Oscar Garden: A Tale of One Man's Love of Flying

OSCAR GARDEN: A TALE OF ONE MAN’S LOVE OF FLYING
Annamaria Garden
Mary Egan Publishing

REVIEWED BY JIM SULLIVAN

That one man should have two biographies by two daughters published at much the same time is unusual but, without doubt, by now the time had come to learn more of pioneer aviator Oscar Garden.

Last year, one daughter, Mary, released Sundowner of the Skies and another daughter, Annamaria, has written Oscar Garden: A Tale of One Man’s Love of Flying. Of course, the same events appear in both books, but each daughter has her own take on her father.

Annamaria explains that after reading her sister’s book she still felt the need to tell the story in her own way. The details of his 1930 solo flight from England to Australia rely on much the same sources with Annamaria having access to more logbooks and numerous newspaper clippings. (The Northern Advocate uses a headline “Garden Emprise” which suggests that readers in 1930 knew that “emprise” means “a chivalrous or adventurous undertaking”). Garden’s days with TEAL and his eventual resignation from that airline involved imagination, determination and great flying ability.

Mary’s book has rather more on Garden’s later life but Annamaria talked at length with her father in his last years so little is left untouched.

Mary, a freelance writer, brings journalistic skills to the story and Annamaria, with economics and behavioural science in her work background, lays out her book in something of ‘report’ style.

Each book enhances the other, perhaps with some extra insight here, or more information there, and, taken together, they provide the aviation buff and history reader with pretty well all we need to know about this remarkable man.

Read them both for a chance to examine just how two sisters might view the same subject. A rare opportunity.

Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer