The Uiver Plane is special to Albury Wodonga.
On 20 October 1934, 20 aircraft, including the Uiver, took off from Mildenhall, England for the epic 19,800 km event across the globe to Melbourne, Australia.
On the final leg from Charleville, Queensland to Melbourne, the Uiver was caught in a severe thunderstorm, losing radio contact and becoming disoriented
In a remarkable display of community effort,
Albury residents used the town's lights to flash "ALBURY" in Morse code and lined up cars with headlights on the racecourse to create a makeshift runway
Just after midnight, the aircraft was heard circling the town.
It bumped several times on the undulating centre of the racecourse and slithered to a halt 100 yards short of the inner fence. The aircraft was safe, and the next morning, townsfolk helped free it so it could continue to Melbourne and complete the race
WA Pickles are proud to have been involved in the movements of the Uiver with restorations.
Photo credit: WA Pickles Original https://www.uivermemorial.org.au/story.html https://www.alburycity.nsw.gov.au/leisure/museum-and-libraries/collections/local-and-social-history/the-uiver
