LOST ... Without Trace – Launch of Book

Sunday 12 February 2006

As I said in the introduction to this book, without aviation, tourism would not be our top industry. As part of that achievement we also need to take care that we retain and honour the memory of the early years of the industry. This book helps us do this.

Brian Chadwick was a significant figure in our aviation history here. Along with Richard's Dad, Brian, they flew some of the first scheduled air services within the South Island.

It was Brian who had the visionary idea of linking us and Fiordland by flight.

He was an important foundation layer for our present tourism industry and he vanished in a way that still rates as a real mystery.

I suspect that if his last Dragonfly flight could somehow reappear and land here, he would be one of the few from the past who was not surprised at how it has turned out.

When I was asked to help write this book's foreword, we also announced the $200 million upgrade for Christchurch International Airport. This is to meet present and future need.

It is also worth noting that unusually, our airport is still publicly owned. The revenues from here have helped make Christchurch the prosperous and thriving city that it has become. It is a success story few would have foretold 50 or 60 years ago.

One of the few exceptions would probably have been Brian Chadwick.

Thanks Richard for telling his story so well.