When the founding fathers of Qantas airlines sat down for their first board meeting in Longreach, Queensland, in 1921, they sought the help of the local tailor – who owned the biggest table in town.
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On Monday, the local tailor's son, Michael Ryan, was among those present at the airline's 95th anniversary celebration in Sydney.
Ryan began working for the airline in 1940, as an apprentice engineer. His career with Qantas spanned 37 years, including the period that saw the national carrier's entry into the "jet age". Today, at age 97, he still volunteers regularly at the Qantas Heritage Collection – the airline's permanent exhibition at the Sydney Domestic Terminal.
Qantas has marked its anniversary with a retro makeover that pays tribute to the airline's past.
On Monday, the national carrier unveiled the "Retro Roo II", a newly reconfigured Qantas Boeing 737-800 painted in vintage 1960s livery. The colour scheme on the aircraft matches that of the Qantas Boeing 707 jets from 1959 to 1961 – the aircrafts used by the airline to cut travel time on their round-the-world service.
