94-654: Lester Joseph Brain , AO , AFC (27 February 1903 – 30 June 1980) was a pioneer Australian aviator and airline executive. Born in New South Wales , he trained with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before joining Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas) as a pilot in 1924. He was awarded the Air Force Cross in 1929, after locating the lost aircraft Kookaburra in northern Australia. Having risen to Chief Pilot at Qantas by 1930, he
188-459: A de Havilland DH.50 aircraft hired from the then small airline, Qantas . A Royal Flying Doctor Service museum is situated in the town. The Cloncurry Bob McDonald Library opened in 2012. It was announced on 11 February 2021 that Cloncurry had been chosen as the production location of the 2021 edition of Network 10 's reality game show Australian Survivor . The domestic location resulted from concerns regarding international travel during
282-528: A "serious error of judgement", but noted his excellent three-year record as a pilot; the aircraft was soon repaired and operational again. The next month, Brain became Chief Instructor at the Qantas Flying School in Brisbane , doubling as manager of the airline's local office. By mid-1928, he had overworked himself to the extent that he was ordered to take respite by Fysh; this "respite" nevertheless involved
376-454: A 13-week trip to England to study aviation developments. In April 1929, Brain was selected to take part in a search for lost aviators in northern Australia, having gained experience of the area while flying over the Tanami Desert to assist a gold prospecting expedition some years earlier. On 20 April, he took Qantas DH.50 Atalanta from Brisbane to link up with RAAF Airco DH.9s under
470-704: A 2.128MW flat panel photovoltaic solar farm was to be built in its place. However, the Queensland Government withdrew financial support for the solar farm in May 2012. Cloncurry has linkages to other destinations via major coach operators such as Greyhound and Bus Queensland. A weekday service to Mount Isa is operated by Cloncurry Coaches as well as local charter services within the area for mining, school, sporting bodies and special events. Writer Alexis Wright grew up in Cloncurry. Association footballer Kasey Wehrman
564-600: A bow on the left shoulder, although they may wear the same insignia as males if so desired. A gold lapel pin for daily wear is issued with each badge of the order at the time of investiture; AK/AD and AC lapel pins feature a citrine central jewel, AO and AM lapel pins have a blue enamelled centre and OAM lapel pins are plain. The different levels of the order are awarded according to the recipients' levels of achievement: Since 1976 any Australian citizen may nominate any person for an Order of Australia award. People who are not Australian citizens may be awarded honorary membership of
658-548: A challenge to take the prime ministership in September 2015. Two months after coming into office, the new republican prime minister announced that the Queen had approved his request to amend the Order's letters patent and cease awards at this level. Existing titles would not be affected. The move was attacked by monarchists and praised by republicans. The amendments to the constitution of
752-483: A generation of Australians today who do not even recall Brain's name, but it is very certain that his place in aviation history is assured. Ian Sabey of ANAC on Lester Brain, 1979 Brain tendered his resignation from TAA on 3 February 1955—effective 17 March—to become Managing Director of de Havilland Aircraft in Sydney (later Hawker de Havilland , part of Boeing Australia ). Although his departure came as
846-639: A guest at the opening of TAA's new headquarters at Franklin Street, Melbourne in November 1965. In 1978, he met with adventurer Dick Smith , who was about to launch an expedition to recover the Kookaburra from the Tanami Desert. Smith was keen to get directions from the man who had found the missing plane in 1929, in spite of receiving advice against taking the word of someone from the "cap and goggles" era. He rediscovered
940-578: A lift driver at CBC to suggest he apply for pilot training in the recently formed Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He was among five civilian students nominated by the Civil Aviation Branch (CAB) of the Defence Department for entry into the inaugural RAAF flying training course, which commenced at Point Cook , Victoria in January 1923. The benefit of these nominations from a military perspective
1034-569: A member of the British Empire, members of the colonies and later federated nation of Australia were able to have achievement awarded under the British Imperial Honours system . However, existing criticism of the aristocratic nature of the awards grew following a cash-for-honours corruption scandal in the UK in 1922. Moves to abolish the awards federally and the states were unsuccessful; however
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#17329054437831128-642: A population of 3,167 people. Cloncurry is situated in the north-west of Queensland , 770 kilometres west of the city of Townsville via the Flinders Highway . The town lies adjacent to the Cloncurry River . The Flinders Highway enters from the east and the Barkly Highway exits to the west. The Landsborough Highway enters from the south-east and the Burke Developmental Road exits to
1222-436: A population of less than 10,000 people. The patrol also provides regular church services in the towns of Cloncurry, Julia Creek , McKinlay , and Karumba and at Adels Grove homestead . Attractions in Cloncurry include: Cloncurry has a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen: BSh Trewartha: BShb ) with two distinct seasons. There is a very hot, moderately humid and quite uncomfortable wet season from December to March and
1316-573: A representation of the states (with whom Whitlam's government was constantly in dispute) through the state badges within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms . The original three-level structure of the Order of Australia was modelled closely upon the Order of Canada , though the Order of Australia has been awarded rather more liberally, especially in regard to honorary awards to non-citizens. As of July 2024 only 30 non-Canadians have been appointed to
1410-571: A reserve pilot. He married Constance (Consie) Brownhill at Holy Innocents Catholic Church in Croydon , New South Wales, on 8 July; the couple had two sons and two daughters. Brain played a leading role in Qantas' operations as it expanded its mail and passenger routes throughout Australia and, as Qantas Empire Airways (QEA) from January 1934, other parts of the world. In October that year, he went to Britain to take delivery of QEA's first de Havilland DH.86 ,
1504-493: A surprise to ANAC, Brain had for some time felt shackled by having to run TAA on a commercial basis under the control of a government bureaucracy, and on a public servant 's remuneration. His anticipated salary increases had been less than he expected under the terms of his employment; Watt's attempts to make good on them had been resisted by Federal Cabinet . The government yet feared that, once he had resigned, Brain might attempt to sue for back pay, though he assured Watt that this
1598-599: A warm to hot, generally rainless dry season usually extending from April to November. Until the 1990s, Cloncurry was widely regarded as holding the record for the highest temperature recorded in Australia at 53.1 °C (127.5 °F) on 16 January 1889. Investigations published in 1997 revealed that this temperature was measured in an improvised screen made from a beer crate and that it equated to 47–49 °C (117–120 °F) under standard conditions. The highest temperature ever recorded at Cloncurry's current weather station
1692-433: Is 46.9 °C (116.4 °F), well short of the disputed 1889 temperature record. The average annual rainfall is 506.9 mm (19.96 in), almost all of which falls In the months of December to March. Because of the area's extreme solar conditions, Cloncurry was expected to become Australia's first solar-powered town. However the planned 10MW Thermal solar plant was scrapped due to light pollution concerns and
1786-444: Is a convex golden disc decorated with citrines, with a blue royally crowned inner disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia. The ribbon of the order is royal blue with a central stripe of mimosa blossoms. Awards in the military division are edged with 1.5 mm golden bands. AKs, male ACs and AOs wear their badges on a necklet and male AMs and OAMs wear them on a ribbon on the left chest. Women usually wear their badges on
1880-433: Is a government primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at Daintree Street ( 20°42′15″S 140°30′20″E / 20.7042°S 140.5056°E / -20.7042; 140.5056 ( Cloncurry State School P-12 ) ). In 2015 the school had 281 students enrolled with a teaching staff of 28 FTE (Full-time equivalent) and 15 FTE (Full-time equivalent) non teaching staff. The general population in
1974-434: Is a registered charity, whose stated purpose is "[t]o celebrate and promote outstanding Australian citizenship". It also supports the "community and social activities" of members and promotes and encourages the nomination of other Australians to the Order. The Order also runs a foundation that provides scholarships to tertiary students that show potential as future leaders and are involved in community activities. Branches of
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#17329054437832068-538: Is a tourist attraction. The Aboriginal traditional owners of Cloncurry are the Mitakoodi people (pronounced Mita-koo-dee). In August 2024, the Mitakoodi and Mayi people were formally acknowledged and officially obtained native title determination. The region of Cloncurry is traditionally known as Pimurra and the Mitakoodi people were known as the River people. The first Europeans to traverse these tribal lands of peoples such as
2162-553: Is likely to feel a bit second-rate, and the public is likely to agree. We hate to be the first to say it, but there is no doubt that the Order of Australia (OA) will be labelled as the Ocker Award. Satire and mockery also greeted the awards, being dubbed "Gough’s Gongs" and "the Order of the Wombat". The newly elected Liberal Fraser government decided to once again make recommendations for imperial awards, whilst maintaining and expanding
2256-630: Is the administrative centre of the Shire of Cloncurry. Cloncurry is known as the Friendly Heart of the Great North West and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2017. Cloncurry was recognised for its liveability, winning the Queensland's Friendliest Town award twice by environmental movement Keep Queensland Beautiful, first in 2013 and again in 2018. In the 2021 census , the locality of Cloncurry had
2350-478: The Australian Labor Party remained opposed and generally refused to recommend awards whilst in office, with this a part of the party's platform since 1918. This was confirmed in a resolution adopted unanimously by the party conference in 1921. However, the non-Labor parties remained supportive, with the long running Menzies government making significant use of the imperial system. The Order of Australia
2444-509: The COVID-19 pandemic . It was filmed in Cloncurry from 22 April to 8 June 2021, with the season airing on 18 July 2021. The population in Cloncurry decreased from 3,898 in 1996 to 2,900 in 2002. In the 2016 census , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 2,719 people. In the 2021 census , the locality of Cloncurry had a population of 3,167 people. Cloncurry has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Cloncurry State School
2538-606: The Kookaburra and, shortly thereafter, of two lost British aviators in Arnhem Land , earned Brain the Air Force Cross ; the award was gazetted on 31 May: The KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Air Force Cross to Mr. Leslie Joseph Brain, in recognition of the distinguished services rendered to aviation by his recent flights in the northern territory of Australia in search of missing aviators. The Gazette later corrected "Leslie" to "Lester". With
2632-450: The Kookaburra in August that year "exactly where Lester Brain had said ... Lester was completely chuffed when I got back and told him I'd found the Kookaburra thanks to his directions and how thankful I was that, despite everyone else's suggestions, I'd taken Lester's advice." Brain had declined the offer of a knighthood in the late 1960s, but accepted appointment as an Officer of
2726-440: The Kookaburra saga making news across the country, Brain had become a national hero, and Fysh declared that the publicity for both pilot and airline "could probably not have been bought for any money". By 1930, Brain had been appointed Qantas' Chief Pilot. In June that year, he was given responsibility for sales and special flights such as demonstrations and agency tours at the airline's new Brisbane headquarters, and also acted as
2820-588: The Maithakari and the Wanamara , were Burke and Wills on their epic, and ultimately fatal, transcontinental expedition. The Cloncurry River was named by Burke after Lady Elizabeth Cloncurry, his cousin, with the town eventually taking its name from the river. Ernest Henry discovered copper in the area in 1867, and the town sprang up to service the Great Australia Mine to the south. Roger Sheaffe established
2914-474: The 435 people who have received the nation's top Order of Australia honours since they were first awarded in 1975, shows they disproportionately attended a handful of elite Victorian secondary schools. Scotch College alumni received the highest number of awards, with 19 former students receiving Australia's [then] highest honour". On 26 January 1980 the Order of Australia Association was created as an incorporated body with membership open to award recipients. It
Lester Brain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-573: The McKay Patrol, an aerial service of the Uniting Church in Australia . Supported by other denominations, the McKay Patrol operates a Cessna 182Q aeroplane to provide spiritual and practical help to people living in remote areas in the north-west of Queensland and the eastern Tablelands of the Northern Territory , an area of approximately 625,000 square kilometres (241,000 sq mi) with
3102-460: The Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II , Queen of Australia , on the advice of then prime minister Gough Whitlam . Before the establishment of the order, Australians could receive British honours , which continued to be issued in parallel until 1992. Appointments to
3196-507: The Order of Australia on 26 January 1979. When asked towards the end of his life why he had achieved so much but was not as well known as other aviation pioneers, he replied "Because I was always very careful and didn't kill myself". Having suffered from cancer for several years, Brain died in Sydney on 30 June 1980. He was survived by his wife and children, and cremated. In November 2008, Qantas announced that one of its new Airbus A380s would be named Lester Brain . Officer of
3290-418: The Order of Australia and the award of 199 Honorary Medals of the Order of Australia. Notable honorary awards include: Since 1975, just over 30 per cent of recipients of an Order of Australia honour have been women. The number of nominations and awards for women is trending up, with the 2023 Australia Day Honours resulting in the highest percentage of awards for women to date (47.1 per cent, 47.9 per cent in
3384-461: The Order of Australia is a convex disc (gold for AKs, ADs and ACs, gilt for AOs, AMs and OAMs) representing a single flower of mimosa . At the centre is a ring, representing the sea, with the word Australia below two branches of mimosa. The whole disc is topped by the Crown of St Edward . The AC badge is decorated with citrines , blue enamelled ring, and enamelled crown. The AO badge is similar, without
3478-578: The Order of Australia. This was done by with the addition of two additional award levels: Knight or Dame (AK or AD) above the level of Companion, and the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) below Members. The Civil Division was also renamed the General Division, so that awards could be given to those in the Defence Force for non-military achievement. These changes were made on 24 May 1976. The reaction to
3572-481: The Order of Canada, while 537 non-Australians have been appointed to the Order of Australia, with 46 to the Companion level. Public reaction to the new awards was mixed. Only the state Labor governments of Tasmania and South Australia agreed to submit recommendations for the new awards, with the remaining governments affirming their committent to the existing imperial honours system. Newspaper editorials similarly praised
3666-492: The Order were gazetted on 22 December 2015. Yvonne Kenny AM represented the Order at the 2023 Coronation . King Charles III , when he was Prince of Wales , was appointed a Knight of the Order of Australia (AK) on 14 March 1981. As he is not an Australian citizen, even though he was the heir to the Australian throne at the time, this would have required the award to be honorary. To overcome this issue, his appointment
3760-581: The Order would be determined by the Council of the Order of Australia. Awards of the Order of Australia are sometimes made to people who are not citizens of Australia to honour extraordinary achievements. These achievements, or the people themselves, are not necessarily associated with Australia, although they often are. On 1 July 2024, the Australian Honours website listed appointments for 46 Honorary Companions, 118 Honorary Officers, 174 Honorary Members of
3854-518: The Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches in 1977 to form the Uniting Church in Australia intended to combine these outback services, creating a huge North West Patrol area to be covered which could not be achieved by road transport, so the Cloncurry congregation purchased an aircraft in 1976 to provide the patrol service out of Cloncurry by air wherever possible, using road travel only to access places that did not have suitable airstrips. In
Lester Brain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-612: The Qantas Merchant Air Service. On 23 February 1940, Fysh noted that since its formation in 1934, QEA had logged six million miles in flying boats and landplanes without suffering any injuries to passengers or crew. He called it "a record which has never been equalled in any part of the world ... It reflects the highest credit on Captain Brain, who has been in charge of flying operations during this time." In 1941, Brain took charge of ferrying eighteen PBY Catalinas from
4042-441: The Queen to reinstate the level of knight or dame and the Queen co-signed letters patent to bring this into effect. The change was publicly announced on 25 March, and gazetted on 17 April 2014. Up to four knights or dames could be appointed each year, by the Queen of Australia on the advice of the prime minister after consultation with the chairman of the Order of Australia Council. Five awards of knight and dame were then made, to
4136-521: The RAAF and TAA's chief private competitor, Australian National Airways (ANA). He planned to have the first scheduled flights operating by October 1946, around the same time as delivery of four DC-4 Skymaster four-engined liners that would augment the DC-3 fleet, giving the airline a significant edge over ANA. In the event, TAA's first flight, from Melbourne to Sydney, took place on 9 September under pressure from
4230-524: The RAAF. Brain graduated at the top of his class after the year-long training course at Point Cook, and was duly commissioned in the CAF. Moving to Queensland in April 1924, he took up employment as a pilot with Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services (Qantas), its first aviator without a war record. On 7 February 1925, he flew the first scheduled passenger service from Cloncurry to Camooweal , extending
4324-451: The Tanami Desert, approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) east-south-east of Wave Hill . He saw one body underneath the wing, but the terrain was too dangerous to attempt a landing. After Brain reported the Kookaburra' s position to Eaton, the latter led an overland expedition to the site and buried the bodies of Anderson and Hitchcock, who had evidently survived crash-landing their plane before succumbing to heat and thirst. His discovery of
4418-587: The United States before in 1885 settling in Australia. By age thirteen, Lester had his own motorcycle, bought secondhand for £11; its poor condition and constant need for repair helped him become mechanically adept at an early age. He completed his education at Sydney Grammar School , where he excelled in maths, before being employed by the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney (CBC) in 1919. Brain's penchant for motorbikes and things mechanical inspired
4512-546: The United States to Australia on behalf of the RAAF, which had purchased the aircraft. US neutrality made it prudent for a civilian organisation—that was also experienced in long-range flying boat operations—to undertake the task. Brain and his crew departed San Diego , California, on 25 January to make the first flight, having surveyed their intended route on the journey out from Australia. Travelling via Honolulu , Canton Island and Nouméa , they arrived at their destination after one week, including sixty hours flying time; it
4606-458: The airline's founding 580-mile (930 km) route—from Charleville to Cloncurry—by 284 miles (457 km). The following year, he completed a refresher course at Central Flying School , Point Cook. On a rain-soaked McKinlay airfield near Cloncurry on 27 February 1927, he flipped Qantas' first de Havilland DH.50 on to its back while attempting take-off, though he managed to escape without injury. Qantas founder Hudson Fysh berated him for
4700-553: The association are in all the states and territories of Australia as well as the UK and the USA. Total inductees as of July 2024 . The order of wearing Australian and other approved honours is determined by the government. The award is parodied in the play Amigos , where the central character is determined to be awarded the AC, and uses persuasion, bribery and blackmail in his (ultimately successful) attempts to get himself nominated for
4794-498: The award to Prince Philip in a ReachTEL poll. The Australian Labor Party continued to oppose knighthoods and damehoods. Leader of the opposition Bill Shorten stated in March 2014 that the party would again discontinue the level if it were to win the next Australian federal election. The knighthood decision was a significant factor that caused Liberal party members to question Abbott's leadership, with Malcolm Turnbull succeeding in
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#17329054437834888-453: The award. During the 1996 season of the popular television programme Home and Away , the character Pippa Ross was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for her years of service as a foster carer. Cloncurry, Queensland Cloncurry is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cloncurry , Queensland , Australia. It is informally known by local people as The Curry . Cloncurry
4982-411: The awards as an example of Australia's greater independence, whilst also noting that the awards would likely appear second-rate. The Australian stated that There is no longer a British Empire; everyone knows that. But somehow the phrase "imperial honours" still carries a ring of regal authenticity that somehow transcends nationalism. For the time being a recipient ... of the Order of Australia
5076-518: The base led Brain to anticipate an attack by Japanese forces, and this occurred on 3 March, when nine A6M Zero fighters strafed the harbour with cannon. Twenty-four aircraft were destroyed, and an estimated seventy people were killed. Brain, though suffering from fever, rowed into the harbour with another airline representative and rescued ten people from the water. After the all-clear sounded, he ordered an undamaged Qantas flying boat to Port Hedland , in case of further attacks; he also took part in
5170-783: The blaze which cost an estimated £15,000. From 1915 to 1931, the Australian Inland Mission (part of the Presbyterian Church) operated its North West Patrol in Cloncurry which provided religious services to people in remote areas by driving through the Outback ; the service later operated from Mount Isa . A similar service, the Federal Methodist Inland Mission Patrol commenced was established in 1928 at its Gulf Mission Base in Camooweal . The amalgamation of
5264-761: The board of East-West Airlines as a consultant in January 1961. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in January 1979 and died in June the following year, aged seventy-seven. Born in Forbes , New South Wales, on 27 February 1903, Lester Brain was the second son of English mining engineer and manager, Austin Lionel Bennett Brain (c. 1865 – 8 September 1920), and his Australian wife, Katherine Mary "Kitty" Brain, née Murray (died 13 February 1941). Originally from Gloucestershire , Austin emigrated with his father, W. Blanch Brain (1843–1908), prospecting for gold in
5358-452: The board of East-West Airlines as a consultant in January 1961. In August 1964, he began negotiations with the Federal government on behalf of International Parcels Express Company (now Toll Ipec ), which was attempting to enter the air freight business in Australia with the purchase of five DC-4 Skymasters; the government rejected the proposal later that year. Along with Arthur Coles, Brain was
5452-519: The changes to the awards were similarly split along party lines. Following the 1983 federal election , Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke recommitted to the end of recommendations for imperial awards. No knighthoods were awarded during his first term in office and he advised the abolition of the knight/dame level after being re-elected in 1986. During the time the division was active from 1976 to 1983, twelve knights and two dames were created. On 19 March 2014, monarchist prime minister Tony Abbott advised
5546-525: The citrines. For the AM badge, only the crown is enamelled, and the OAM badge is plain. The AK/AD badge is similar to that of the AC badge, but with the difference that it contains at the centre an enamelled disc bearing an image of the coat of arms of Australia . The colours of royal blue and gold are taken from the livery colours of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms , the then national colours . The star for knights and dames
5640-456: The command of Flight Lieutenant Charles Eaton at Tennant Creek , to look for Keith Anderson and Robert Hitchcock in their Westland Widgeon the Kookaburra . The pair had disappeared while searching for Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm , who had been reported missing on a record attempt from Sydney to England in the Southern Cross . Brain located the Kookaburra the next day in
5734-646: The community is highly transient with approximately 40% turnover in student enrolment in 2015. Approximately 60% of student enrolment identify as Aboriginal and or Torres Strait Islander. In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 277 students with 32 teachers and 18 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program. St Joseph's Catholic School is a Catholic primary and secondary (Prep–9) school for boys and girls at Sheaffe Street ( 20°42′05″S 140°30′20″E / 20.7014°S 140.5056°E / -20.7014; 140.5056 ( St Joseph's Catholic School ) ). In 2018,
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#17329054437835828-483: The early 1990s the service was renamed the McKay Patrol to honour Reverend Fred McKay , an early patrol padre who had been involved in establishing the Royal Flying Doctor Service . During World War II , Cloncurry was the location of RAAF No.23 Inland Aircraft Fuel Depot (IAFD), completed in 1942 and closed on 14 August 1944. Usually consisting of 4 tanks, 31 fuel depots were built across Australia for
5922-458: The exception of awards recommended by the soon to be independent government of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea ); however this did not affect the constitutional right of state governments to recommend imperial awards. According to the governor general's then-secretary Sir David Smith , Whitlam was furious when he first saw Devlin's design for the insignia of the order, due to the inclusion of
6016-429: The expense of members of the public, in effect arguing with his owner—the government—on behalf of everyday travellers. On 1 July 1947, Brain was discharged from the CAF with the rank of wing commander. By August 1949, TAA had carried its millionth passenger. Though praised for contributing to increased civil traffic in Australia, the airline was losing money, generating criticism in media and political circles that it
6110-630: The fastest four-engined airliner in the world at the time. He was now Flight Superintendent and, having accumulated 6,694 hours in the air, began to evince a keener interest in the "administration and executive side of aviation". Promoted to flying officer in the CAF on 1 March 1935, over the next year he discussed with the Controller-General of Civil Aviation, Edgar Johnston , taking a cut in salary to work in Johnston's department, or possibly becoming Deputy Controller-General. No more came of this at
6204-506: The first pastoral run in the Cloncurry district - "Fort Constantine". Gold was discovered at Top Camp. The town was surveyed in 1876. Cloncurry was proclaimed a town in 1884. Cloncurry Provisional School opened on 19 March 1884. In 1894, it became Cloncurry State School. The Cloncurry Advocate was a newspaper published in Cloncurry between 1889 and 1953. Queensland's Northern Line railway reached Cloncurry in December 1907 and
6298-552: The fledgling government-owned domestic carrier Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) in June 1946. Appointed its first General Manager, he swiftly built up the organisation to the stage where it could commence scheduled operations later in the year. By the time he resigned in March 1955, TAA was firmly established as one half of the Commonwealth government's two-airline system . After his departure from TAA, Brain became Managing Director of de Havilland Aircraft in Sydney, before joining
6392-476: The general division). Advocacy groups such as Honour a Woman and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency have called for greater effort to be made to reach equal representation of men and women in the order. In December 2010, The Age reported a study of the educational backgrounds of all people who had received Knight/Dame and Companion level awards at that time. It reported: "An analysis of
6486-519: The government, keen to ensure favourable publicity for its new enterprise before the Federal election at the end of the month. Brain's instruction to his pilots that "schedules are important, but safety is most important" became one of TAA's early advertising slogans. In October, he wrote to the Department of Civil Aviation to express his disquiet at the rapidly increasing list of government members who were to be given preferential treatment when required at
6580-610: The governments of each respective state and territory, and three ex officio members (the chief of the Defence Force , the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and a public servant responsible for honours policy). The Council chair as of August 2024 is Shelley Reys. The Council makes recommendations to the governor-general. Awards are announced on Australia Day and on the King's Birthday public holiday in June, on
6674-572: The governor-general to remove an individual from the order, who may cancel an award. Announcements of all awards, cancellations and resignations appear in the Commonwealth Gazette . Nomination forms are confidential and not covered by the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Cth) . The reasoning behind a nomination being successful or unsuccessful—and even the attendees of the meetings where such nominations are discussed—remains confidential. As
6768-471: The north. The Cloncurry–Dajarra Road exits to the south from the Barkly Highway. Cattle grazing is the significant industry in the region, and a large sale yards is located in the town. The town has one of the richest geological layers in the world with copper (and gold) mining being core industries since 1867. Open cut mining has impacted the landscape and the nearby former mine-site Mary Kathleen
6862-417: The occasion of a special announcement by the governor-general (usually honorary awards), and on the appointment of a new governor-general. The governor-general presents the order's insignia to new appointees. Appointments to the order may be made posthumously as long as a person was nominated for an award whilst they were still alive. Awardees may subsequently resign from the order, and the Council may advise
6956-473: The order are made by the governor-general , "with the approval of The Sovereign", according to recommendations made by the Council for the Order of Australia . Members of the government are not involved in the recommendation of appointments, other than for military and honorary awards. The King of Australia is the sovereign head of the order, and the governor-general is the principal companion and chancellor of
7050-649: The order at all levels. Nomination forms are submitted to the Director, Honours Secretariat, a position within the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia , at Government House, Canberra , which are then forwarded to the Council for the Order of Australia . The council consists of 19 members: seven selected by the prime minister (described as "community representatives"), eight appointed by
7144-446: The order. The governor-general's official secretary , Paul Singer (appointed August 2018), is secretary of the order. The order is divided into a general and a military division. The five levels of appointment to the order in descending order of seniority are: Honorary awards at all levels may be made to non-citizens. These awards are made additional to the quotas. The order's insignia was designed by Stuart Devlin . The badge of
7238-453: The outgoing governor-general , Quentin Bryce ; her successor, Peter Cosgrove ; a recent chief of the Defence Force , Angus Houston ; a recent governor of New South Wales , Marie Bashir ; and Prince Philip . This last award was widely met with ridicule and dismay by many in the Australian media. The award was also heavily criticised in the community, with 72% disapproving and 12% in favour of
7332-672: The prime minister alone, rather than by the Council of the Order of Australia, as is the case with all lower levels of the order. In accordance with the statutes of 2014, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , was created a Knight of the Order by letters patent signed by the Queen on 7 January 2015, on Abbott's advice. Prince Philip's knighthood was announced as part of the Australia Day Honours on 26 January 2015 and his appointment attracted criticism of what Abbott described as his "captain's call". Abbott responded by announcing that future recommendations for appointments as Knights and Dames of
7426-587: The school had an enrolment of 156 students with 20 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 11 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent). Cloncurry has a public library, gallery, public swimming pool, showground, and racecourse. The Cloncurry Shire Council operates a public library in Cloncurry at Scarr Street. The Cloncurry branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association has its rooms at Charlotte Scott House in Scarr Street. Charlotte Scott
7520-490: The search for survivors of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator that had been shot down by the raiders. His rescue efforts were recognised with a King's Commendation for "brave conduct at Civil Aerodromes", promulgated in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 17 June 1943. The following year, he was promoted to temporary wing commander in the CAF. After the war, Brain was appointed Qantas' Assistant General Manager. Fysh
7614-552: The storage and supply of aircraft fuel for the RAAF and the US Army Air Forces at a total cost of £900,000 ($ 1,800,000). The discovery of uranium at Mary Kathleen brought wealth to the community in the 1950s. Until the development of Mount Isa in the 1960s, Cloncurry was the administrative centre of the region. The first-ever flight of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia took place from Cloncurry on 15 May 1928, using
7708-429: The time, and by 1938 Brain had been appointed Flying Operations Manager at QEA. In 1939, he was considered for the position of Director-General of Civil Aviation (which had recently succeeded the post of Controller-General) but the role went to A. B. Corbett . Following the outbreak of World War II , Brain was given the task of coordinating Qantas' support for the Australian military, which became known as
7802-633: The wake of the Labor government's loss to Robert Menzies ' conservative Liberal Party in the Federal election the previous year, though Coles was replaced as Chairman of ANAC by Norman Watt. By 1951, the new government had enacted as policy a two-airline system that enshrined competition between the Commonwealth-sponsored domestic operator and one major privately owned carrier. He had a jaunty cockiness that inspired his staff when things were going badly for us all ... It may be that there exists
7896-503: The £2,250 salary associated with the TAA role, and Brain advised Fysh of his resignation on 10 April 1946. In the event, ANAC appointed him TAA's General Manager on 3 June, with a £3,000 salary and an undertaking to increase this to as much as £5,000 in the future. Brain moved quickly to secure executive, flying, training and maintenance staff from Qantas, Ansett and the RAAF, as well as surplus Douglas DC-3 twin-engined transports from
7990-531: Was a dedicated member of the Cloncurry QCWA who died in 1992 having spent most of her life in Cloncurry. She was well known for her dancing, especially the Charleston . Cloncurry Uniting Church is at 19 Meldrum Street (corner of King Street, 20°42′32″S 140°30′30″E / 20.7090°S 140.5084°E / -20.7090; 140.5084 ( Cloncurry Uniting Church ) ). The church operates
8084-407: Was an inefficient organisation propped up by ordinary taxpayers. Brain maintained that its negative financial performance in its early years was a necessary by-product of rapid expansion to establish itself as a significant force in the market. In June 1950, he was able to report its first profit. This, plus popular opinion in TAA's favour, helped ensure the airline's survival as a public enterprise in
8178-436: Was appointed Flying Operations Manager in 1938. As a member of the RAAF reserve , Brain coordinated his airline's support for the Australian military during World War II . He earned a King's Commendation for his rescue efforts during an air raid on Broome , Western Australia, in 1942, and was promoted to wing commander in 1944. Seeing little prospect for advancement at Qantas once the war had ended, Brain left to join
8272-447: Was created by an amendment to the constitution of the Order of Australia by special letters patent signed by the Queen, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser . In March 2014 the knight and dame levels, which had been abolished in 1986 by Prime Minister Bob Hawke , were reintroduced to the Order of Australia by Tony Abbott . At the same time, Abbott announced that future appointments at this level would be recommended by
8366-498: Was established on 14 February 1975 by letters patent of Queen Elizabeth II , acting as Queen of Australia , and on the advice of the newly elected Labor prime minister , Gough Whitlam . The original order had three levels: Companion (AC), Officer (AO) and Member (AM) as well as two divisions: Civil Division and Military Division. Whitlam had previously announced in 1972 (on his third day in office) that his government would no longer nominate persons for British Imperial honours (with
8460-557: Was not his intention. Nevertheless, in November he received a Cabinet-approved ex gratia payment totalling £6,250, in recognition of his "long and distinguished service to civil aviation in Australia". During Brain's tenure at de Havilland, the company manufactured sixty-nine Vampire T35 jet trainers at its Bankstown factory for delivery to the RAAF, as well as Sea Venoms for the RAN. Leaving de Havilland upon its merger with Hawker Siddeley in 1960, he gave up full-time work and joined
8554-560: Was officially opened the next year. St Joseph's School opened on 29 October 1909 by the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart . In 1914, a fire broke out in the town resulting in the destruction of the Post Office , the hotel, eleven shops, two store-rooms and a cottage. The telegraph office was saved by employees who kept the office damp and protected with wet blankets. One man died in
8648-560: Was only the third such direct flight to Australia across the Pacific Ocean. By February 1942, Brain was running the Qantas base at Broome in north Western Australia, which had assumed major importance as a way station for evacuees from the Dutch East Indies , possessing a harbour suitable for flying boats, as well as an airfield that could take heavy bombers. The increasing Royal Netherlands Air Force , RAAF and Qantas traffic through
8742-577: Was still in his early fifties and appeared unlikely to retire any time soon. Seeing little chance of further advancement where he was, Brain took the opportunity to apply for the position of Operations Manager at Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), a new domestic carrier established by the Federal Labor government and run by the Australian National Airlines Commission (ANAC), which was chaired by Arthur Coles . Qantas could not match
8836-578: Was that although the destiny of the CAB-sponsored students was to be civil aviators, they would also be members of the RAAF reserve, known as the Citizen Air Force (CAF), and could therefore be called up for active service as and when necessary. Brain's fellow trainees included Royal Australian Navy lieutenants Joe Hewitt and Ellis Wackett , and Australian Army lieutenant Frank Bladin , all of whom were seconded—and later permanently transferred—to
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