About Connellan Airways
E.J CONNELLAN AND THE CONNELLAN AIRWAYS PLAYED A VITAL ROLE IN BREAKING DOWN THE ISOLATION OF the CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK. it was the pioneering aviation service in the area from 1939 to the time of its sale in 1979.
Edward John Connellan (known as E.J or Eddie) was born on 24 June 1912, the eldest of 7 children of Thomas and Lucy Connellan. He was raised on a property named Araluen in western Victoria, and later in the Riverina District of New South Wales.
E.J completed his education as a senior boarder of Xavier College in Melbourne. Then in addition to working on the family station, E.J was a teacher at Lake Bolac State School and Swan Hill Highschool. E.J further studied via correspondence with the University of Melbourne.
His journey to acquire a pastoral property in the NT lead him to gain experience in a variety of endeavours. One of his passions, flying, lead E.J to become a fully licensed private pilot in 1936. Whilst consulting in Canberra with ministers, E.J prepared his report “Notes on Proposals for Aerial Freight Transport in Australia” identifying the need for aerial surveying of Australia’s greater northern outback.
The intention of two flights was to survey the Territory for the government, to assess the potential role of aviation in the development of the north and to select a cattle station from vacant Crown land for himself, his brother and two friends.
During this survey and meetings with Federal John McEwen (then Minister of the Northern Territory), the idea of establishing an air service in the Territory was discussed.
It was later agreed to trial an air service scheme for three years with a negotiated subsidy to run mail between Alice Springs and Wyndham in WA. This agreement included a contract with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) based in Alice Springs.
The mission of the, to be established airline, recommended 'render at all times the greatest possible SERVICE TO SETTLERS, in Northern Australia, and to FACILITATE AND EXPEDITE DEVELOPMENT of the pastoral and other industries in Northern Australia'.
Following this agreement, E.J and several fellow enthusiasts travelled to Alice Springs where operations began to establish the air service facilities. The first medical flight occurred only days after arriving in July 1939. The first official mail run began in August of the same year, operating fortnightly thereafter.
Images from the collection of Evelyn Connellan
The outbreak of World War Two affected the initial air services growth, however the authorities considered the air service essential to the war efforts and E.J was asked to continue as a one-man operation. E.J registered the new name, Connellan Airways, on 23 July 1943 to further consolidate his service and then secure extra routes.
Pioneering the air service resulted in an expansion of his ideas leading to the formation of the Northern Territory Development League in 1944. Consolidation and continued growth followed the war years with the air service becoming incorporated as a limited company by 1951 with shares owned by locals. New routes and equipment to service locals were added to the network. In 1963 Connellan Airways Limited was an acknowledged public transport operator with all the added responsibilities for schedules, safety and maintenance that this required, along with continued charter work. Connellan Airways Ltd held a unique place in the post war history of the NT. Re-named Connair in 1970, the airline played a significant role in the emergency response immediately following one of Australia's greatest natural disasters, Cyclone Tracey which devastated Darwin on Christmas Eve in 1974. Staff were immediately involved in the massive evacuation following the disaster and provided communication to the rest of Australia via a Heron aircraft which had remained unscathed at Darwin airport.
The airline, lead by E.J, was vital in successfully developing connection to basic services like health and education for those located in the isolated and remoteness of the outback and boasted several successes and firsts for northern Australia. Encouraging women into the air service and outback was one of the many successes. Pioneering female airline pilot Christine Davy flew the DC-3 and the Fokker Friendship with Connellan Airways. Christine was the first Australian woman to hold a 1st Class Air Transport Pilot's Licence. In 1963 receiving the Nancy Bird Trophy for her service to aviation from the Australian Women Pilots' Association. In 1974 she became the first woman in Australia to be employed as a pilot of a passenger with Connair (formally Connellan Airways)
Business pressures surrounding equipment upgrades saw Connellan Airways undergo major changes through the 60s and 70s. Both the RFDS and Connellan benefitted from each other’s need with a range of aircraft for the RFDS and guaranteed income for Connellan with experienced pilots who knew the outback intimately. Despite the successes, changing conditions soon realized the need to sell the airline and a deal was sealed by 1980 with a sale to East-West Airlines.
E.J always believed that the over-riding purpose of his air service remained that of promoting development in Outback Australia and helping to alleviate the problems of isolation and until it was sold, he insisted that the policy of the company should be the service of people on remote stations.
Following the sale of the airline E.J remained busy with many things. He devoted more attention to his pastoral property, Narwietooma, and in 1981 was able to undertake his new responsibilities as the first Territorian to be appointed a director of the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame.
E.J was a shy man yet paradoxically, his involvement in the pastoral industry and his obsession with the development of the Territory meant that he was continually being thrust into the public eye. He was a visionary and innovator ahead of his time. In response to his work and commitment to developing Outback Australia through the airline, and his other interests, formal acknowledgement followed E.J. He received the Queen’s Coronation Medal in 1953, then in 1957 he was made an Officer of the British Empire (OBE). He also received a singular honour from the aviation fraternity when he was awarded the 1965 Oswald Watt Trophy. In 1978 he was promoted in the Honours List to a Commander of the British Empire (CBE). Three years later in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 1981, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). All acknowledging his generous service to aviation and the wider community.
The cause that attracted most of E.J’s remaining energies was the establishment of the “Connellan Airways Trust”. He hoped that the Trust would ensure the survival of many of his policies, aimed at developing the Outback for which he had striven for so long and the Connellan Airways Trust became E.J's last obsession. This successful launch announcement satisfied E.J’s final goal but he died later that year on 26 December 1983.
Connellan Airways Trust continues the mission of supporting people in the outback, working to improve social and economic outcomes for those living and working in isolation.
Connellan Airways Philosophy
Innovation in the Outback
Early Education about Air Services
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We acknowledge and extend our respect and appreciation to the Arrente People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we are located in Alice Springs, and to the Traditional Custodians across the lands on which our recipients live and work. We pay respect to the Elders, past, present and emerging.