A Century of Spirit Remembered — Descendants of QANTAS Founders to Join Monument Unveiling at Wings on the Warrego

On Saturday 12 September, as part of the 2026 Wings on the Warrego event, Charleville Airport will play host to locals, aviation enthusiasts and dignitaries who will gather for the official unveiling of a very special tribute to Charleville's early years of aviation — the QANTAS Heritage Trail Monument.

The ceremony marks a proud milestone in outback Queensland's long relationship with QANTAS history, a story that began in these very red-dust landscapes more than a century ago.

At the heart of the celebration will be the descendants of two of QANTAS's original founders — Sir Hudson Fysh and Fergus McMaster — who, along with Paul McGuinness, shared the vision and determination that helped transform a remote region into the birthplace of one of the world's great airlines. Their presence brings a sense of continuity, linking the pioneering spirit of the 1920s with the community's enduring pride today, where the past and present will briefly touch.

Charleville once hosted early QANTAS operations, from experimental mail routes to daring passenger flights across vast, unforgiving country. The town became a hub of innovation, resilience and adventure — qualities that shaped both the airline and the identity of outback Queensland.

The new monument, positioned prominently near the Charleville Airfield Museum, now serves as a tribute to those early aviators and the communities that supported them. The QANTAS Heritage Trail Monument symbolises not just history, but the ongoing journey of outback aviation and the legacy QANTAS continues to carry forward.

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