The Riddle of the Stinson 1988

Queensland, 1937. A Stinson Model A airliner takes off from Brisbane in stormy weather with two crew and five passengers on board, bound for Sydney via Lismore. The aircraft vanishes en route and officials assume the pilot steered east toward the coast to escape the worst of the weather, likely crashing into the ocean, fueling a search that centers on the sea. But Bernard O’Reilly offers an alternate theory that shifts the focus inland and into a much tougher fight for survival.

The Stinson, caught in severe downdrafts from the mountains, crashes into a thickly forested valley in the McPherson Range. Two air-crew and two of the passengers are killed on impact. Of the three survivors, John Proud bears a severely injured leg, while Joe Binstead and Jim Westray escape with minor or no injuries. Westray volunteers to trek through the valley to summon help, trying to lift Proud’s spirits by describing a distant town visible from a lookout. Binstead stays beside Proud, uncovering an intact thermos in the wreckage, then carries water down to a small waterfall, fills it, and brings it back to Proud to keep him alive. He endures hunger, fatigue, and the slow, grueling climb of a rescue-in-waiting.

Ten days after the crash, O’Reilly, a seasoned bushman familiar with the terrain and the perilous downdrafts, hears a local claim that the Stinson had been seen overhead, struggling in the weather. He ventures into the Range alone, not expecting to find anyone alive, and after a day of trekking he reaches a crest above the valley and spots a small patch of brown among the trees on the opposite slope. Despite the odds, he presses through the dense undergrowth toward the location, a difficult journey that tests his knowledge of wind, weather, and the land.

There, he finds [Proud] and [Binstead], cold and starved but alive. O’Reilly carries water to the two men, builds a fire, and leaves all of his own food behind to maximize their chances. He then begins the arduous hike back to summon help, a path that is made even more daunting by the discovery of the body of [Jim Westray], who had fallen on slippery rocks and perished in the crash. The grim discovery underscores the thin line between endurance and catastrophe that defined the survivors’ ordeal.

O’Reilly returns with a substantial rescue party, and the two survivors are carried out to safety. In the wake of the dramatic recovery, O’Reilly is widely praised for his decisive actions, yet he redirects the credit toward Westray and Binstead, insisting that their perseverance and teamwork were the true turning points of the rescue. He wrestles with the sudden celebrity that comes with being hailed as a hero, and, alongside his wife, watches a newsreel recounting the rescue. The moment invites quiet reflection as he leaves the theater early, seeking anonymity rather than applause. In the end, the story settles on a blend of humility and gratitude, honoring the three survivors who endured and the community that answered the call for help in a vast, unforgiving landscape.