History of Item
Uiver passenger’s memorabilia: Domenie Collection established
Uiver passenger Roelof Jan Domenie (1898–1970) unexpectedly found himself in Albury early on the morning of 24 October 1934. After the emergency landing of the Uiver on the course of the Albury Racing Club, he and other occupants of the plane went to the Globe Hotel to celebrate, assure the world that they were safe, have a bath and try to get some sleep. Several of them went across the road to the 2CO studios in the Post Office building to be interviewed by radio broadcaster Arthur Newnham.
After the Uiver successfully returned to the skies with only the two pilots on board, Domenie and the plane’s other occupants (with the exception of van Brugge) left for Melbourne in a Blacklocks Hudson sedan. Soon after reaching Melbourne, they were all presented with MacRobertson gold medals by ‘The Chocolate King’, Sir Macpherson Robertson, who had sponsored the race.
Domenie, a Dutch banker with the Hollandsche Bank voor Zuid Amerika based in Rio de Janeiro, carefully preserved his extensive memorabilia of the race. His son, Johan Domenie, who lives in the United States, has generously donated it to the AlburyCity LibraryMuseum.
When Roelof Domenie was flying on board the Uiver, he carried with him a KLM passenger ticket. That ticket is one of the first two passenger tickets ever issued for a commercial flight to Australia from Europe, and is among the donated items.
Sir Macpherson Robertson had only 30 gold MacRobertson medals struck for presentation to aviators and passengers who successfully completed the race. Domenie’s medal is now held in Albury, the place where his life was saved by the quick-thinking actions of the local people.
The Uiver carried some 26,000 letters, mainly commemorative covers, including one from Domenie to himself. That commemorative envelope will return to Albury, from where in 1934 it was transported by road to Melbourne to rejoin the Uiver for the flight to Sydney and delivery to KLM’s office in Sydney.
Domenie had flown on a wooden and fabric plane, on Dornier flying boats, on zeppelins, and on a heavy metal plane – the Uiver. Such craft characterised the technologies then competing for mastery of the skies. He took a day trip to the Swiss Alps in 1932 on the Graf Zeppelin, and his zeppelin ticket for that flight is part of the Domenie Collection.
In April 1936, the Albury Racing Club celebrated the successful landing of the Uiver in Albury by holding the Netherlands Gold Cup, which was won by Orange Bitters. The Prime Minister of Australia, Joseph Lyons, attended. Meanwhile, Domenie’s polo club in Rio de Janeiro celebrated the first anniversary of the Uiver’s landing by holding a polo match against a local team. Domenie captained the winning team and was presented with a silver cup, which now resides in Albury as part of the Domenie Collection.
The items mentioned are but a few of the gems in this extensive collection. The collection will expand our knowledge of the London to Melbourne MacRobertson International Air Race, the part played in that race by the Uiver, and the significance of its temporary hold-up in Albury. Some items in the Domenie Collection are of national or international significance, and the Albury LibraryMuseum is truly honoured to be the new home of the collection. AlburyCity acknowledges this very generous donation, which considerably enhances the already impressive collection of Uiver material held by AlburyCity LibraryMuseum.
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