Dr Jean White First Lady Flying Doctor

Dr. Jean White, Mrs Simpson, Reverend Fred McKay AIM Padre, Dr Gordon Albury (RFDS Cloncurry), Reverend John Flynn and wife Jean at a picnic at Cloncurry 1937

There were always stories around Kowanyama amongst the old people about early plane crashes on the Mitchell. An American Airforce bomber had run out of fuel and made a forced landing on the Gilgai plain at Umbaladey east of Shelfo in 1944. It was the first time a road was cut to the Mitchell River for the Airforce crew to drive their trucks to the site. With the help of Alex McLeod and a team of men the plane was repaired and flown back to Charters Towers.

A second crash that was talked about came to light when Viv and Patrick Eric were mapping the old man’s clan country. An area was shown where the crash had happened at Tha lewen

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only a kilometre or so from Wul’a known as Water Place and running parallel to Perntenvm a short ridge west of Wul’a. There was little information about the crash by a “lady Flying Doctor” at the time but we now have the story. This year photos appeared on Normanton Facebook page, Normanton and Surrounds. Photos were posted by Craig Marsterson found while researching Gulf history in Townsville. The photographs shown here are just two of quite a few images of interest to Kowanyama. Craig was able to shed some light on who the “lady pilot” was and has provided us with the details with copies of published stories.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service was established in Cloncurry in 1928 with its first flying doctor. It was decided that Dr Jean White be placed at Croydon Hospital. On January 27 1939 the plane was finishing a run to Mitchell River Mission with two onboard, Dr Jean White and Pilot Doug Tennant. The plane was running very low on fuel and made a forced landing at Tha lewen, on Kokomnjen Island. As they landed the little Fox Moth biplane on a low sand rise. It capsized and was badly damaged. Luckily Dr Jean only had a badly bruised arm and the pilot was okay. They were five days in the bush before being found. They were lucky too that Water Place was not far away.

Read on for full story on page 23

EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE STORY

Constable McNaught was the Coen Policeman of the time and one of his trackers was Geoffrey Phillip. It is almost certain that Geoffrey was with McNaught when they crossed to Kokomnjen Island at Kowulh yal’alh (Old Bottom Landing) for the other side at Larr lowpnhan. There was a well-used walking track through the mangroves at Peth warruwnhan to Yumanvm and the rest of the island that was still evident in the early 1980’s.

Where Tennant the Pilot found water is almost certainly Wul’a (Water Place). It is very lucky they did not arrive later when floodwaters covered the area from Min pengr thila at the Five Ways of the Main Mitchell all the way back to the camps on the main sand ridge at Pin warruwnhan and Mirtayrh. Par luw kana luw AKA Minh thurr’n, The Late Patrick Eric Sr and his mob speared Ngar tha’ (Red sided burrowing cod) and other fish in the shallows during the height of the wet season when freshwater floods covered the lower delta plains. The eastern side of Kokomnjen Island was Patrick’s Yirrk Thangakl Wallaby Scrub Turkey Clan (Kurr kamuw) country. There were many people at the Mission who knew that country very well. In the 1937 Mission diaries mention is made of McNaught and his involvement in apprehending Jack Bruno at the Landing. Bruno escaped from Palm Island and had made his way back to his Mitchell River home. In 1930 Cecil Horace and Willie Mitchell were crossing at the same place as McNaught at the junction on their way back from hunting in lower Magnificent Creek country. Their father, Rock Cod was taken by a crocodile right in front of them and never found. The whole area is well known for its crocodile population to the present day. Doctor Jean and Captain Tennant were very lucky to survive in many ways. It is unfortunate that a local version of McNaught’s crossing was never recorded.

Minh Worrpol, Juvenile Sea Eagles Thakuluw, Topsy Creek

Nelson Brumby Senior dancing the Fish Hawk Kowanyama 1977