The Aviator

My dad, the forgotten top gun

- Lynley Ward

A KIWI AVIATION PIONEER’S LEGACY FINALLY FLIES FREE

It comes as no surprise to Mary Garden that few have heard of her aviator father. After all, for most of her life, even she had little idea of Oscar Garden’s flying prowess, including his remarkable flight from England to Australia in 1930, when he became the youngest and most inexperienced pilot to successfully navigate the route.

Dubbed the ‘Casual Flyer’, the novice pilot with just 39 flying hours to his name confounded the aviation world by winging his way from the UK to Western Australia in a second-hand Gypsy Moth.

During her Weekly photoshoot, Mary spotted another testament to her father’s career as a top pilot.

But despite Oscar being lauded a hero both here and in Australia, and then forging a formidable aviation career in Britain and New Zealand, Mary says before she was born, he quit the industry. After being overlooked for a top job at Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), he focused instead on his nursery ventures across the North Island and rarely spoke about flying.

“He only flew two more times in his life – and as a passenger,” Mary (69) says. “Imagine that. He didn’t even go up for a joy ride. He went from being a top pilot to tomato grower!”

Mary’s detailed her father’s life in her book Sundowner of the Skies: The Story of Oscar Garden the Forgotten Aviator, a “warts and all” account of growing up with her heroic but “emotionally frozen” dad.

Since its publication, Mary says the reception from Kiwis has been heartwarming, often leaving her in tears.

“This country has broken my heart in a very good way,” says the Kiwi author who now lives on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. “New Zealanders have embraced this book quite unexpectedly.”