Old friends share childhood memories of the Uiver landing

Two local gentlemen with childhood memories of the Uiver landing have returned to Albury Racecourse to give new insight into how Albury locals saved the plane.

Maurice Chick, 84, was nine when his dad got a call, late at night, announcing that cars were needed out at the racecourse to help a distressed plane land.

His family then helped make local history, parking their car with the headlines on, creating a makeshift landing strip.

"We shone the lights where we were directed to, so that the plane could land," he says.

Despite the difficult nature of the landing and the proximity of the car to the makeshift runway, Maurice, like other local kids, was instructed to stay in the car.

Maurice's school friend, Danny Maher, walked out to the airport the next morning, to see local men trying to pull the DC2 out of the mud.

Danny, 85, was 10 when he spent several hours watching men pulling on ropes that were tied to the plane. He remembers the surrounding paddocks being covered in water.

"It was pretty exciting. We had to keep out of the road, on account of our age, but we could see what was going on," he says.

"There was a lot of strong men about in them days, like they used to have them tug-o-war competitions and all that sort of business. It took a bit of moving, all right."

Danny and Maurice will join the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, His Excellency Willem Andreaebe and guests at the Uiver 75th Anniversary Dinner on Friday 23 October.

The gala banquet dinner, set in an aircraft hangar, is attracting aviation enthusiasts from across Australia and overseas, some of whom arrive in style, flying in vintage planes.

The story of the Uiver will be brought to life, with the famous ABC radio play that captures the story being performed live at the event.

Those attending will also hear touching first-hand accounts of the landing, leaving them with a sense of the courage of the Uiver's pilot and those resourceful Albury locals who played a key role in the plane's safe landing.

Tickets are $90 and can be purchased individually or in tables of ten. Guests at the dinner will receive a commemorative glass and gift from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

To purchase tickets, please call Albury Entertainment Centre Box Office (02) 6051 3051 or online at www.alburcity.nsw.gov.au