OUTBACK DRAMA

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22352, 25 February 1936, Page 15

OUTBACK DRAMA

RACE TO SAVE LIVES SERUM BY AEROPLANE DIPHTHERIA-STRICKEN FAMILY * [from our own correspondent] SYDNEY, Feb. 17 An exciting night ride through the Central Australian desert to save the diphtheria-stricken children of a constable, and a frantic dash by aeroplano with serum from Adelaide, through a high gale, were features of a real-life drama enacted in Australia's notorious "bad lands." Constable Kennett, of Charlotte Waters, 220 miles south of Alice Springs, had come to the latter town with his eight-year-old daughter, who was sick, when he received news from his wife that their youngest child, aged 14 months, was also ill. Kennett travelled back by car with a doctor and a clergyman. The doctor decided that the child was suffering from diphtheria, and that the patient and Kenneths three other children must be taken as quickly as possible to Alice Springs for treatment. The party set out in two cars—the Kennett family in one and the doctor and the clergyman in the other. After travelling all night Kennett waited for the doctor's car, but it did not arrive. He went back 12 miles and waited in vain. The doctor, it transpired later, missed the road in the dark. Death of Infant Kennett, desiring to get to Alice | Springs as soon as possible, decided to I go on, but when 60 miles from Alice | Springs, the baby died. The father telephoned for assistance and a car was sent, meeting the Kennetts 27 miles out. No anti-toxin serum being available at Alice Springs, a request was tele- : graphed to Adelaide for an aeroplane to bring some. Meanwhile, Kennett, on I his own initiative, had asked for a | machine to fly his daughter to Adelaide. An aeroplane in charge of Wil- | Ham Anderson left the South Austraj lian capital in reply to Kennett's tele- ! gram and five minutes afterwards the request for serum arrived. Malcolm Joyner, of the South Aus--1 tralian Aero Club, and J. H. Buckland, the club's instructor, set out after the first machine, but could not overtake'it, and they returned, deciding to leave early the next morning with the serum. A message was sent to Farina, 350 miles north, to halt Anderson's machine there. "See Nothing But Dust" Joyner and Buckland arrived at the aerodrome at 3.30 a.m. to begin their flight, but a 50 miles an hour gale prevented their taking-off for two hours. They used a fast Miles Hawk monoplane. An easterly gale made flying conditions difficult. The airmen had to rely on compass bearings for direction throughout the journey, which thej r described as the most trying flight they had made. "When daylight broke, we could see nothing but dust," said .Joyner. "Landmarks were quite invisiblo. On arrival at Farina, we flew over the aerodrome without knowing we were there, and while we were circling to ! locate a landing ground we saw the ! sun glinting on a board. We landed | near it and found that we were at ; Farina. Anderson, who was waiting j there for us to deliver the serum, was unable to leave for n?arly two hours | because of the shocking weather." Anderson reached Alice Springs be- ] fore nightfall, and the children were : immediately innoculated. ____________ i