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First Airmail from Adelaide to GawlerPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the first airmail flight from Adelaide to Gawler and was unveiled on the 80th anniversary of the event. On the centenary anniversary in 2017, a memorial marker was placed at the site.
In November 1917, R. Graham Carey flew his Bleriot 60 aircraft from Enfield to the Gawler Racecourse at Evanston, carrying the first official air mail delivery within South Australia.
The mail consisted of 100 souvenir postcards (which sold at 2/6d. each) and 10 letters including a letter from the Lord Mayor of Adelaide to the Mayor of Gawler.
The Bleriot took off from Enfield at 3 pm and arrived over Gawler at about 3.30 pm. Carey described the flight as uneventful although the weather was bad, with heavy showers. His arrival at Gawler attracted great attention as he circled over the temporary landing field. Following his successful landing on the racecourse, Carey handed over the mail to junior telegraph messenger, Walter Nelson, who delivered it to the Gawler Post Office.
Location
| Address: | Barnet Road, Gawler Racecourse, Evanston, 5116 |
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| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.611875 Long: 138.743168 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 23-November-1917 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 23-November-1917 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 23rd November, 1997 |
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Commemorating the Adelaide to Gawler first air mail within South Australia by R. Graham Carey
23 November 1917
Unveiled on the 80th anniversary by Dr B. C. Eastick AM
