LAWRENCE HARGRAVE’S PIONEERING LEGACY TO BE CELEBRATED WITH INAUGURAL ORATION
The remarkable achievements of Australian aviation pioneer Lawrence Hargrave will be celebrated across the Illawarra this November with a special public event. The
Lawrence Hargrave Oration
to be held at Corrimal RSL Club on Saturday, 28 November 2026, establishing what the Lawrence Hargrave Society hopes will become an important annual event celebrating Hargrave’s achievements and the qualities of innovation, resilience, determination and perseverance that defined his life.
Distinguished Australian aviation leader Bob De La Hunty OAM, President and Chief Pilot of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), will deliver the inaugural Oration.
Bob has played a significant role in Australian aviation and major air shows, including Avalon, Wings Over Illawarra and Wings Over Shellharbour. His leadership of HARS and lifelong commitment to preserving Australia’s aviation heritage make him a fitting inaugural Orator.
The evening will also feature Andrew Jacob, Collection Curator at the Powerhouse Museum, who will present an overview of Hargrave’s work and its significance.
The event will be hosted by Professor Michael Hough AM RFD ED, Patron of the Lawrence Hargrave Society, and Robert Deacon, President of the Society.
The Oration had been established to ensure Hargrave’s remarkable Australian story continued to be recognised and shared.
“Lawrence Hargrave was one of the great pioneers of aviation, yet many Australians still know very little about what he achieved. We want the Oration to celebrate his extraordinary contribution and ensure his story is passed on to future generations. “This is also an Illawarra story. Some of Hargrave’s most important experimental work happened right here at Stanwell Park, and that is something everyone in the Illawarra, and indeed Australia, can be proud of.”
The Society hopes the Oration will ultimately develop into a major annual public and media event at Powerhouse Parramatta, building on the developing relationship between the Lawrence Hargrave Society and the Powerhouse Museum.
The timing is particularly significant, with the new Powerhouse Parramatta opening in November 2026. Hargrave and the museum’s important collection relating to his work will feature prominently in
EVENT DETAILS
Inaugural Lawrence Hargrave Oration
Saturday, 28 November 2026
Corrimal RSL Club
Inaugural Orator: Bob De La Hunty OAM
Tickets:
Lawrence hargrave Oration tickets can be purchased at
https://www.southcoasttickets.com.au/events/lawrence-hargrave-oration/
For more information about these events contact
Robert Deacon
LHS President
Lawrence Hargrave Society
Phone: 0410 578 144
Re-enacting history at Stanwell Park
The Society had scheduled an attempt to re-create Hargrave’s famous box-kite experiment on Stanwell Park Beach at
11.00 am on Saturday, 14 November.
Unfortunately due to il health of our kite expert Richard, this evemt has been cancelled. We hope to reschedule in the new future. Meanwhile we wish Richard a speedy and complete recovery.
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Website :- https://www.lawrencehargrave.org