5 out of 5 Airmail envelopes, called flight covers, make up an important part of the aviation collection. Although the idea of carrying mail by aircraft these days seems very ordinary, in 1914 GuillauxвЂ™s flight was an exciting andВ inspiring moment for many Australians.Airmail Envelopes 6 3/4 - 3 5/8 ' x 6 1/2 ', Vintage Air Mail Set, Par Avion, Cute Stationary, Stationery, Happy Mail, Pen Pal, Snail Mail. Over this coming weekend, the The Aviation Historical Society of NSW, with the assistance of Australia Post, will lead the centenary celebrations for this significant event,В through a re-enactment flight by Owen ZuppВ in his Jabiru and accompanying aviators and aircraft. Nevertheless I still wanted to make it clear to non-english speakers that the letters should be sent via air mail.While visiting Australia during 1914, French aviator Maurice Guillaux flew his Bleriot monoplane to deliver AustraliaвЂ™s first official airmail, flyingВ from Melbourne to Sydney on 16-18 July. However since the mail would be origina ting in the United States I decided to use 'Air Mail' which is the term used by the US Postal Service. The international term used is usually 'Par Avion'.

Detail of commemorative airmail bag, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of AustraliaвЂ™s First Airmail, 1964. His Bleriot aircraft is now held in the collection of Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, where its role in the carriage of AustraliaвЂ™s first airmail is celebrated. The route was mapped out with planned refueling stops across the two states, through Seymour, Albury, Wagga Wagga, Harden and Goulburn, at that time the longest airmail delivery in the world. Guillaux was contracted by the Postmaster GeneralвЂ™s Department (PMG) to fly from Melbourne to Sydney, carrying freight and mail in his Bleriot. Flying the mail took precedent over passenger service in the early days as there was reluctance to fly and tickets were extremely expensive.Guillaux spent around 200 days in Australia during 1914, touring cities and towns where heВ thrilled audiences with aerial flights and stunts, including a loop-the-loop at Victoria Park Racecourse in Sydney. Postal Service were essential sources of revenue.

By coincidence, or вЂdivine providenceвЂ™ as he would see it in later years, Byrne was in the perfect location to witness GulliauxвЂ™s flight and begin his life-long interest in aviation.In 1917, Byrne moved to Sydney and began working at the New South Wales Railways Eveleigh workshops as a labourer. Suffering severe depression, separated from his mother, brother and cousin, Byrne left school and started working at the Cohen and Co store in Harden. At the age of 12, ByrneВ went to live with his aunt in Harden. Amongst the crowd of spectators in Harden, New South Wales, was 12 year old Austin Byrne.Born in Wickham, a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales in 1902, ByrneвЂ™s interest in aviation developed through a troubled childhood and early fascination with machines, flight and adventure. Many had never seen an aircraft. Last few set and.Thousands of people turned out to watch Guillaux land at, take off from or flyВ over their towns during his historic airmail flight.

With little training in or knowledge of metal work or sculpting techniques, Byrne began to construct a world globe tracing the flights, a shrine and book of the history of the Southern Cross and a вЂbook of remembranceвЂ™ containing handwritten tributes from famous international aviators.The fourВ artworks of the вЂSouthern CrossвЂ™ Memorial, made by Austin Byrne, 1934-1946. When Kingsford Smith and co-pilot Tommy Pethybridge tragically disappeared in the Lady Southern Cross during that flight, Byrne decided that he would mount his Southern Cross model on a marble pedestal as a tribute to the aircraft and her crews.Encouraged by the success of his model, Byrne began to imagine further tributes in the hope of creating a Southern Cross Memorial to commemorate the lives of Kingsford Smith and Ulm and their journeys in the Southern Cross. Like many Australians, Byrne had been caught up in the frenzy surrounding the flight and he decided to make a model of the Southern Cross.Byrne intended to present the model to Kingsford Smith as a gift on his return after another record breaking flight from England to Australia in November 1935. Pilot Charles Kingsford Smith, co-pilot Charles Ulm and American crew-members, James Warner and Harry Lyon, were greeted as heroes after completing their flight from Oakland, California to Eagle Farm Aerodrome in Brisbane. As an important centre for AustraliaвЂ™s developing aviation industry, Mascot hostedВ numerous businesses and aviators, drawing media and public attention with joy flights, aerobatic displays, record attempts and aerial pageants.On 10 June 1928, Byrne was again part of aviation history as he stood amongst the crowd of thousands that greeted the Southern Cross and her crew at Mascot aerodrome after their successful trans-Pacific flight.

In an effort to revitalise the company, ANAВ flew the first all-Australian airmail flight to England in November 1931, making a return delivery in January 1932.Memorabilia commemorating the first all-Australian airmail flight to England by ANA. The ANA service was promoted as fast, efficient and safe, and by March 1930 over 1244 passengers and 1200 kg of freight had been carried.By 1931, however, ANA was struggling under increasing financial difficulties. In their founding business prospectus, ANA stated that the first objective of the company was to вЂestablish and operate regular Aeroplane Transport Services for the carriage of mails, passengers and freight within the Commonwealth of Australia.вЂ™ ANA started services in 1930, beginning with airmail, freight and passenger flights between Sydney and Brisbane.

With thousands of aircraft carrying tonnes of mail and freight around the world each day, celebrations this July seem an ideal opportunity toВ pause to reflect on the historic flights and brave aviators that paved the way.Feature image: Detail of white canvas airmail bag, printed вЂPostmaster General Australia, inaugural flight, Boeing 707 Jet Service, Sydney-Honolulu, 29 July 1959, QANTAS Empire AirwaysвЂ™. TheВ fad of collectingВ flown envelopes and other memorabilia started with GuillauxвЂ™s 1914 flight and gathered interest during the manyВ airmail flights that followed, creating a mass of collectable cultureВ that has cemented the place of airmail in our history.Airmail continues to be an important part of AustraliaвЂ™s connection to the rest of the world, though it has become part of our every-day lives rather than something that captures our imaginations. When asked what ignited his passion for aviation, Byrne recalled his first view of an aircraft, whenВ Guillaux flew to and over Harden in 1914.The MuseumвЂ™sВ collections present significant stories about the history of airmail, and itsВ extensive material culture response вЂ“ aerophilately.

Airmail Par Avion