A typed letter signed by Amy Johnson to the Mayor of 'Narracoorte, Q'ld' [sic]
Quarto, one page, 'Amy Johnson in Australia' letterhead, Sydney, 13 June 1930.
Creased where folded for posting, with a few trifling marks to the margins; in excellent condition.
The letter was written while Amy Johnson was touring Australia after she became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. It is a more-or-less routine thank-you to the Mayor for 'your kind telegram of congratulations which I received in Longreach, and for your invitation to visit your town. I sincerely regret that during my short stay in Queensland, it was not possible for me to do so'. We say the letter is 'more-or-less routine' because Narracoorte (now Naracoorte) is in South Australia, precisely 2000 kilometres from Longreach! Amy Johnson CBE (1903-1941) was one of the most influential and inspirational women of the twentieth century. Apart from her epic England-Australia flight, she set a string of other records throughout her career. She 'left Croydon Airport on 5 May, 1930 in a second-hand Gipsy Moth called Jason.... Amy landed in Australia on Saturday, 24 May to tumultuous crowds. Over the next six weeks she was treated like a superstar. Women asked their hairdressers for an Amy Johnson wave and the affectionate way in which she described Jason - "But the engine was wonderful" - became a catchphrase' (Amy Johnson Arts Trust website).
Item #116854
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