Did I find the golden meaning of the whole trip? My great takeaway is that no matter where I went in the world, regardless of the politics between nations, people were simply trying to get on with their daily lives, feed their families and educate their children so that they may prosper and enjoy a better life. At our local level, community is what matters, and that’s something we can all contribute to. It’s why I think the generosity of strangers stood out so much: we all have an adventurous spirit deep down, a desire to explore and go beyond our horizon, so we can’t help but support those who are venturing beyond theirs.
I realised the value of ‘organised spontaneity’: though I had to intricately plan the permissions to fly into countries and follow aviation regulations, I kept the rest of the journey loose, so that I could react and engage with the environment around me. I realise it’s a similar approach to how the Sun Theatre evolved, and in a world that changes so quickly I think it is how we can best find the path forward in most endeavours.
But whenever I have tried to express my journey in one sentence, I realise it is only for others that I’m seeking some magical summary. After nearly a year of reflection and discussion, I have come to this: don’t overthink it. I had a dream, and I went and lived it. Sometimes we just need to be okay with going on an adventure because it will be fun and wondrous and fulfilling.
‘Communerism’, or socially conscious enterprise, is now my focus. It’s about being community-focused, with economic sustainability allowing long-term growth and purpose. Every local cinema – whether privately owned or not-for-profit, in cities or in country towns, in changing, developing or underprivileged areas – has a unique and important role to play, and when nurtured they can be the heart of a community. I believe each of them can make their part of the world a better place, somewhere to gather for shared storytelling and rarely shared choc-tops.
Onwards and upwards.
‘Travelling – it leaves you speechless, then makes you a storyteller.’
IBN BATTUTA, THE TRAVELS (CIRCA 1355)
Credit Roll
Special thanks to Morry, Chris, Julian, Rebecca and especially Aaron for bringing the Southern Sun’s story to print.
To Greg Ure, for his magnificent maps and illustrations, and to Jack Morrison for his Southern Sun postmark. I oh-so-proudly did a few drawings all by myself:
All photos were taken by me on my iPhone, GoPro or Garmin VIRB, except for: flying boat photos: Qantas Historical collection and Qantas Airways Ltd (thanks to David Crotty); departure at Williamstown: Timothy Smith; landing at Shannon: Malcolm Nason; Ireland in-air photos: Andrew Fenton and Adrian Corcoran; with the school kids: Ruth van Sommeren; Longreach photos: David Geers, Nicole Kuttner and Ashley Moore; Rylstone photos: Rob Loneragan and Ian Westlake.
I’d like to thank in Act i: the flying boat history gurus Matthew Holle, David Crotty, Phil Vabre and Cesare Baj; Michael Coates, XCOM Avionics; Michael McNamara, Simon Hooper and Jenna Davies from QBE Insurance; Rob and Kim Skyring from Transaero; Wal the Rotax Whisperer; Captain Jack Peters; Rod and Leonie Gunther; Andrew Thorne; PC David Seaman; David ‘Daffy’ Wallace; David Allen; Terry O’Hare; Ian Westlake; Chris Smith, Vanderlin Island; Tarmo, King Ash Bay; the guys who lent me their utes in Darwin!; Darwin’s patient air-traffic controllers; Angelo and Lou, Cinema Loro sa’e; Alex, Dili Airport; Wachira ‘Jee’ Chhatrakul na Ayudhya; Prakash Ranjan; Chef Rakesh Guniyal; Ahmed Naazer Minhaj; Pete ‘Dingo’ Forbes; Shane O’Hare; Yigal Merav; Amir Erez; Joel Pearlman (from Melbourne); Cesare Baj; Luigi Grasselli from Aviare S.R.L.; Francesco Frigerio; Mike Gray from White Rose Aviation; Chloe and Helen at Signature, Southampton; Captain Alistair in the Signature lounge; Deepak Mahajan.
In Act ii: Alan Sutton; members of the Damyns Hall Flying Club; John and Caroline Brennan; Margaret O’Shaughnessy; Andrew Fenton; Adrian Corcoran; Bryan Sheane; Gerry Humphreys; Malcolm Nason; members of the Limerick Flying Club; ILAS, The Patrick Gallagher Wing; Jacob Vadgaard; Ujarneq J. Serensen; Whoever in ATC Narsarsuaq found and posted my cashmere jumper; Thomas Branner Jespersen, president and sole member of the Greenland Flying Boat Club; Mary and Gary from Botwood Taxis; Mayor Jerry Dean; Deputy Mayor Scott Sceviour; Kerry Richter; Russell Brown; Paige Lynette; Angel Rivera; Dan Nickens; Jim Walsh; Adam Yang.
In Act iii: Kristen Messner; Jim, projectionist & organist extraordinaire; Capt. Karen Stemco; Capt. Burke Mees; Walter Fellows; Ross Mahon; Ben Ellison; Mary, Cold Bay Lodge; Lucinda, Chris (the mayor) and Marina from Atka; Julie and Molly; Ruth van Sommeren; Mike and Imelda, Blue Bird Cafe; Vince; Elaine; Peter Steeger; Taco san; the Seahawk crew in the South China Sea for not being trigger-happy; David Geers (from Brisbane, at his computer, I imagine in his PJ’s); the residents of Rio Hondo; Skytrans Airways; Rebecca Hyde; Christopher Palmer; Paul Hewitt (Innisfail); Nicole, Shell Aviation; David Geers; Doug Bauer; Nicole Kuttner; Ashley Moore; Rob, Harriet, Phoebe, Toby and Tom Loneragan from Rylstone; John and Lynn Taylor; Helen, Glenn and Danielle from RYCV; and Rod Gunther (double thanks).
Thanks to the team at the Sun Theatre: Krissa Jansson, Lewis Thorne, Trish Tabone, Clare Vanderwarker, Sam McCabe, and and all the staff who just kept working while I kept not coming home.
Blimey, there are more thankyous here than an emotional Oscars speech. Are we there yet? Almost . . .
Thank you to Australian Geographic for their 2016 Adventurer of the Year award. And to Bremont Watches (www.bremont.com) for their beautiful Supermarine watch, which was presented to me as part of the award.
There was a point in my journey when I wasn’t sure I would make it. I came out stronger, though, realising that it’s not just what we do, but also how we do it that matters. Thanks to John Price, Stuart Wood, Garry Fitzgerald, Siobhan Ryan, Andrew Taylor, John Geilings, my Anne and especially the Hon. Michelle Gordon.
To those who have inspired me along my 48-year journey thus far: Willy Wonka, Grandma and Grandpa Smith, Robin Lee Graham, Mike and Mal Leyland, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Sir Winston Churchill, Greg Hunt, John F. Kennedy, Darryl Kerrigan, Sir Francis Chichester, John Bertrand AO, Howard Hughes, Michael Corleone, Alby Mangels, Dick Smith AC, Barry Peak, and Ferris Bueller.
Thanks to the birth-givers: Briony Smith and Geoffrey Smith (1948–2004), and Grandma Jean Smith.
And last but not least, to my family, for their love, patience and unwavering support: Anne Smith, Jack Morrison and Tim Smith.
The book was assembled and written in The Australian Club’s library, Melbourne; at my grandfather’s desk in my office at The Sun Theatre, Yarraville Village; a farm house in Praiano, Italy; ironically, on board many a Qantas flight; and even in transit in Mongolia (but that’s another story).
Aaron worked on the book at home at Willoughby, holidaying at Portsea, and on a Carnival Cruise from Sydney to Sydney via, um, nowhere – but it was ideal for writing!
SOUTHERN SUN WILL RETURN IN A VILLAGE SOMEWHERE
Visit www.southernsun.voyage for more photos, information about the film of my journey, Voyage of the Southern Sun, and to follow the next adventure . . .
Post-credits Scene
Flying High
‘Just the facts, ma’am, just the facts.’
JOE FRIDAY, DRAGNET (1987)
I was pretty chuffed at how well the Southern Sun performed on the trip. She really wasn’t the ideal plane for a trip such as this, and in many ways I was lucky to make it. But she was the plane I was familiar with, and I did spend a lot of time preparing, so it felt right at the time to fly her. Although she made the journey low and slow, I was never interested in how quickly I could complete the trip.
This post-credits chapter features some of the journey’s technical details, which would have slowed down the narrative had they been included in the main story. I’ve listed the equipment I used, statistics about the flight, and the questions I’m most regularly asked in Q&A sessions after a talk or a screening of Voyage of the Southern Sun, the film about my trip.
STATISTICS
J
ourney duration: 7 months, or 213 days
Countries visited: 25
Cities / towns: 80
Cinemas visited: 70, in 24 countries
Distance travelled: 32,500 nautical miles, or 57,500 kilometres
Days flown on trip: 82
Landed at: 93 airports and / or water bases
Fuel used: 9798 litres, roughly one-third avgas and two-thirds petrol
Flying hours before the trip: 450 over 12 years
Southern Sun hours before the trip: 250
Flying hours during the trip: 480 over 7 months
Records: First solo circumnavigation by flying boat
First solo circumnavigation by amphibious plane
Air Sport Australia Confederation: Melbourne–London, Rose
Bay–Southampton, London–New York, Southampton–Port
Washington
Awards: Australian Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2016
SPAA Ross Vining Exceptional Achievement Award
Royal Aero Club Silver Medal
Acts of Generosity:
EQUIPMENT USED
I had no sponsors on the trip, so I selected and paid for items because I thought they were the best for the job at hand. I list the stand-outs here as a reference for others, and also to say thanks to the makers of such great products.
The Southern Sun: www.searey.com
Flight permission management: www.whiteroseaviation.co.uk
Spidertracks satellite tracking: www.spidertracks.com
Portable espresso machine: www.handspresso.com
Merino underwear, thermals: www.merinocountry.com.au
Merino shirts and trousers: www.toorallie.com.au
Fuel bladders (custom-made): www.fleximake.com.au
Barocook cooking system: www.barocook.net
Kangaroo leather boots: www.rmwilliams.com.au
Flying overalls: www.sisleyclothing.com.au
iPad apps and mounting: Avplan: www.avplan-efb.com
Meteo Earth: www.meteoearth.com
Mounts: www.quadlockcase.com.au
Equipment installed in Searey
Rotax 914 engine with Ivoprop IFA (since replaced with Airmaster)
MGL EFIS, Xcom radio, Microair Transponder
Inmarsat Isatphone
Vertical Power VPX circuit breaker system
Spidertracks satellite tracking
Little John flying range prolonging system
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How did you go to the bathroom?
Carefully. Think hospital bed procedures. Never drink from the red bottle.
How did you prepare for the trip?
I knew I needed to lose some weight. I was on the wrong side of a tenth of a tonne, but rather than ‘go on a diet’ for a few years before the trip I slowly changed my habits: ate a little less, exercised a bit, did simple things like a hundred sit-ups and fifty-two push-ups a day to improve core strength. I managed to lose 25 kilograms this way. I was 88 kilograms when I left, 80 kilograms when I got home and hover around 83 kilograms today.
I did the fundamentals: ate smaller amounts more often, didn’t eat bread (ouch) or pasta, and drank plenty of water. I started drinking a litre of water before breakfast and 2–3 litres through the rest of the day; this really seemed to help. In Scotland I became hooked on porridge, and perfected it when I was with Caroline in Ireland. Porridge still starts my day, every day.
Mentally, I was pretty focused on getting the plane and equipment ready. I trialled longer and longer flights in the plane to make sure the systems were working and that my body and mind were up to trip.
How did you manage fuel?
Getting fuel was one of the tiring parts of the trip. Not awful – just dull. I tried to use petrol whenever I could, as avgas often wasn’t available or it was four to eight times the price of car fuel. That adds up! Getting petrol meant taking flexible jerry cans to a local petrol station. This, of course, involved driving there in a crew van or taxi and then transporting 160–180 litres of fuel in wobbly containers. Upon returning to the airport, I’d sometimes have to take the jerry cans through security, including X-ray machines, before returning to the plane. On average the whole task took about three hours – much longer than a truck pulling up and fuelling in, say, ten minutes tops.
Did you have to pay any bribes?
Not one. It was never asked or even hinted at.
How did you take seven months off work?
I think the key here was that I didn’t leave with seven months in mind but three months, to get to London. Then I decided to continue to New York, and that would take just another month. Then another month . . . and, well, it just kept going!
What was the finding of your master’s thesis?
I often hear the remark that ‘going to the cinema is expensive in Australia’, but I don’t think that’s true compared to other options for a night out. My research looked at the price in different countries of attending the cinema, the quality of the cinemas, and what the minimum and average wages were – so I could evaluate how long someone needs to work to see a movie. What I found is that Australia has some of the most comfortable cinemas in the world, with the personal area per patron at the higher end, and our affordability is one of the best, with the average Australian having to work only thirty minutes to buy a ticket. This is the same length of time as in the US but nearly half that in most European countries. In contrast, in Asia and the Middle East it can take up to 12 hours of work to afford a ticket. Given that the average movie ticket in Australia costs less than a pizza, yet the memory of a great movie lasts a lifetime, I think going to the cinema is great value, not to mention a wonderful way to escape from the world for a couple of hours. But, hey, I could be a tad biased!
Where is the Southern Sun now?
Ah ha! You can see where she is at anytime using the satellite tracking map at www.southernsun.voyage/where.
You did a lot of research during your trip. What was the most bizarre thing you discovered?
That more people die each year from taking selfies than from shark attacks!
For more answers to regularly asked questions, please go to the Q&A section on the website: www.southernsun.voyage/QnA. Have a read and feel free to post a question. I’ll reply and share for others to see as well. Thanks for reading. Standing by.
Cheerio,
M.
[CURTAIN ELEGANTLY CLOSES]
PICTURE SECTION
About to leave for London from the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. The flying suit helped me get through security in Asia and the Middle East.
The Southern Sun lifts off from Williamstown on the first day of her trip. With limited flying experience, I had underestimated how dangerous it would be.
At Lakes Entrance in eastern Victoria, silt from rivers meets the clear ocean. I dropped in on my mother and told her I would be away for a while.
Sydney Harbour on approach to Rose Bay looks beautiful. Qantas departed from these waters in 1938 for a ten-day flight to London.
Picking up an airmail letter at Rose Bay for delivery to London. I drove the Sun up onto the beach in front of some apartment buildings.
A river in the Gulf of Carpentaria turns the soil green. This is my favourite photo through to London – I call it ‘The Tree of Life’.
The Southern Sun makes an appearance at the Qantas Museum of Flight in Longreach, where the company began.
Flying over Vanderlin Island, trying to find my brother’s home.
Who needs mobile phones when you have smoke to signal that dinner’s been caught?
Lou, who helps run our mobile cinema in East Timor, flaps her arms when I ask her to pretend she’s flying.
Looking for local history, I found a museum in Surabaya, Indonesia, that celebrates a Javanese tobacco dynasty.
A rickshaw driver struggles to find the port where the Qantas flying boats landed.
One of three heart-shaped islands I found and always texted to Anne. This one is n
ear the equator.
Writing postcards at Raffles’ Long Bar in Singapore. The next morning I couldn’t leave my room.
At Penang airport in Malaysia, a famous Antonov freighter parks near the Sun.
I try not to feel inferior.
Going to a petrol station and filling eight fuel bags often took hours, but was frequently necessary and usually cheaper.
A swan-inspired baby carriage in the Jai Vilas Palace in Gwalior, India.
A rather unusual statue, also in the Jai Vilas Palace.
One of my hobbies is sending postcards from around the world addressed only with the Sun Theatre’s logo. They always arrive!
Gandhi’s ashram displays postcards delivered with the flimsiest of addresses.
Sometimes bureaucracy even demanded I have a boarding pass to get onto my own plane.
I christened my flight SS1.
A day on the beach in Karachi, Pakistan, with a carpet. And a camel. And . . .
Dubai Creek has developed since the Qantas flying boats landed there in the 1930s.
Voyage of the Southern Sun Page 28
