THE KOOKABURRA TRAGEDY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20701, 26 April 1929, Page 17

THE KOOKABURRA TRAGEDY.

TO THE EDITOR. • / ,la ’ X®. U 1 su, >leader in this morning's tssue entitled a Tragic Search.” surely commends itself to all who interest themselves m the progress of aviation. The bights of Squadron-Leader KingsfordSmith have, up till the last disaster, been attended by remarkable success, and been acclaimed by ail as epoch making, butthe tragic end of Alessrs. Anderson and Hitchcock has cast a gloom over the country, and has set many people asking whv vvith aviation still in its infancy! such Jong a nf j dangerous journeys should he undertaken over courses, that are nncharted. There is, it is argued, nothing to be gained by such journeys, since New Zealand and Australia are so far from the centre of civilisation. Why . jeopardise human fate in the balance against such odds r ' Aviation, it is true, is but in its infancy, but this short-sighted vision fails to grasp the vast potentialities of the aeroplane in the future. And when one observes the wonderful strides towards its perfection, that have been made during the past few years, who can visualise the part it will play m the future history of the world. Though at present the long flights may appear to be barren of reward, only bearing m tneir train a list of names of gallant men who paid the supreme .sacrifice, , it remains for posterity to reap the reward of their labours. As the past has been marked by change so must the future be. Therefore, in the march of civilisation, science, and invention still have their martyrs, A retrospective glance at history furnishes a • •°* nai Pes of the men who saw the vision splendid ” and answered the call to pilot th# advance guard of civilisation In their day they had to contend 0 i svltb5 vltb * ,ie difficulties which arose through tlie ignorance and the bigotry of • the people, but also with • the crude material they worked with. Therefore let us honour our present leaders who are pioneering the unexplored and unexpressed, and let us add the names if those two men who recently lost their lives to the list of those whose memory liveth for evermore.—l am, etc., _ ... Axios. Dunedin, April 23.