‘Flying by the seat of their pants’ is not something airline passengers wish for or expect from pilots on approach to or departure from King Island, but it is an appropriate turn of phrase for a new exhibition in the King Island Airport terminal.

The touring exhibition, which focuses on pioneering aviation in Bass Strait from 1919-39, was created as a collaborative project between the Flinders Island Furneaux Museum and the Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society (TAHS), based in Launceston. The TAHS’ objective is to recognise, document, and promote aviation history of Tasmania, including King Island.

The King Island Historical Society was keen to be involved with this unique touring exhibition.

“The touring exhibition started about a year ago on Flinders Island and went on to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston before making its full 180 to King Island,” KIHS president Luke Agati said.

“The King Island Historical Society is proud to be part of this unique exhibition and to have been made an Honorary Member of the Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society.”

TAHS president Andrew Johnson said the exhibition had come together well in the airport terminal space.

“We are very excited about the potential exposure the displays will have over the summer period,” he said.

“Being able to display the exhibition Flying by the Seat of their Pants on King Island was important, allowing us to share these pioneer aviation stories with the community of one of the two major islands in Bass Strait.”

A timber and aluminium frame that resembles an early aircraft fuselage – created using eight timber panels and subpanels – and a 9m banner mounted on the terminal wall, follows the Bass Strait 1919-39 aviation evolution timeline. The exhibition has artifacts strategically placed around the fuselage telling the stories, many previously unknown, that directly contributed to the development of Australian aviation.

“The early aircraft and their courageous pilots introduced in the exhibition not only contributed to Tasmania’s aviation history but also played a part in Australia’s aviation story,” Mr Johnson said.

Airport Reporting Officer Jaiden Rainbow added that King Island residents and visitors will love the exhibit, with interest high while it was being installed.

“Even when the installation was being built, people stopped and were fascinated with the structure and the stories,” Mr Rainbow said.

Mr Johnson while King Island was to be the final leg of the exhibition’s tour of Bass Strait, but it may kick on.

“Possibilities of continuing to Melbourne and maybe interstate are now being explored. Expanding the reach of these significant Tasmanian aviation stories would be an exciting prospect for the Tasmanian Aviation Historical Society,” he said.

The mainland will have to wait though, as the exhibition will remain on King Island until April, 2024.

For more information about the Flying by the Seat of their Pants exhibition go to bassstraitflight.au or for more information the TAHS and future exhibitions visit http://www.tahs.org.au

KING ISLAND DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Our Kinder to Grade 9 Transition was held on Monday, with students getting a sneak peak at their classrooms and teachers for 2024.

Staff are preparing and sharing information to ensure a positive start to the new school year for all students. Grade 10 students visited Hellyer College to participate in Orientation Day last week for their Transition Program. Grade 9 students joined the excursion and had the opportunity to visit businesses – including Elphinstone and Harbro Engineering  – as part of their My Education Program. Huge thanks to Jenny Holbrook, Peta McFadzean and Chris Green for accompanying the group.

THE annual Swimming Carnival was held last week. Along with traditional Grade 3/10 involvement, this year we included Prep/Grade 2 students with their own carnival.

Events were tailored to all ability levels and everyone who participated did so with enthusiasm and sportsmanship.

The cheering for both houses throughout the day was excellent. Thank you to Abbey Morris, for organising the event, and to all the staff who assisted. Congratulations to Bronzewing for being the 2023 winning House.

STAFF and I have been completing our Annual Review. We have achieved some outstanding results.

 • 100 per cent of Kinder students achieved all KDC Markers, compared to a 59 per cent average for other Tasmanian schools.

• 100 per cent of Prep students achieved the expected Reading standard, compared to 87 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 1 students achieved one-year growth in Maths, compared to 79 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 2 students achieved one-year growth in Reading, compared to 80 per cent in Tas schools.

• 86 per cent of Grade 3 students achieved one year growth in Maths, compared to 79 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 4 students achieved one-year growth in Reading, compared to 84 per cent in Tas schools.

• 83 per cent of Grade 5 students achieved one-year growth in Maths, compared to 79 per cent in Tas schools.

• 93 per cent of Grade 6 students achieved one-year growth in Reading, compared to 81 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 7 students achieved one-year growth in Reading, compared to 73 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 8 students achieved one-year growth in Reading, compared to 81 per cent in Tas schools.

• 91 per cent of Grade 9 students achieved one-year growth in Reading compared to 77 per cent in Tas schools.

• 100 per cent of Grade 10 students achieved one-year growth in Maths compared to 78 per cent in Tas schools.

Congratulations to recent Aussie of the Month recipients.

Savannah Towns

Chase Bowling

Peyton Harvey

Hugh Lincoln

Milla Sutton

Kai Joubert

Lilly Sims

Alliance Airlines flew into King Island from Southeast Queensland for a weekend of King Island golf – signalling  the beginning of a new age of small jet travel to King Island.

“King Island has again entered the jet age and I welcome the first group of golfers down from Brisbane on the Alliance Airlines Fokker 70 jet aircraft,” Mayor Marcus Blackie said.

“Around 30 passengers arrived last Sunday on this charter.  The aircraft is specially configured for generous seating and reduced ramp weight being formerly used for the Dutch royal family,”

 The F70 has long-range capability and Alliance aircraft are used for non-stop services from the east coast to mine sites in Western Australia, bypassing Perth. The cabin interior can provide up to 80 people with economy seating, which can be configured or tailored as required.

“Tourism Tasmania has supported these flights with direct marketing support to Alliance Airlines for a cooperative marketing campaign,  aiming to boost awareness of the Brisbane to King Island direct charter,” Mr Blackie said.

 The initiative seeks to promote golf tourism on King Island through direct charter flights from Brisbane.

“The partnership aims to heighten awareness and conversion rates for the newly established flight route connecting Southeast Queensland and King Island,” Mr Blackie said. “We are hoping that we can establish at least 8-10 golf charters over the next 12 months, with the aim of at least one charter a month, excluding winter. Furthermore,

“I also see this as an opportunity to develop our working relationship with Alliance Airlines and the possibility of the holy grail of short-haul jet travel one day returning.”

THE King Island Council passed the biggest budget in its history in June, according to its Annual Report revealed this week.

This was largely due to large state and federal government-funded capital works projects.

The council reported work has commenced on the $5m multipurpose Hub, community gym and airport runway lighting upgrade projects.

Mayor Marcus Blackie told Tasmanian media that the capital works spend is justified as King Island’s continued autonomy, and not merging with Circular Head and the West Coast as initially proposed in the Future of Local Government review, will significantly assist the Island’s population growth.

The Group 6 Metals mine has brought in an influx of workers and their families; tourism has rebounded after the pandemic travel restrictions; and the council reports that the island is attracting its biggest-ever tourist numbers.

“The bold aspirations we hold for the future of King Island are being funded,” Mr Blackie said.

“Similarly, the Island’s population is again increasing, which brings a demand-driven justification to much of [the] current work priorities.

“While the budget was significantly bolstered by government grants, it was still investment the island had inspired and contributed to the bottom line,” Mr Blackie said.

The population has been around 1600 for close to a decade and previous councils have identified the ideal population is around 3000.

Mr Blackie believes the “sweet spot” is between 3500 and 4000 residents.

“That’s the sweet spot in terms of economies of scale to fill up the sports clubs and have a bit more of a buzz,” he said. “It’s good for business, but it won’t ruin the natural wonders we have here.

“It may take a long time to get there, but we’re on that trajectory at the moment, which bodes well for us.”

While confident about the island’s growth the Mayor also said that King Island is a “victim of its own success” and pointed to the need for more airline seat availability and improved specialist healthcare and lamenting the lack of available residential housing and tourist and workers’ accommodation.

“So most of our problems at the moment are growing pains,” he said.

“I guess they’re good problems, but problems we’ve got to solve nonetheless,” he said.

Image from: Scott Graham 

The Cataraqui Room, which features exhibits and relics from Australia’s worst civil maritime disaster, was completed recently at the King Island Museum with the installation of a one-metre-long model of the ship.

Set up in 2020 by the King Island Historical Society, the room was created to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the vessel’s tragic shipwreck.

The King Island Historical Society, established in 1968, are the custodians of the community’s historic treasures, most of which were donated from private collections over the last seven decades.

Although images of the ill-fated ship are not known to exist, the model was constructed using nineteenth-century drawings of similar vessels, Barry Collis’s expert research, shipbuilding plans of the time, and accounts and advice received from Australian maritime and archaeological experts.

“Despite having taken several years to develop a model – from research to finding a model maker, and its construction – our quest and perseverance have finally paid off,” King Island Historical Society president Luke Agati said.

“Without the resolution and backing of our dedicated museum volunteers, this expensive and important project may have never eventuated.”

A community grant and museum admissions revenue enabled the model to become a reality. Before 2020, scattered objects from the major Australian shipwreck were located throughout the museum. The 175th anniversary prompted the establishment of a room dedicated entirely to the Cataraqui, which has become, without question, one of Australia’s most significant dedicated exhibits.

Mr Agati and Society vice-president Matthew Archer also recently received the backing of their committee to see the return of a Cataraqui object taken unlawfully 30 years ago. A picket paling, once enclosing the main mass grave that seemingly survived after 150 years, was found in the sand at the wreck site by a Hobart fossicker who was visiting the island, curiously, to locate the remains of Cataraqui victims. The fossicker returned to the main island, taking the find with him … without advising authorities and the object found its way to the Maritime Museum in Hobart.

At the time, the society asked that the picket be rightfully returned to King Island,  but the request was snubbed by the Hobart Museum, despite the discovery breaching the then Shipwreck Act governing such finds. Determined to see its return to King Island, the Historical Society is asking the community to help make this happen by signing a petition which will be presented to Tasmanian Parliament soon.

An exhibition of local artists’ works, entitled Seeking the Light, opened at Waterwings Studio last Friday.

Resident artist Caroline Kininmonth said it was a perfect showcase of the incredible talent of King Island artists.

“The paintings are outstanding and there was such variety,” she said after the opening. “Young Aruba Blackie exhibited two and one immediately sold. The catering by King Island Fresh was wonderful.”

Contributors ranged from emerging young artists and island identities. Internationally recognised and professional artist Jason Roberts’ paintings attracted awe and praise for his triptych seal painting and his painting of Melbourne Cup winner Americain.

Working for more than a decade in the UK and US, Roberts established a studio on King Island in 2001 and expanded his wildlife and landscape themes to maritime, farming and livestock. His animal and rural themes have led him to many national and international honours, including being resident artist at The Royal Easter Show Sydney and Royal Show Melbourne, and worldwide private commissions and art/travel experiences in Greece.

The King Island Historical Society also commissioned Roberts to paint the ship Cataraqui as part of the 175th anniversary of the shipwreck.

The Waterwings Studio Exhibition is open daily until Saturday (December 16) from 10am to 2pm or by appointment. Call Marilyn 0427 593 233. Works are available for viewing and purchase until the exhibition closes or by appointment.