The Flying Kangaroo

AUTHOR: Jim Eames PUBLISHER: Allen and Unwin RRP: $22.99 REVIEWER: Mary Ann Elliott

JIM Eames’ collection of stories is not a formal academic history of Qantas; it contains anecdotes about Australians behind its legend as the world’s most iconic and successful airline.

Beginning with a company started by a grazier in outback Queensland and two WW1 Pilots in 1920, Eames’ stories document the technical changes from cloth and wood to metal and supersonic jets. From Hudson Fysh’s first Avro to the A330, there are adventures aplenty.

Opening up routes and communications through remote areas, Qantas changed the world back then like the internet has changed lives today.

Its’ founders’ dreams of providing an air service for isolated outback communities, with crew and engineers overcoming massive challenges in unforgiving terrain, provides the basis for Qantas’s ongoing commitment and spirit.

Here are tales of air crew flying on the front line during wartime, and as ‘Skippy Squadron’ supporting troops in Vietnam, and bringing victims of Cyclone Tracy from Darwin, going beyond the call of duty as the national carrier.

Eames’ behind the scenes stories bring to life the remarkable characters, events and challenges that have turned Qantas into a much-admired company and uniquely Australian image.

Resilience, inventiveness and determination are at the forefront of his colourful stories.