In a spin: Sydney’s tragic 1966 helicopter crash

Just two weeks before Christmas in 1966, the world was shocked by a tragic helicopter crash in Sydney’s CBD. Three people died and many more were at risk. Television and cinema audiences relived the horror, which had been filmed both from the outside and the inside of the out-of-control machine. But who was to blame? Soon, the technical and legal investigations span out of control, leading all the way to the High Court of Australia. Marking the 60^th anniversary of this high-profile accident, this presentation tells the story of those aboard the helicopter and asks whether justice was served.

Dr Peter Hobbins is a historian and curator at the State Library of NSW. His published research spans snakebite, pandemics, wars, shipwrecks and aircraft accidents. Peter is an honorary research affiliate in the Discipline of History at the University of Sydney and a passionate advocate for public history.

Please join us for refreshments and a chat following the talk