Edward Connellan
Encyclopedia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(24 June 1912 – 26 December 1983) was an Australian aviator who founded Connellan Airways
Connellan Airways
Connellan Airways was an Australian air services company that was founded by Edward Connellan and operated in northern Australia.-The beginnings:...
and was a pioneer of aviation in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
Early life
Connellan was born on 24 June 1912 at DonaldDonald, Victoria
Donald is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Richardson River, at the junction of Sunraysia Highway and Borung Highway, in the Shire of Buloke. The town is named after William Donald, a Scottish pastoralist who was the first settler in the area in 1844...
in western Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, the eldest of seven children to his parents Thomas and Lucy Connellan. At Donald the family owned farming and grazing property. Connellan's station life continued when the family moved to the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
district of New South Wales.
He was educated as a boarder
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
at Xavier College in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to complete his secondary education in 1927 and 1928. After school he joined the Victorian Education Department and became a teacher. He resigned as a teacher in July 1933, with ambitions to build a stake to establish a cattle station in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
. After teaching he gained his private pilot's licence on 8 July 1936.
The Northern Territory
During the survey he met with the Federal Minister responsible for the Northern Territory, John McEwen
John McEwen
Sir John "Black Jack" McEwen, GCMG, CH , was an Australian politician and the 18th Prime Minister of Australia...
, and discussed the role of air services in the region. Connellan agreed to a three year trial of an air mail service between Alice Springs and Wyndham
Wyndham, Western Australia
Wyndham is the oldest and northernmost town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, northeast of Perth. It was established in 1885 as a result of a gold rush at Halls Creek, and it is now a port and service centre for the east Kimberley with a...
in Western Australia, which attracted a subsidy from the federal government. The mail run commenced on 11 July 1939 and worked on a fortnightly return basis. He also agreed to a contract for an Alice Springs based Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Connellan Airways
Connellan Airways
Connellan Airways was an Australian air services company that was founded by Edward Connellan and operated in northern Australia.-The beginnings:...
on 23 July 1943. In June 1944 Connellan became a founding member of the Northern Territory Development League. In the post war years Connellan Airways grew, acquiring new routes and equipment. In February 1951 it became a limited company
Limited company
A limited company is a company in which the liability of the members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by shares or by guarantee. And the former of these, a limited company limited by shares, may be...
, with many of the shares held by station people and staff. In 1963 Connellan Airways became a regular public transport operator. In 1970 the name was changed to Connair. Connair faced financial difficulty in the 1970s and was sold to East-West Airlines on 14 March 1980. It went into liquidation shortly after.
Along with three other employees, Edward's eldest son Roger Connellan was killed on January 5, 1977 when a disgruntled ex-employee flew a stolen plane into the Connair building at Alice Springs Airport in what became known as the Connellan air disaster
Connellan air disaster
The Connellan air disaster was a suicide attack at Alice Springs Airport, Northern Territory, Australia on 5 January 1977. Carried out by a disgruntled former employee of Connellan Airways , who flew a Beechcraft Baron into the Connair complex at the airport, the attack killed four other people...
.
Connellan Airways Trust
The Connellan Airways Trust was started by Connellan towards the end of his life. When Connellan Airways was sold in 1980, there were 50 shareholders with the Connellan family holding slightly more than 50%. Most shareholders agreed to contribute 47% of their receipts from the sale to the Trust. It was established by a deed of trustTrust instrument
A trust instrument is an instrument in writing executed by a settlor used to constitute a trust...
dated 12 June 1981 and officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister Doug Anthony
Doug Anthony
John Douglas Anthony, AC, CH , is a former Australian politician. He was leader of the National Party from 1971 to 1984, and Deputy Prime Minister from 1971 to 1972 and again from 1975 to 1983.-Early life:...
on 11 February 1983 at the Central Australian Aviation Museum. The Trust aims to encourage knowledge and education in outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
Australia. In 2004-05 A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
140,308 was granted to 140 applicants.
Awards and death
In 1953, for services to aviation, Connellan was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal. In 1957 he was made an Officer of the British EmpireOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in the New Years Honours List, "for services to civil aviation in Northern and Central Australia". In 1965 he was awarded the Oswald Watt Gold Medal
Oswald Watt Gold Medal
The Oswald Watt Gold Medal is an Australian aviation award named for Oswald Watt a decorated pilot in World War I.It originated in 1921 after the death of Oswald Watt and is awarded for "A most brilliant performance in the air or the most notable contribution to aviation by an Australian or in...
for his "outstanding contribution to general aviation". In 1978 he was promoted to a Commander of the British Empire, and in 1981 appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
"for services to aviation and the community".
Connellan died at the end of the year the Trust was opened, on 26 December 1983. He is buried in the memorial cemetery at Alice Springs, adjacent to the cemetery is a museum dedicated to Connellan and Connellan Airways.