#Airmail trial trial#

The trial flight left Lismore, picked up more mail in Casino and flew on to Tenterfield. Tell us your location and find more local ABC News and information.He and his company volunteered to conduct a trial flight at their cost. In an impassioned speech, the pilot convinced the town fathers, who in turn convinced the postmaster-general, that delivering mail between Lismore, Casino and Tenterfield by air would be safe, cost effective and fast. Lismore Chamber of Commerce records provided Mr Wotherspoon with proof the Lismore flight was an official trial for the postmaster-general, referencing a presentation by Roberts.

'That's why he came to Lismore, joyriding, and he knew that this was in the wings and if he could help, which he did, it would happen - and it happened.' 'Dad just had a belief that flying was going to be one of the future things in the world, that's just how important it was,' Frank Roberts Jr said. Roberts would take brave paying customers for a spin in his aircraft and perform daredevil aerobatic displays. ( Supplied: Frank Roberts Jr)ДЄfter the war, aircraft manufacturer Avro employed Roberts as a test pilot, and the visit to the north coast was part of an east coast tour promoting aeroplanes. Lieutenant Frank Roberts became a test pilot for Avro and toured Australia. His research uncovered a reference to World War I fighter pilot Lieutenant Frank Roberts flying into Lismore on June 12, 1920. 'The mayor and the Lynn brothers just couldn't get the postmaster-general's support,' Mr Wotherspoon said. In August 1918, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Webster considered air mail too expensive and unreliable. Local politicians and the Lynn brothers lobbied the postmaster-general, William Webster, for an air mail service from Lismore to Tenterfield as early as 1916. Problems with communication were at the core of growing criticisms early in the 20th century that regional Australia was not getting a fair go, prompting calls for government investment. 'I went through thousands of boxes and I couldn't find any proof, only the family story.'Д«ut four years later, Mr Wotherspoon found the truth.

'People kept asking me if I had the proof,' she said. The Lynn family believe this photo was taken when the trial flight landed in Casino.

Airmail trial