FLIGHTPATH | 53ally dumped at sea to recover the hefty im-
port duties imposed on them on arrival. To-
day its engine and propeller survive in the
custody of Melbourne’s Scienceworks.
Adamson was perhaps Australia’s first
aviation entrepreneur.
Clement John de Garis was born on 22
November 1884 in North Melbourne. His fa-
ther had built up various business interests
in Mildura, including that of a dried-fruit
broker. De Garis Senior moved to Melbourne
in 1908 to establish a dried-fruit agency,
leaving the Mildura businesses in the hands
of de Garis Junior. The businesses flour-
ished under his guidance. He was also the
publicity director of the Australian Dried
Fruits Association.
With widespread business interests, de
Garis saw the potential of using aircraft to
travel between them. His first aircraft was
the Boulton & Paul P.9 that Lieutenant Long
had used to make the first aerial crossing of
Bass Strait in December 1919. Frank Briggs
was engaged as the ’company pilot’.
Briggs and de Garis made many flights in
the Boulton Paul between Melbourne, Mil-
dura and Sydney. On 9 July 1920, they made
the first flight between Sydney and Mel-
bourne in one day, taking 6.5 hours flying
time. All went well on the flight until, about
two miles (3.2 kilometres) from their desti-
nation at the Glenroy (Melbourne) aero-
drome, a cylinder parted company from the
90 hp (67 kW) R.A.F. V8 engine which forced
an immediate landing.
The two Airco DH-4 aircraft that Briggs
had persuaded de Garis to order had not
yet arrived from England, so even though
the damage to the P.9 was not serious, it
was sold back, as-is where-is, to Aviation
Ltd (Lieutenant Long’s company). A Sop-
LEFT: Lawrence
Adamson,
headmaster at
Wesley College
1902-1932.
[Archives, Wesley
College, Melbourne]BELOW: The
Boulton & Paul
P.9, with a 90 hp
R.A.F. engine,
used by C. J. de
Garis and F. S.
Briggs in setting
their first records.
They are standing
by the aircraft.
Inset, Francis
Stewart Briggs
(left) and Clement
John de Garis.