Charity flight brings history lesson
One hundred pupils from Timaru South School received a short history lesson when the Poppy Flight reached Timaru yesterday.
Pilot Russell Brodie made a delayed landing in his Tiger Moth at Richard Pearse Airport, bringing two artworks, one bearing poppies and the other stars, which are being carried around the country as part of a charity relay flight.
Brodie, who had flown from Rangitata Island, explained to the pupils, as well as members of the Returned Services’ Association and public, how the plane had been built in 1942.
‘‘This aeroplane has a huge amount of our history and was used to train a lot of pilots in the Second World War, some of them died,’’ Brodie said.
The artworks were unbundled and poppies knitted in South Canterbury were sewn on the poppy artwork by members of the Timaru and Temuka Knit and Natter groups.
Richard Pearse Airport manager Matt Sisson said the airport, Timaru libraries and South Canterbury Museum worked together to organise a welcome for the Poppy Flight.
‘‘We get a lot of school visits. We put the call out and thought we’d integrate the two things together.’’
After a welcome speech from deputy mayor Steve Wills, the pupils visited the airport’s aviation museum where they coloured in a representation of an artwork from the Aigantighe Art Gallery’s collection.
The original artwork had been produced by Jock Fraser while he had been a prisoner of war in Italy during World War II.
The nationwide Poppy Flight has been organised to increase awareness of Anzac Day as well as raising money for the NZ Returned Services Association and Starship Foundation.
Donations can be made at www.poppyflight.co.nz.