The “Uiver Rescue” Art Competition

The "Uiver Rescue" Art Competition.

A stormy night in 1934 ...A lost DC-2 aircraft ...Albury town lights flash in Morse Code ... A dramatic rescue in the dark ... Vintage cars light up the Albury Race course ... Two parachute flares light up the town ... The Uiver lands ...and all on-board are saved!!!

This dramatic event occured in October 1934, when the Dutch KLM "Uiver" DC-2 aeroplane became lost during the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Melbourne (Australia).

The 1934 MacRobertson Air Race was billed as the greatest ever international air race, and the Uiver rescue in Albury (Australia) was the most remarkable event that occured during that race.

The heroism of the people of Albury on that stormy night became legendary.

But now, over 80 years later, memory of the story is fading.

In order to rekindle the "Uiver Rescue" story, and to bring it to a wider audience among the local community, nationally, and internationally, we plan to hold an annual Art Competition, with artists invited to submit artworks that interpret the theme of the "Uiver Rescue" in a dramatic way.

The winning artworks will be acquired by our Community Trust, and ultimately be placed on permanent public display in a museum which will house the DC-2 airframe (which we will soon begin restoring). So by sponsoring this project, you will help create a lasting visible legacy of the "Uiver Rescue" which the public can enjoy.

We hope to begin the inaugural Art Competition in October 2016 (or 2017), to coincide with the Anniversary date of the actual historic event, and continue annually.

Estimated costs for the inaugural "Uiver Rescue" Art Competition are as follows:

- $2000 first prize (Open section, 18+ years)

- $500 first prize (Childrens section, total for three different age brackets)

- $500 gallery fees

- $2000 Gala cocktail party function to announce the prize winners

Our website is here, and Facebook page is here.

There is also a fantastic third-party "MovieTone News" video clip on YouTube about the MacRobertson Air Race, which I have linked to this campaign, and is well worth watching.

Thank-you for your sponsorship!