The Stinson (the aftermath)

March 1937 and onwards

Bernard O'Reilly was lauded by the general public but never received any official thanks or reward and returned to the guesthouse. The 'Green Mountains' guesthouse has remained with the O'Reilly family ever since and is now a high end retreat 'O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat', and it still celebrates Bernard’s achievements.

O'Reillys accommodation

O'Reillys have special 80th anniversary treks to the crash site with a commemorative ceremony that you can join.

The Stinson wreckage in 1990s

Stinson Walk Option 1 – Walk in Bernard’s Footsteps

Starting from O’Reilly’s Resort we hike along the same route that Bernard followed in his search for the Stinson Wreck in 1937. The walk begins on the Border Track, later going off the graded trail into rough terrain and dense misty rainforest, summitting Mount Throakban to reach Point Lookout and on to the Stinson clearing where we shall meet up with the Rescue Route group. There is an opportunity to go to Westray’s grave.

Stinson Walk Option 2 – The Rescue Route

Walking from the Christmas Creek end of the track, this walking group will creek cross, rock hop, and make their way alongside the tumbling creek to the site of Jim Westray’s grave. From creek level you will then climb steeply up the side of the hill to eventually reach the site of the Stinson Wreck. Reaching the Stinson clearing you then have the option of continuing a little further to Point Lookout to look towards Mount Warning in N.S.W.

Both groups meet at the Stinson Clearing for lunch and time for a commemoration and to hear the remarkable tale of the Stinson rescue.

The Stinson crash had a profound effect on Australians, and via the results of the inquest, saw changes to Australian aviation. The much discussed topic of radio communications and navigation led to (Check out the local connection in the 'Nhill Aeradio Station, navigating safely' story) a network of radio beacons across the country to aid pilots.

In 1940, after he had volunteered to join the Air Force, "and since the future is so obscure" Bernard fulfilled requests to write the story of the rescue - the result was the book "Green Mountains and Cullenbenbong".
Bernard O'Reilly died in 1975.
John Seymour Proud continued his career as an engineer, and died in 1997. Joseph Robert Binstead's death date of 1969 is uncertain.

Sources: Bernard O'Reilly "Green mountains", Jennifer Beck "Crash", Trove historic newspapers.

 

The Stinson (2nd)

At dawn on Tuesday 2nd March 1937, the rescue team began the descent of the ridge in steady rain. Each 8 man stretcher team had to be rested every 10 minutes. It was some 11 hours later, after 4pm in the afternoon, when the stretchers reached the foot of the mountain.

The searchers with Proud & Binstead on stretchers (Wix.com)

The Stinson (1st March)

In the early hours of Monday 1st March 1937, Bernard O'Reilly and the locals were organising 2 rescue parties. The first led by Bernard and accompanied by Dr Lawler would follow Bernard's route back up the Christmas Creek to the Stinson survivors. 
Another party would cut a 14 mile long track along the ridge to ferry out the stretchers (Bernard’s fast route was too steep and treacherous for men to carry stretchers, even the ridge route required men at the front to carry the stretcher extended over their heads while the men at the back held it below knee height, in an attempt to keep it relatively level). 
Bernard’s party started out at 3am and arrived at the wreck site around 11am. They triaged the survivors and carried them up to the ridge. 
The Ridge party arrived around sunset.

Dr Lawler had been prepared to amputate Proud’s leg at the crash site but as the fly maggots had eaten the putrid flesh, they had actually slowed down/prevented gangrene infection setting in and poisoning the leg. The leg was saved but Proud never regained full use of the limb.

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.