The wonderful story of Bryan Monkton's amazing aviation Flying Boat adventures. I first met Bryan when he gave the Annual Arthur Butler Memorial Lecture at the Powerhouse Museum in the Year 2000. Bryan mentioned he was writing his memoirs and, as we both lived in the Southern Highlands of Sydney, I began to help him finish and bring the manuscript to publication. In 2003 Bryan was diagnosed with a severe Brain Tumour, and 3 months later sadly passed away.
In hospital I promised Bryan that I would finish the book “The Boats I Flew” for him and have it published. This took another 3 years, the book launch taking place appropriately at Rose Bay in 2006. All proceeds from the sale of the book went to the Australian Aviation Museum.
Ironically I was also asked to present the Arthur Butler Memorial Lecture in 2013. The subject – Bryan Monkton, the Aquatic Airman !