Kenthurst Probus Club members and guests were treated to a captivating slice of Australian aviation history on 18 August, when guest speaker and former Qantas engineer Norman King delivered an extraordinary account of the airline’s very first Boeing 707 Aircraft.
Although billed simply as a talk on “The 707 Aircraft”, King’s presentation focused on one aircraft in particular — the pioneering jet that helped usher Qantas into the jet age. After decades of service, the aircraft was eventually sold off and, as King and a team of Qantas engineers later discovered, left sitting in near-abandonment at a British airfield, awaiting the scrap heap.
What followed was an almost unbelievable twist. The engineers persuaded Qantas to buy back its historic 707 — for the token sum of one British pound — and then set about restoring it to flying condition. Their efforts culminated in the aircraft’s triumphant return to Australia, where it now stands proudly on display at the Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Queensland. King’s detailed retelling of the rescue, restoration and homecoming held the room in rapt attention.
The Club is also preparing for several upcoming outings, including bus trips to Mount Tomah and the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden at St Ives, as well as a Melbourne Cup luncheon planned for November.
Kenthurst Probus will next meet at 9.30am on 15 September at Kenthurst Uniting Church, where members and visitors will hear an address on Captain James Cook. Guests, as always, are warmly welcome.
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