Historic aviation celebrations take off in November
The Lawrence Hargrave Society will attempt to re-enact the inventor's famous box-kite experiment at Stanwell Park Beach and hold an inaugural oration, writes Robert Deacon
By Robert Deacon, president of the Lawrence Hargrave Society
November has special significance for the Lawrence Hargrave Society. Each year, the society celebrates the life, achievements and legacy of Lawrence Hargrave, one of the world's great pioneers of aviation.
This year those celebrations will be highlighted by the inaugural Lawrence Hargrave Oration, to be held at Corrimal RSL Club on Saturday, 28 November 2026.
The oration has been established to recognise Hargrave's extraordinary contribution to aviation and to ensure his remarkable story continues to be shared with future generations.
The society is honoured that distinguished Australian aviation leader Bob De La Hunty OAM, president and chief pilot of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), has accepted the invitation to deliver the inaugural Oration.
Bob has an outstanding record of leadership in Australian aviation and has played a significant role in 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 myself, Robert Deacon, president of the society.
The oration will celebrate not only Hargrave's achievements, but also the qualities that defined his life — innovation, resilience, determination and perseverance in the pursuit of ambitious goals.
It is hoped that, following its establishment in the Illawarra, the Lawrence Hargrave Oration will grow into a major annual public and media event at the new Powerhouse Parramatta, taking Hargrave's story to a much wider Australian audience.
This ambition is particularly timely with the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta. 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.
Celebrating Hargrave's historic Stanwell Park achievement
November is especially significant because it marks the anniversary of one of Hargrave's greatest achievements.
On 12 November 1894, at Stanwell Park Beach, Hargrave was lifted approximately 16 feet (4.9 metres) into the air while tethered beneath a train of four box kites.
The experiment demonstrated the remarkable lifting capacity and stability of his cellular kite design and represented an important breakthrough in the development of the flying machine — and it happened here at Stanwell Park.
It is an achievement that everyone in the Illawarra, and indeed throughout Australia, can be proud of and celebrate.Hargrave's achievements extended well beyond his box kites. He investigated aerodynamics, wing design, propulsion and engines, including important experimental work on the rotary engine.
He also believed scientific knowledge should be freely shared for the benefit of humankind and chose not to patent his inventions, allowing researchers and aviation pioneers around the world to benefit from his discoveries.
The Lawrence Hargrave Society exists to preserve this remarkable legacy and ensure his story continues to be told. The Society has established the Lawrence Hargrave Centre at HARS at Shellharbour Regional Airport and has developed a valued relationship with the Powerhouse Museum, which holds a significant collection of Hargrave records, documents and artefacts.
Re-enacting history at Stanwell Park
As another major part of this year's November celebrations, the Society will attempt to re-enact Hargrave's famous box-kite experiment on Stanwell Park Beach at 11am on Saturday, 14 November.In an ambitious recreation of the historic event, the Society will attempt to lift a person 16 feet into the air while tethered beneath exact replicas of the four box kites Hargrave used in 1894.
The replica kites have been made and will be flown by the Society's expert kite maker, Richard Webb, who has been recreating Hargrave's kites and experiments for decades.
It will provide a rare opportunity for the public to see Hargrave's pioneering experiment brought to life on the same beach where the original achievement took place more than 130 years ago.
The Lawrence Hargrave Society warmly invites the public to attend both events — the inaugural Lawrence Hargrave Oration and the Stanwell Park box-kite re-enactment — and join us in commemorating the achievements of this remarkable Australian.
These November celebrations are an opportunity for the Illawarra community to come together, celebrate its connection to an extraordinary chapter in aviation history and help ensure that Lawrence Hargrave's story continues to be told for generations to come.
It is a remarkable Illawarra story and an achievement of which the Illawarra and Australia can be immensely proud.
Dates for your diary
- Saturday, 14 November 2026 – Box-Kite Re-enactment, 11am at Stanwell Park Beach
- Saturday, 28 November 2026 – Lawrence Hargrave Oration, Corrimal RSL Club. Buy tickets here.
