LAWRENCE HARGRAVE’S PIONEERING LEGACY TO BE CELEBRATED WITH INAUGURAL ORATION and an
HISTORIC BOX-KITE RE-ENACTMENT
The remarkable achievements of Australian aviation pioneer Lawrence Hargrave will be celebrated across the Illawarra this November with two special public events — the
Inaugural Lawrence Hargrave Oration
an ambitious re-enactment of Hargrave’s famous 1894 box-kite experiment at Stanwell Park.
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
Task Eternal,
a major opening exhibition exploring humanity’s enduring quest to defy gravity, take flight and journey into the sky.
Re-enacting history at Stanwell Park
The Society’s November celebrations will also include a spectacular attempt to re-create Hargrave’s famous box-kite experiment on Stanwell Park Beach at
11.00 am on Saturday, 14 November.
On 12 November 1894, Hargrave was lifted approximately 16 feet (4.9 metres) into the air while tethered beneath a train of four box kites at Stanwell Park.
The experiment demonstrated the lifting capacity and stability of Hargrave’s cellular kite design and represented an important step in the development of the flying machine.
More than 130 years later, the Society will attempt to lift a person to the same height using exact replicas of the four box kites used by Hargrave in 1894.
The replica kites have been made and will be flown by expert kite maker Richard Webb, who has been recreating Hargrave’s kites and experiments for decades.
The re-enactment will give the public a rare opportunity to see Hargrave’s pioneering experiment brought to life on the same beach where the original achievement took place.
Hargrave’s contribution extended well beyond box kites. His research encompassed aerodynamics, wing design, propulsion and engines, including important experimental work on the rotary engine. He also famously believed that scientific knowledge should be freely shared and chose not to patent his inventions.
The Lawrence Hargrave Society warmly invites the public to attend both November events and join in celebrating the achievements and legacy of this remarkable Australian.
EVENT DETAILS
Box-Kite Re-enactment
Saturday, 14 November 2026
11.00 am
Stanwell Park Beach
Public welcome
Inaugural Lawrence Hargrave Oration
Saturday, 28 November 2026
Corrimal RSL Club
Inaugural Orator: Bob De La Hunty OAM
Tickets:
Lawrence hargrave Oratiom 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
Email:- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website :- https://www.lawrencehargrave.org