Arthur Butler Aviation Museum.

[old man emu]

I'd like to announce the formation of an organisation whose aim it is to preserve the history of Arthur Butler and his role in the development of civil aviation west of the Great Divide in New South Wales and Southwest Queensland. The Organisation is the "Arthur Butler Aviation Museum Inc. It's base is at Tooraweenah in New South Wales at the foot of the Warrumbungle Mountains.

 

Apart from its aim of preserving history, it also aims to increase aircraft movements at Tooraweenah on probably the best grass strip in the country (no catheads). It aims to do that by building an amenities block with toilets, showers and washing facilities for anyone who would like to overnight at the airport and camp under the wing. In the future it is hoped that Tooraweenah airport will become an out field for training organisations. It is possible that hangarage might be built.

 

The organisation is fortunate in that the townspeople are a go-ahead mob and would like to develop the town as a tourist centre since it has the natural beauty of the Warrumbungle Mountains and easy access to Siding Springs Observatory. Obviously the museum housing material telling Butler's story will be on the Airport.

[Old Koreelah]

Perhaps a few fly-in working bees?

[FlyBoy1960]

It would help if you said a few words about the man, what exactly did he do that warrants a museum ?    sorry to ask this dumb question but I just don't know and haven't heard of him

[facthunter]

Making money from aeroplanes has always been a challenging business. I suppose flying a dimunitive aeroplane from England to here, back then was a significant event in itself.  There's other good stories about many of the efforts of people like Eddie Connellan whose Air route miles were more than BEA had.  Nev

[onetrack]

26 minutes ago, FlyBoy1960 said:

It would help if you said a few words about the man, what exactly did he do that warrants a museum ?    sorry to ask this dumb question but I just don't know and haven't heard of him

C.A. (Arthur) Butler biographies, below. He did pretty well for a lad who was born dyslexic. He gained his aircraft engineers licence in 1923 and ended up working for the Larkin Aircraft Supply Co, another famous Australian aviation pioneering manufacturer.

 

From Geoof Goodall's site -

 

"The first Comper (aircraft) seen in Australia was G-ABRE in which a young Arthur Butler made a record-breaking solo flight from England in October-November 1931.  Butler was an Australian engineer and pilot who had sailed to England to find employment in the aviation industry. When he was ready to return to Australia, Nicholas Comper loaned him G-ABRE to hopefully gain publicity for the Swift design.

Butler repaid his generosity with feverish press coverage of the successful flight and his subsequent 8 week publicity tour from Sydney to Perth, at which he was mobbed by public at each stop. 

Newspapers delighted in reporting that Butler wore carpet slippers while flying the small aircraft, and that on his way to Sydney had landed at the small town of Tooraweenah NSW to propose marriage to his young lady.

After Butler's sales tour of southern Australia, with no sales forthcoming, G-ABRE was quietly shipped back to England.

 

A new company Swift Aircraft (Australia), 74 Pitt Street, Sydney was formed as sole sales agent for Comper Aircraft. Managing Director was Esmond B. Wilshire.

 

Arthur Butler subsequently established Butler Air Transport Co, which grew into a significant passenger airline with DC-3s, Herons, Ambassadors and Viscounts before Ansett Airways gained control in 1958, after which it was renamed Airlines of NSW."

 

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/butler-cecil-arthur-9645

 

 

Edited June 4, 2022 by onetrack
corrections...

[old man emu]

20 hours ago, FlyBoy1960 said:

It would help if you said a few words about the man, what exactly did he do that warrants a museum ?    sorry to ask this dumb question but I just don't know and haven't heard of him

 

While the flight to Australia set a record, his motivation wasn't simply the current at the time fad for setting records. He had his eye on a bit of skirt who lived in Tooraweenah. He was in England about to start working for Saunders-Roe when a mate in Australia let him know that a local grazier was spending a bit too much time with the skirt. So he decided that he had better get back to Tooraweenah pretty damned quick and pledge his troth. A ship would have taken at least six weeks, so, telling his story to Comper, who he had met by chance, the deal was struck that Butler would fly the Swift to Australia, and after taking care of affairs of the heart, would do a sales tour of Australia to sell Comper's aircraft and Pobjoy's engines.

 

Unlike a lot of these 'one hit wonders', Butler put his heart and soul into developing air services for inland NSW and Southwest Queensland. Before he had left for England, he had run a section of the Australia to England mail service, carrying mail from Cootamundra to Charelville. He started his airline before WWII, based at Toraweenah, and was allowed to keep operating during the War. After the War, he expanded the airline and built the all weather strip at Tooraweenah. Eventually Butler Air Transport covered most of northwest NSW.

Reg Ansett white-anted him in when the Two Airlines policy was introduced, and Butler Air Transport was absorbed into the Ansett conglomeration. That Broke Butler's heart and he walked away from the industry. However, in partnership with Nancy Bird Walton he campaigned for the establishment of the NSW Air Ambulance Service.

 

So, in a nutshell, that's why he warrants a museum.

 

Oh! And he married the skirt a couple of months after the record flight.

 

[Carbon Canary]

 

If you haven't already, you may wish to contact Cootamundra Council - they also have a strong connection with Arthur Butler.

 

The terminal building at Cootamundra Airport was named the Arthur Butler Terminal in 2007. 

 

CC

[old man emu]

I'm setting up a publicity network with newspapers, Australian aviation publications and flying clubs. I've already sent a press release to the paper at Coota. But I need help to get more contact details. 

 

I'd love to know what Australian aviation publications you read.

What are the contact details of your flying club?

If you live along these air routes, what is you local newspaper?

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