On the afternoon of Monday, October 30, 1961 a Cessna aeroplane made an emergency landing on a farm between Garfield and Bunyip. The plane was owned by Mr Stewart of Portarlington, and he was also the pilot. He was accompanied by his wife Jean and children - Rhonda, aged 4; Neil aged 3 and 12-month old Julian. They all survived.
Report from The AgeThe Age of Tuesday, October 31, 1961 had a front page report -
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| The Age, Tuesday, October 31, 1961, p. 1 from newspapers.com |
Five in Plane Saved by Ex-Navy Man’s ‘Batting’
An ex-Royal navy man’s knowledge of ‘’batting” an aircraft on to a carrier probably saved the lives of the five occupants of a light aircraft which crash landed near Bunyip yesterday afternoon.
The pilot of the aircraft was Mr. Max Stewart, an electrical contractor of Geelong Road, Portarlington. His passengers were his wife and three small children.
They all escaped with only a shaking, but the aircraft, owned by Mr. Stewart was badly damaged. Mr Stewart took off from Phillip Island about half an hour before the crash with the intention of flying to Moorabbin then on to Portarlington.
Mr David Ardis, 52, who manages a fat cattle farm at the 48 mile post on the Princes Highway said he heard the Cessna buzz his house at 4.50pm.
“It was flying much too low and was obviously in trouble,” he said. “I ran out to see the plane coming on low over some trees as if to land on my 30-acre paddock."
“It was making straight for an area trench. I flagged it away and waved it around to a clearer patch. This time it skimmed in low over a fence and then touched down in a perfect three-point landing."
Hit Pole
“But the grass was wet and the wheels skidded so much that I knew it would not stop by the end of the paddock so I waved it up again. Just as it left the ground the wing tip hit a telegraph pole which snapped it n half. The aircraft spun round twice, snapping off the nose wheel and coming to rest tail up."
“When I reached the wreck, Mrs. Stewart was stepping out with a baby in arms and leading two other children aged about three and four.”
Mr Ardis was an able seaman during the war. “I learnt to ‘bat’ an aircraft down during a short voyage on the aircraft carrier H.M.S Illustrious,” he said.
Those in the plane were Mr. Stewart, about 30, his wife Mrs. Jean Stewart, about 30, and their children Rhonda, four, Neil, three and Julian, 12 months. Mr. Stewart, a dairy refrigerator manufacturer, is an experienced pilot, who has been flying his own aircraft for about two years.
He visited Phillip Island early yesterday morning to see Mrs. Stewart’s parents.
Report from the Pakenham Gazette
The Pakenham Gazette of Friday, November 3, 1961 reported the incident on its front page. They did actually have the day of the crash incorrect - it was on Monday October 30, not the Tuesday.
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| Pakenham Gazette, Friday, November 3, 1961, p.1 |
Lucky Escapes when Plane Crash lands at Bunyip
Pictured below is the Cessna aircraft which crash landed on a property on the Prince’s Highway last Tuesday afternoon. The plane was piloted by Mr. Max Stewart, an electrical contractor, of Geelong road, Portarlington. His passengers were his wife and three small children. They all escaped with a shaking, but the plane was damaged.
Mr. David Ardis, who manages a fat cattle farm n the property the plane landed on, told our representative that the plane “buzzed” his house shortly before 5 p.m. He ran out to see it coming in low as if to land in one of his paddocks. However, there was a drain in that section of his property, and he identified this to the pilot and waved the plan around to a more suitable landing place.
Coming in again, the plane made a perfect landing, but he could see that on the wet grass it would not stop by the time the end of the paddock was reached. So he waved the plane up again.
Just as it left the ground, it struck a pole and snapped it off. The plane spun around twice, snapped off the nose wheel and came to a rest with the tail up.
When he reached the aircraft Mrs. Stewart was stepping out of it, with a baby in her arms and leading two other small children.
Mr. Ardis was an able seaman during the war, and learnt to “bat” an aircraft during a short voyage on the aircraft carrier, “Illustrious.”
The plane was taken away by road on Wednesday.
There were two other photographs (or Polaroid Photos as the Gazette called them) published in the report.
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| Pakenham Gazette, Friday, November 3, 1961, p.1 |
Top caption: This photograph shows some of the damage which the nose of the machine sustained.
Bottom caption: This photograph indicates the extent of the damage to one of the wings of the aircraft.
