Vale George Roberts OAM -- Qantas
Some very sad news.............
MESSAGE FROM ALAN JOYCE - FAREWELL GEORGE ROBERTS, OAM
Today we farewell George Roberts, one of our earliest, long-serving and most dedicated employees.
George died in a Sydney hospital this morning with his family by his side, aged 99.
George played witness to Australian aviation history – and became part of our own amazing Qantas story.
George and his brother Norm were there in 1928, when Charles Kingsford-Smith completed the first crossing of the Pacific by air, and greeted Bert Hinkler after his first solo flight from Britain to Australia. When Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, George helped her to safety after her plane crash-landed in Brisbane in 1930.
In 1936, George joined Qantas as a young engineer. He was 'Employee Number 50', recruited by Qantas founder, Arthur Baird. One of George’s early jobs was to service the instruments and electricals of the Empire Class flying boats at Sydney's Rose Bay.
George saw Qantas evolve from a small outback company to one of the world’s leading airline Groups.
For his services to aviation in Australia, George was awarded the Order of Australia in the 2003 Australia Day honours list.
George never lost his passion for flight. He volunteered for Qantas at our Heritage Centre in Sydney well into his nineties, 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.
Our fourth Qantas A380 touched down at 7am this morning, named Fergus McMaster, after another of our Qantas pioneers.
Today we remember George Roberts, who contributed so much to the magnificent story of Qantas past. Now it is up to us to keep on building the future.
Alan Joyce
Qantas Group Broadcast Message