Guest Speaker:
Dr Peter Hobbins
Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1
at 2 pm on Saturday 21 March 2026 for
On Saturday 21 March 2026 after our General Meeting, Dr Peter Hobbins presents Skippy’s Tragic Star.
What does a helicopter crash have to do with Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, filmed in Ku-ring-gai National Park? Find out at the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society on Saturday 21 March!
Just days before Christmas in 1966, a helicopter plummeted into downtown Sydney, killing everyone on board. But what made this disaster truly chilling is that the ABC film crew inside recorded their own final moments, while another crew on the Harbour captured the disaster unfolding.
The footage stunned the world, and Australian aviation changed forever. And somehow, Skippy is tangled up in this story...
Join Dr Peter Hobbins, historian, curator, and expert in all things disastrous - from pandemics to shipwrecks to aviation catastrophes - as he unpacks this gripping, true story. Expect twists, jaw-dropping details, and the kind of history lesson you won’t soon forget.
You are welcome to stay for refreshments and a chat following the presentation.
About Dr Peter Hobbins
Dr Peter Hobbins is a historian and curator at the State Library of NSW. He specialises in what happens when science, technology and medicine go wrong - including snakebite, pandemics, shipwrecks and aviation accidents.
As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.
The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).
It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.
For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.
