The Trustee for the Qantas Foundation Memorial Trust, the parent company to Qantas Founders Museum, has received a grant for $66,830 from the Queensland government’s Anzac Centenary grants program for an interactive table display project called “Qantas – Born of Australia’s Fighting Spirit”.
The project involves the construction of an interactive touch table display which will profile the lives of ten men, generally unknown to everyday Australians, who served in varying capacities during the first World War and on returning home, would become the early founders and employees of the fledgling outback Queensland airline, Qantas, in the early 1920s.
Each profile will identify the occupation of each person before enlistment, their service during the first World War, including decorations, and their lives after the war, particularly their involvement with Qantas showing how their experience, skills and values guided them, in most cases, into further service in support and training roles during the second World War.
Chief executive officer of Qantas Founders Museum, Tony Martin, said the museum was excited for the opportunity to tell these stories of early Qantas staff in such an engaging way.
“Throughout the history of Qantas there have been employees with extraordinary lives and this interactive display will provide Qantas Founders Museum a unique way to share these stories.”
“By profiling these ten men and their lives, we not only highlight the history of Qantas but Australian history from 1914 to 1950,” Mr Martin said.
Qantas Founders Museum was one of 16 projects awarded funding in round three of the Queensland Anzac Centenary grants program.
The new museum exhibit will be the second interactive touch table display in the Qantas Founders Museum, with the first “Qantas and Defence” display launched in August 2016.
The “Qantas and Defence” display explains the involvement of Qantas in Australian wars and conflicts from 1917 – 2013 and was funded by Queensland Anzac Centenary grants program.
The “Qantas- Born of Australia’s Fighting Spirit” display is expected to be launched in November 2017.
