Southern Cross Mural - Don Driver (1966-67)

Southern Cross Mural

This mural by local artist, Don Driver, commemorates the arrival of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (1897-1935) in the Southern Cross at New Plymouth airfield on 11 January 1933 after a 14 hour flight from Sydney. The work was commissioned by the New Plymouth City Council in 1966 for the new air terminal and was installed in January 1967. The terminal was opened officially in March.

The Australian aviator, Charles Kingsford Smith, was celebrated for being the first person to fly from the United States to Australia and for a number of trans-Tasman flights, including two to New Plymouth in 1933 & 1934.

Accompanied by crewmen (P G Taylor & J Stannage) and two passengers, Kingsford Smith was making his second flight across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand. (His first was to Christchurch in 1928.) The passengers - Stan Neilson  & Jack Percival - are considered to be the first trans-Tasman air passengers. Neilson was the secretary of the New Plymouth Aero Club and Percival, a Sydney journalist.

A controversial $28 million upgrade of the terminal - completed in 2020 - did not include the artwork (see documents below). It was then decided to create and install a replica mural outside the new airport terminal as a compromise - in mid-2021 a spokesperson for the airport company indicated that this would happen within "12 months". The replica mural was finally unveiled on 29 February 2024. It's located to the right of airport terminal entrance and was unveiled by the airport's fire & rescue team.

The Southern Cross - a Fokker FVIIb ‘Trimotor’ - is presently displayed in the Kingsford Smith Memorial at Brisbane Airport, Australia.

Don Driver (1930 - 2011)

Donald Sinclair Driver (Don), one of New Zealand’s most important 20th-century artists was born in Hawke’s Bay in 1930. His family moved to New Plymouth in 1943 where he was educated at New Plymouth Boys’ High School.

He started work as a dental technician and began his art career during the 1950s.

His work was often controversial and challenging and always attracted national attention. In 1969 he joined the staff of New Plymouth’s newly-established Govett-Brewster Art Gallery where he worked for 24 years.

During that time Driver firmly established himself as a leading New Zealand artist. He has an impressive exhibitions history, has received many prestigious awards, and his work is represented in public and private collections both nationwide and abroad.

Related documents:

Don Driver's 50-year-old Kingsford Smith sculpture may not have a place in upgraded NP airport (Taranaki Daily News 15 June 2017)

Airport Artwork to be Displayed (Taranaki Daily News 12 July 2017)

Airport Mural to be on Site (Taranaki Daily News 27 July 2018)

Where will our history go - Letter to the Editor from Ron Lambert (Taranaki Daily News 2 August 2018)

Disquiet over fate of mural (Taranaki Daily News 24 September 2018)

New Plymouth Airport will display $60k replica of Don Driver mural (Taranaki Daily News 22 March 2019)

Weatherproof replica of airport mural is coming (Taranaki Daily News 1 May 2021)

Driver mural not forgotten (Taranaki Daily News 24 June 2021)