Taking Flight

Arthur Baird Memorial Sculpture

By Alex Sanson, 2024

Commissioned from Victorian artist, Alex Sanson, Taking Flight honours Arthur Baird's engineering and aviation achievements. It is based on a de Havilland DH-50 aircraft and stands more than five metres high.

The work, constructed entirely of satin-finish marine grade stainless steel, is deliberately incomplete, suggestive of half-built models, parts and prototypes, referencing Baird’s engineering background. The sculpture is particularly designed to suggest a wind tunnel prototype and to work effectively as an airfield windsock, carefully balanced to move freely in the wind.

This location was selected so the sculpture could be seen almost ‘flying’ amongst the gum trees, visible to traffic passing along Nunn Street.

In 2019 Barry O'Connor and Beverley 'Chick' Walker formed a working group after their discovery of Arthur Baird and his significance in establishing Australia's aviation industry.

The group comprised family members, two councillors and community members. The group resolved to recognise Arthur through contemporary and engaging art, which would complement Benalla Rural City’s arts and culture offering.

In January 2020, the group released an expression of interest for a sculpture design. Three submissions were received with the design by artist Alex Sanson chosen as it best represented Arthur's engineering and aviation achievements.

In November 2020, Council was successful at securing $150,000, as part of the $2.5M Building Works Package, this funding was secured to deliver an art sculpture trail on the shores of Lake Benalla.

The proposed Arthur Baird project fits within the larger concept of delivering an art sculpture trail to the lakeside precinct.

The Arthur Baird Memorial Sculpture was made possible with funding from the Victorian Government and support from:

• Benalla Rural City Council
• Barry O’Connor
• Beverley ‘Chick’ Walker
• Pam Herbert
• Benalla Family Research Group
• Baird / Beard Family

Wilfred Baird, or Arthur as he preferred to be known, was born in Benalla in 1889 and was schooled locally before moving to Melbourne in 1905 to study mechanical engineering.

In 1909, he commenced an apprenticeship with W. Anderson & Sons in Richmond. By 1915, he had completed his apprenticeship and joined the Australian Flying Corps as an instrument fitter and mechanic. He was soon sent to the Middle East.

Arthur’s ability to solve complex problems with British-built aircraft operating in the extreme conditions of the Middle East during WWI earned him a Meritorious Service Award, one of only 34 awarded to the 2,694 members of the Australian Flying Corps.

On his return to Australia, Arthur joined two former Flying Corps pilots, Paul McGuiness and Wilmot Hudson Fysh, who then became the first three employees of the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd. (Qantas) in January 1921.

In 1921, Arthur assisted Dr Archibald Michod, the first flying doctor in Queensland, by modifying an aircraft to allow patients to be flown to and from Longreach for treatment. This was the start of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Arthur initiated the construction of seven de Havilland DH-50 and one DH-9 aircraft for Qantas in Longreach between 1926 and 1929.

As Qantas grew, he established and supervised the operation of the additional support infrastructure at Brisbane, Sydney, Darwin, Perth and Singapore.

Following the fall of Singapore during WWII, Arthur and his staff modified five officially obsolete Catalina aircraft, to fly record-breaking distances between Perth and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to ensure that the vital mail link between Australia and England remained open.

These flights set records, and remain the longest elapsed time scheduled passenger flights by a piston engine aircraft, with the flights taking up to 32 hours non-stop.

In his 28 years with Qantas, Arthur was deeply invested in the development of 400 apprentices, instilling in them Qantas’ renowned commitment to safety. In 1942 Arthur mentored a young apprentice, Connie Jordan, who went to become the first female ground engineer for Qantas.

Arthur Baird was inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame in 2013.

Based on the de Havilland DH-50 aircraft, the sculpture, Taking Flight, is constructed entirely of satin finish marine grade stainless steel.

Commissioned from Victorian artist, Alex Sanson, Taking Flight honours Arthur Baird's engineering and aviation achievements.

It is deliberately incomplete, suggestive of half-built models, parts and prototypes that abound in engineering facilities, referencing Baird’s engineering background. The sculpture is particularly designed to suggest a wind tunnel prototype and to work effectively as an airfield windsock.

The overall form is accurately modelled on the DH-50, however the detailing has been streamlined to be suggestive of aviation generally and provide a contemporary and playful sculpture.

The location of the Arthur Baird Memorial Sculpture is at the entrance to the Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Learning Centre (Benalla Library) in Fawckner Drive. This location was selected so the sculpture could be seen almost ‘flying’ amongst the gum trees, visible to traffic passing along Nunn Street.