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Longreach Memorial ClockPrint Page Print this page

12-July-2014
12-July-2014

Photographs supplied by John Huth

The clock commemorates four people who were killed in an aeroplane crash west of Longreach in May 1961.

Five people were killed this afternoon when a twin engined Beechcraft Baron aircraft crashed near Longreach, Western Queensland. Their bodies were found in the wreckage of the £35,000 plane. The plane had taken off from Longreach at 9.30 a.m. for a ten-minute demonstration. Apparently it crashed soon after take-off on Kerfield station three miles west of Longreach. The wreckage was not found until 3.45 p.m. when the pilot of a searching aircraft spotted the crumpled wreckage. 

The pilot, Edward Binning, was ferrying the aircraft through Queensland to Alice Springs for delivery to the light plane airline Connellan Airways. Binning flew the plane to Australia from the Beech Aircraft Corporation factory at Wichita, Kansas only three days ago. The victims were Edward Binning, pilot, American, David Barret, manager of Leander Station near Longreach, David Taylor of Longreach, Robert Ferguson, Civil Aviation Department, Longreach and John Smith, manager of Somerset Airways, Longreach. 
The Canberra Times (ACT), 13 May 1961. 

Location

Address:Eagle & Swan Streets, Longreach, 4730
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -23.442832
Long: 144.248508
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Clock
Monument Theme:Disaster
Sub-Theme:Aviation
Actual Event Start Date:12-May-1961
Actual Event End Date:12-May-1961

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Monday 15th July, 1963
Front Inscription

The town clock was erected by the APEX Club of Longreach and presented to the Shire of Longreach on 15th July 1963

In memory of

David C. H. Barnett    W. David Taylor
Edward G. Binning     John J. Smith
Robert W. Ferguson

Killed in an aircraft accident

12 May 1961

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au