The Stinson (28th)

At about 8am on Sunday 28th February 1937, Bernard O'Reilly reached the summit of Mount Throakban, where he waited for the swirling mists to clear momentarily…and then suddenly I saw something which made me jump. Eight miles away by map, on the third range, “Lamington Plateau”, just where it swelled up to join the border range, was a tree-top which was light brown…the brief view gave Bernard a reference point to aim for. 

The view from Mt Throakban (from 'Green Mountains & Cullenbenbong')

Some 8 hours later, around 4pm, he heard a voice ahead and sent out a “Cooee” which was answered. He came upon the plane wreckage (22 miles from the Guesthouse) with 4 bodies still trapped inside, and unbelievably 2 men barely alive beside it.

John Proud a 30 year old mining engineer…his eyes far back in his head, like a corpse, lying as he had lain for ten days on that wet ground with a broken leg that was green and swelling and maggoty…Proud had been in the act of writing his final message (carving into a piece of the tail plane with his pen-knife).

Joe Binstead a 54 year old wool buyer…his hand was like raw meat. His legs, too, were like that, and the legs of his trousers were worn away in crawling over the rocks (Binstead had been keeping them both alive by crawling to a nearby creek, 300 yards away down an almost perpendicular slope, and filling a thermos, which had survived the fire, with water).

They asked after Westray (James Westray a 26 year old English insurance man, the only other survivor, who though burned in the crash had gone for help on the day after the crash)

Toolona Falls

Bernard gave them a quick cup of tea and after a half hour, at around 4:30pm, left to get help. Following the track left by Westray for ½ mile he came upon a waterfall plunging down a 30’ cliff and signs where Westray had fallen down the cliff. A further 2 miles on he came across the body of Westray (he had damaged his ankle in the fall and died of internal haemorrhages) sitting against a rock starring out towards his goal.

In the growing dark Bernard continued along the Christmas Creek and down the mountains towards the settlement of Lamington and civilisation, to raise the alarm and a rescue team. Lamington was the closest population centre to the wreck site at around 9 miles.