"That he had learned with deepest regret of a shocking accident which had cost Australia the lives of valuable men doing great work for the nation. They were fine men, whom Australia could not afford to lose"
Outcome
An inquiry was ordered into the crash of ANA VHUYY "TOKANA" which included many eye witness accounts, past flight reports, witness statements from the associated aviation professionals and probably for the first time, scientific metallurgical analysis investigation of the air frame at the sites of the structural failures. The cause of the crash was determined to be a crack in the weld of a key structural component of the wing, which was further weakened by metal fatigue leading to a total and catastrophic failure of the wing. Testing of airframe components became standard practice thereafter to determine the safe structural life in Australia and was adopted by many other countries.
Location
Stinson Memorial, Burke and Wills Track, Mia Mia 3444 Map
Web Links
→ stinsonmemorial.com
→ The Stinson Memorial Project on Facebook
