An envelope from the first airmail sent from Lae to Australia nearly 80 years ago has finally been framed and mounted on a wall insidethe Lae Post office.
The envelope was initially brought to Lae two months ago by 75-year-old Australian, Cliff Harvey, who just wanted to find out ifthe Post Office would be interested in a tiny piece of history.
“It belonged to an uncle of my partner. He dlied 15 years ago and this was left to us.”
A frame containing the envelope and a picture of the Australian postmaster, Hugh Macmillan Lyon, who sent it to his mther was unveiled yesterday on its 79’s up>th anniversary.
Lyon was serving as a postmaster in Lae inthe 1930s. He was in those days one of a small group Australia’s living inthere. In 1934, he made history. He sentthe first airmail from Lae to Australia.
The letter addressed to the most important woman in his life: His mther who lived in Sydney. After 79 years, the envelope found its way back to its point of origin.
The envelope beatrsthe original stamps and is signed bythe crew that flewthe letter to Australia. The envelope has been framed and mounted on the wall insidethe Lae post office.
Whenthe second world war began, Hugh Lyon, joinedthe Australian Army. As a major, he was also in command of a rifle battalion and fought the Japanese in Lae and surrounding areas.
Along withthe envelope, Cliff Harvey has also sent ther important pieces of history including a page of one ofthe earliest newspapers produced here in Lae. It doesn’t just contain any news. It announcesthe end ofthe second world war after US droppedthe atom bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While each piece is of significant historical importance,the item that stands outthe most isthe envelope containing a letter sent from a young man to his mther 79 years ago.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wGdEbXrO2rU%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
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