CHRISTCHURCH MAN TO FLY FROM BRITAIN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19201, 15 October 1930, Page 7

CHRISTCHURCH MAN TO FLY FROM BRITAIN.

WENT RABBITING TO RAISE NECESSARY FUNDS. (Continued from page 1.) The mysterious New Zealander who landed at Croydon aerodrome on Monday was Mr Oscar Garden, who has long had the ambition to fly from England to New Zealand. He left Christchurch for England last February, with the intention of flying from England to New Zealand. “ Since he has been in England, Mr Garden has learned to fly at Norwich aerodrome,” said his sister, Mrs Lloyd Hindle, of 9, Kotare Road, Ricarfcon. In order to get sufficient money *o carry out his ambition, Mr Garden went rabbiting, and made a success of it. “ Then he came to Christchurch and had a cycle shop in Spreydon/* said Mrs Hindle. “He wanted to make more money, so he bought a garage m Southbridge. Then one day he said he was going to Sydney, and he was off almost before we knew about it. He had a garage there, at Double Bay. “ Then, early this year, he came back to say good-bye to us, before leaving to go to England to learn to fly. He told us that he was going to be the first man to fly to New Zealand. The cable in the newspapers says that he is going to fly to Australia, but he said New Zealand.’

The fact that Mr Garden was living in Sydney recently explains why later cables refer to him as an Australian. “ He was always a most determined man, and if he said he would do a thing, he did it.

“ lie is cranky about motors and flying- He never thought of anything else. I’m absolutely certain that he means to make the flight to New Zea land, and unless he. has really hard luck he’ll come through,” Mrs Hindle declared.

Mr Garden has two other sisters. Miss Rose Garden, who is a nurse at St Saviour’s Babies’ Home, and Miss Violet Garden, who, with her mother, has just gone home to England, arriving there in August. So there will be someone to see him off when he leaves on his ambitious flight.