Oscar Garden

Oscar Garden (21 August 1903–2 June 1997) was a New Zealand aviator and horticulturist. He was born in Tongue, Sutherlandshire, Scotland on 21 August 1903.[1] On 16 October 1930, he embarked on a flight from an aerodrome in London, England, to Wyndham Aerodrome in Western Australia. Before the 18-day flight in a second-hand De Havilland Gypsy Moth, he had only 40 hours' solo flying experience. He flew in concert with Mrs Victor Bruce from Jask, Iran, to Rangoon, Burma, part of her record-setting air-sea circumnavigation.[2]

Garden went on to become chief pilot, mainly on Short Empire flying boats, and later operations manager for Tasman Empire Airways Ltd, the forerunner to Air New Zealand.[3][4]

In 2019 his daughter, Mary Garden's book, Sundowner of the Skies: The Story of Oscar Garden, The Forgotten Aviator was published by New Holland.[5] It was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's History Award 2020 for a book of international significance.[6] There have been many reviews and articles, not only in Australia but also New Zealand, Scotland and other countries, such as this one in Australia's national newspaper by Ross Fitzgerald

References
  1. Berry, Margareta Gee and Stephen. "Oscar Garden". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. Bruce, Mrs Victor (1931). The Bluebird's Flight. London: Chapman & Hall. p. 81–94.
  3. "Oscar Garden: my father, the unsung hero of the skies". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  4. FlyPast magazine September 2020, p.84
  5. Garden, Mary, 1950-. Sundowner of the skies : the story of Oscar Garden, the forgotten aviator. London, UK. ISBN 978-1-76079-093-6. OCLC 1101182405.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. https://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/awards/general-history-prize/2020-shortlisted-sundowner-skies


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