Zero san; Pete's conundrum Accession Number: ART91745

Description

Darwin experienced 64 air raids during the course of the second world war and there were several important wartime airfields established in the Northern Territory - Groote Eylandt, Gove and Millingimbi. Artist Bob McRae has investigated several sites of either crashed or wrecked warplanes in the Northern Territory and New South Wales. In a series of etchings completed in late 2001, he documents many of these sites. McRae notes: "While teaching at the University of Northern Territory in Darwin in 1999, one of my students ... told me that her father Bob had once found a Zero in Kakadu National Park while droving. Some years later, he had gone back to find it. A tree had grown beneath it and lifted the majority of the plane's body into the air. This struck me as a wonderful image. Years later, Bob ... had gone back to locate the Zero but couldn't find it again. At the end of 2001, I was in Darwin and met a Ranger from Kakadu National Park. I showed him the etchings and drawings I had done of the Zero. He questioned me about the print and related that he knew the ... family well but had not heard Bob's story. He said that he would see Bob ... and try to find the plane. I hope that if the plane has not been taken, I may get to see it in reality. The bird is a Sitella which I saw while looking for wrecks in the Northern Territory."

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• Mitsubishi A6M Reisen