Austin Byrne: A lifelong passion
Julie, John Pickup
Jan 6, 2022 • 2 min read
This is the inspiring story of the passion of one man who dedicated much of his adult life to creating a memorial to the Southern Cross, the first plane to make the trans-Pacific journey from San Francisco to Brisbane, Australia. The record-breaking journey of some 11,500 kilometres took 39 days to complete (in three stages). Charles Kingsford-Smith and his crew landed in Brisbane, Australia, on 9th of June 1928.
(L) The Southern Cross landing in Brisbane in June 1928. Credit: State Library of Queensland. (R) The crowds on the ground greeting the epic arrival. Credit: Qld State Archives and Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain).
On 10 June 1928, the Southern Cross then flew on down to Sydney, just a few flying hours from Brisbane. Austin Byrne, aged 26, was part of the crowd of thousands that gathered at Mascot Aerodrome to welcome the Southern Cross and its crew who had made the epic expedition. 1
Austin had had little education, but this momentous event inspired him to spend thousands of hours over many years teaching himself the construction and artistic skills needed to make the nine elements of his memorial.
Austin Byrne and two of the memorials he created by hand. Credit: National Museum of Australia.
This story of tenaciousness and a lifelong passion was brought to my attention by John Pickup, OAM, artist, friend and contributor to the AnArt4Life blog.
The story is well told by The National Museum of Australia, (where the memorial Austin Byrne created is now housed), and is well worth the read…….
Southern Cross memorial | National Museum of Australia
Southern Cross Memorial, created by Austin Byrne between 1930 and 1993.
Home - The National Museum of Australia Home - The National Museum of Australia
If you would like to read more about the Southern Cross and its epic journey, please click here
With thanks to the National Museum of Australia, Canberra. www.nma.com.au
More in Tribute
Kevin McKay: Repurposed panel in memory of Troy Quinliven
The Man in Black
Troy Quinliven remembered with love and admiration - Part Two
Recently in Art Mysteries
Art Mysteries
The intriguing story of the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I": Part Three
The conclusion to the story concerning the ownership of five Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis from the Bloch-Bauer family is a testament to the courage and tenacity of a young lawyer called Eric Randol (Randy) Schoenberg and an 80+year old woman Maria Altmann
Anne Newman, Andrew 5 Jan 2022 • 8 min read