George Roberts

Queensland Air Museum’s honoured guest at Open Cockpit Weekend 2007 is George Roberts, the oldest former employee of Qantas. George was born in Ipswich on 27 December 1909. At age eight he saw his first aeroplane land in a paddock near his home. Two years later he made his
first flight in a flying boat at Sandgate on Moreton Bay. George’s father owned a Ford dealership in Ipswich so it is hardly surprising that George developed an interest in all things mechanical. George’s first job was in a blacksmith’s shop which was followed by apprenticeships in his grandfather’s coachbuilding business and his father’s motor business. Although George had learned to drive at age seven, he was already building cars long before he was old enough to hold a driver’s licence. George and his brother Norm rode their motor cycles to Brisbane’s Eagle Farm aerodrome where they witnessed the arrival of pioneer aviators like Charles Kingsford Smith, Bert Hinkler and Amy Johnson. When Amy Johnson crashed her Gipsy Moth at Eagle Farm in 1930, George was amongst the first on the scene to help her from the wreckage. George’s interest in aviation led to a friendship with Geoff Wikner who was designing and building gliders and aeroplanes in a warehouse in Parbury Lane, Eagle Street. George assisted Wikner with the construction of one of his designs which he called the Wicko Cabin Sports. This aircraft flew for the first time from Archerfield Aerodrome on 25 January 1931. The Wicko Cabin Sports was the first aircraft designed and flown in Queensland. The aircraft was flown by Charles Kingsford Smith who publicly pronounced it to be “a very fine little machine”. Geoff Wikner piloted the Cabin Sports to an
Australian altitude record of 17,300 feet (5,273 m) in May 1931. A replica of this aeroplane will be unveiled at the Queensland Air Museum on 1 July in the presence of George Roberts.

George Roberts joined Qantas on 1 November 1936 as an engineer, having been employed by Arthur Baird himself. At this time, Qantas were having all their aircraft instruments overhauled outside the company. George’s experience with automotive instruments endeared him to Arthur Baird and much of this work was brought in-house. It was a logical progression for George and Norm to build their own aircraft and in 1936 their Flying Flea took to the air at Archerfield with Norm at the controls. By this time, George and Norm both held pilot’s licences. When the first Empire flying boat arrived in Brisbane in 1937, George successfully repaired its autopilot even though he had never previously seen such a device. With the outbreak of war in 1939, George attempted to enlist but was refused because his work was vital to the war effort. Indeed, all the

George Roberts Biography 2

allied air forces came to rely heavily on George’s expertise in the repair and overhaul of aircraft instruments. By war’s end, the facility set up by George had overhauled an estimated 143,000 aircraft instruments. After sixteen years running the instrument overhaul section, George moved
on to new challenges within Qantas. One of his proudest achievements was the design of mobile aircraft stairs for the newly ordered Boeing 707. These stairs were produced by the Hastings Deering company and an example is currently displayed in the Queensland Air Museum where it is used as an observation platform. George Roberts retired from Qantas in November 1970 after 34 years service. Although revered as a brilliant engineer, it is not widely known that George was involved in the preservation of our aviation history long before it became fashionable. As early as 1947, George attempted to save the last remaining Short Empire flying boat. To this day, George helps out as a volunteer at the Qantas Heritage Collection in Sydney. He is a most honoured guest at the Queensland Air Museum.

George & Pam went to live in Sydney 1938 and started to work with Qantas they drove to Sydney


Australia Day honours list: OAM

January 26 2003

George Alexander ROBERTS, Dover Heights, NSW. For service to the recording and preservation of aviation history, and to vintage and veteran car organisations.



ROBERTS, George Alexander OAM
August 24, 2009
Much loved husband of Pamela (deceased). Father and father-in-law of Bruce and Bronwyn, father of Rod. Grandfather of James, Gavin and Kylie, Lindsay-Ann and Gregory, Amie and Ashleigh. Great grandfather of Georgia, Tristan, Hayley and Elissa. Long time friend of Marie (deceased).

Aged 99 years

GEORGES family and friends are invited to attend his Funeral Service to be held at the Church of Christ, 131 Woronora Road, Engadine on Tuesday, September 1, 2009, commencing at 11am.



Article from: The Australian

QANTAS'S longest-serving employee and the last survivor of the early team that turned the airline into an international carrier has taken his final flight. Former engineer George Roberts spent almost seven decades at Qantas and watched aircraft develop from wire and wood oddities into complex trans-oceanic jets. Born in Ipswich, Queensland, in 1909, he developed an enthusiasm for aviation after seeing his first plane at eight and taking his first flight, over Moreton Bay in a Curtiss Seagull, at 10. He met aviation pioneer Ross Smith, was there when Bert Hinkler arrived after his solo flight from England to Australia in 1928, and welcomed Charles Kingsford Smith later that year. He even helped pull British aviatrix Amy Johnson from her upturned Gipsy Moth near Brisbane. In 1936, as Qantas spread its wings overseas, Mr Roberts was recruited by the airline's founder, Arthur Baird, as employee No 50. The airline had about a dozen planes at the time, including five DH86s, which allowed it to fly over water for the first time. He first worked on single-engine aircraft made of wood but transferred to Sydney in 1938 with the opening of the Qantas flying boat base at Rose Bay, where he serviced the instruments and electronics of Empire-class flying boats. He continued with Qantas after retiring from the property department in 1970 and for the next 38 years worked two days a week on a voluntary basis with former employees compiling and cataloguing the airline's historic artefacts and memorabilia. His long association with Qantas was recognised in 2000 with the publication of a book about his life, By George. His services to aviation were further rewarded in 2003 with an Order of Australia. The veteran continued working for Qantas in an honorary capacity until 2005. "George never lost his passion for flight," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said yesterday. "He volunteered for Qantas at our Heritage Centre in Sydney well into his 90s, and remained a greatly loved figure.
"George once told an ABC journalist that when an aircraft flew overhead, he still went out to take a look." Mr Roberts died in St Vincents Hospital, Sydney, on Monday aged 99.

From the Ipwsich Times



Qantas salutes George Roberts

Melanie Maeseele | 4th September 2009

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AN IPSWICH-BORN aviation veteran who devoted his life to engineering and Qantas has died aged 99 leaving a lasting legacy.

Born in 1909 George Roberts spent his childhood years surrounded by engines and transport, even trying to build an aircraft in his parents' backyard.

His father, who opened Roberts Motors selling Ford, Fiat and Mitchell cars in Ipswich, provided the perfect platform for Mr Roberts to expand his knowledge of mechanical instruments.

His enthusiasm for the aviation industry took off even more when, at 10, he took his first flight over Moreton Bay in a Curtiss Seagull.

In 1936 Mr Roberts joined the Qantas team at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane as a ground engineer working on instruments and electrical overhaul.

In 1938 he moved to Sydney where Qantas established a flying boat base at Rose Bay.

During World War II Mr Roberts was part of the Qantas team that carried out instrument repairs for the Royal Australian Air Force and the US Air Force.

Mr Roberts formally retired from Qantas in 1970 after a career spanning 34 years but couldn't forgo his passion, volunteering for the company for another 38 years.

His long association with Qantas was documented in 2000 with the publication of a book about his life, Qantas By George.

Qantas Board member and former chief executive officer and managing director James Strong delivered the eulogy at Mr Roberts' funeral in Sydney on Tuesday and paid tribute to a man he described as “determined” and “loyal”.

“I doubt there will ever be another person quite like George in the history of Qantas and the Australian aviation industry,” Mr Strong said.

“He was not just a wonderful contributor to its history in every sense; he was part of the heart and soul of the airline and the industry.”

“At 90, when asked to sum up his life, he said in a masterpiece of understatement: 'Very busy. It's never let up'.

“I suspect it was George who never let up.”

Mr Roberts died on August 24 in St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.