The First

(Hardback)

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"For the first time the true story of New Zealands first successful aeroplane flights and the people behind them. Extensive research corrects more than a century of histories with a startling account of what really happened at Glenora Park in 1911. Considered New Zealands Wright brothers, Leo and Vivian Walsh were part of a small group of remarkable men and women pioneering motorised transport in the 1900s. Their lives and the careers of sisters Veronica and Doreen with their connections to New Zealand icons like Jean Batten, Aunt Daisy and others make this the compelling story of a generation. The First covers tobacco cultivation and manufacturing in the 1870s, the Victorian bicycle craze, the first motorcars, the Glenora Park flights and the upheaval of World War One and the aftermath when aeroplane flight would be experienced by ordinary New Zealanders for the first time. The author's research creates an entirely new understanding of historic photographs featuring significant New Zealand men and women whose lives and contributions have been mostly forgotten. Until now."