"A QUEER SOUL" - George Sellars, 1910-2/7/1938

Photo: Hocken Library, E A Philips collection.

"A QUEER SOUL."

QUITE FEARLESS. 

LATE GEORGE SELLARS

LAST BEER "TASTED GOOD." 

What, I wonder, impelled George Sellars to shake hands with me when he said good bye on Friday evening? (writes P. A. M., in the Christchurch "Star-Sun")

Photo: Hocken Library, E A Philips collection.

We had said "Hullo" and "Cheerio"' many a score of times without that formality. Did he feel, I wonder, that his luck was turning after he had put it to the test two hundred times? 

Utterly devoid of superstition, he would not be worried by any ordinary omens.  To him, it was just a joke to hear, on his previous visit to Christchurch, an elderly lady prophecy his early death. On the morning after he had made a descent at Wigram happened to sit next to her at breakfast at the hotel where he was staying. "I see that foolish man Sellars has made another parachute jump," she remarked to him unaware, of course of whom she was addicting. "He'll do it once too often, and kill himself, you mark my words. Why doesn't he give it up before he is killed?" 

While most people attach, more or less vaguely, a sinister influence to the number 13 George Sellars used to mention his thirteenth parachute descent with no little satisfaction. Certainly he made a very bad landing, hitting the ground so hard that he suffered concussion, and was in bed for a couple of weeks, but—he became engaged to his nurse. He was, in fact, looking forward to marrying in the near future and settling down in Auckland, in a little shop, which would leave him free to make an occasional parachute descent during week-ends. 

Whether or not he had any forebodings about making a descent at Westport on Saturday, he certainly was far from being his usual self when he had that one brief round of drinks on Friday evening. "Turn down an empty glass." It was our last. 

Less than 24 hours later he was dead and the prophecy that one of our group made then was grimly set at nought. "That beer tastes good," said George Sellars. "I haven't had much lately. I have had ptomaine poisoning, and have been on a milk diet. 

Photo: Hocken Library, E A Philips collection.

Formerly a Fitter. 

He was rather a queer soul, was George Sellars. Small, though of sturdy build, and nervous in speech and action, yet quite fearless. Formerly a fitter in the New Zealand railways, he owed his peculiar bent-knee walk to an accident at the Hutt railway workshops. In overhauling the cab of a locomotive, he accidentally turned a tap which released a jet of steam and boiling water into the pit under the engine where a workmate was oiling the bearings. 

In response to his scream, George leaped out of the cab and into the pit, where he stood ankle deep in boiling water and enveloped in scalding steam while he lifted the other man out. His feet remained, for the rest of his life, excessively tender and gave him agony when he made a heavy landing. 

Once again, at the Hutt workshops, he came as near to death, he declared, as he had ever done as a parachutist. Engaged in cleaning out the smoke-box of a locomotive, he was overcome with the heat and fainted. Along came the fireman, laid his kindling in the furnace, and was about to put a match to it when Sellars' workmate came looking for him, and insisted, against the fireman's protests, in going into the engine to see if he were there. 

Only once as a parachutist did George Sellars come as near to death and escape. That was at Wigram this year, when his parachute opened prematurely and whisked him into space as he was climbing out of the cockpit on to the wing of the aeroplane, preparatory to jumping. By no more than a few inches did he miss hitting the tailplane of the machine; had he done so not only would the blow have killed him but the aeroplane, rudderless and uncontrollable, would inevitably have crashed and killed the pilot. 

George attributed the accident to what he called "his army of worst enemies," the people who, not content to see, must try to handle his parachute. Someone, unnoticed by Sellars, had tugged the release cord, pulling out one of the pins that held the parachute in its knapsack. 

Could Not Swim. 

Fearless in the air, George Sellars had a strange horror of the water. The Auckland Aero Club, so proud of their extensive Mangere aerodrome, would be surprised to hear how much George disliked making a descent there, for the reason that it is almost surrounded by the waters of the Manukau Harbour. 

A couple of years ago he came down in a creek near the aerodrome. For a while the breeze kept his parachute full, and it towed him up the creek; then the breeze died away and the parachute settled down in the water. So did George, but his feet touched bottom, with the water up to his neck, and there he stood until a boat put out from the shore to rescue him. 

"Lucky the wind took you into shallow water," I commented. "If you had had to unbuckle your parachute and swim for it you might have lost your parachute."

"I would have lost more than that." quoth George, with a grin. "I can't swim a stroke."' 

Yet, in order to get a big "gallery," he planned to make a descent next summer into the Auckland Harbour, with a launch handy to pick him up! 

A Bundle of Contradictions. 

That was tho queer bundle of contradictions he was; determined to make a name for himself, even if he had to defy his own constitution. The same strength of purpose impelled him to risk the loss of his license by making descents in wholly unsuitable weather rather than disappoint the people who expected to see him. At the mercy of blustering, incalculable winds he made some strange landings—on the roof of a motor car on the West Coast and astride a cow at Mangere. 

But the best index to his character may be read in the inspiration that made him a parachutist. At Oamaru in l931 he saw that reckless Norseman, Haakon Qviller, crash to his death, still struggling to open the parachute that had failed him. If anything would deter an ordinary youth George was then only 21 from adopting the same profession it would surely be a sight like that. 

But when Qviller died Sellars decided that he had left room in the world for another parachutist. George already had a pilots license, but club flying offered little opportunity of acquiring the personal fame that George Sellars craved So, with Qviller's fate before him, George became his successor, calmly accepting .he inevitable—that like Qviller he would in the end tempt Fate once too often.  -Aukland Press, 6/7/1938.

Photo: Hocken Library, E A Philips collection.

SOUTH OTAGO AIRPORT

OFFICIAL OPENING FUNCTION 

The official opening of the Balclutha airport on Saturday was marked by an aerial pageant, in the presence of the largest crowd so far seen at any function of the kind in South Otago. Rain had fallen during the previous night and in the early morning, but the afternoon was fine, and very favourable for flying. 

The sensation of the afternoon was a parachute descent from a height of 2000 feet by Pilot George W. Sellars, who was born in this district, and received his training as a pilot locally. The parachute, aided by a south-west wind, went a little further afield in landing than intended, coming to rest on the Inch Clutha side of the river, but its long, slow descent provided an unusual spectacle, and the crowd contributed handsomely towards a collection for the daring young pilot. 

The formal opening of the airport was entrusted to Mr I. H. Penrose, president of the Otago Aero Club, and he was preceded by Mr R. R. Grigor, president of the South Otago Aero Club, who gave a brief history of the ground, and voiced the thanks due to the Balclutha Borough Council for its assistance. He also referred to the success of the South Otago pilots at the recent South Island pageant held at Dunedin.

Mr Penrose said the district was to be congratulated on its fine airport. Air mails would be the transport of the future, and he could visualise before long Balclutha as an important stopping place on the air mail route from Dunedin to Invercargill. It seemed to him remarkable that the formation of the airport had cost only £ll an acre, compared with £2OO an acre in other parts of the Dominion, and it had all been done without Government assistance, which, he thought, was unparalleled in the history of aviation fields in New Zealand. If all parts of Otago had shown the same spirit they would soon have had a chain of airports throughout the country. In this connection, he instanced Ranfurly, where, he said, a spirit of apathy in regard to the matter seemed to prevail. The speaker then formally declared the ground open to all aircraft in New Zealand and to visiting aircraft from overseas. 

The Mayor (Mr D. T. Fleming), in the course of his remarks, said the Borough Council could be depended upon to keep its end up in any developments that might occur. There was no doubt that great progress in aerial navigation was bound to come before long. 

Mr F. Waite, M.L.C., in a brief speech, commented on the fact that the young parachutist (Mr George Sellars) had been born at Balclutha and had qualified in South Otago in 1931 as a pilot. He was the first professional parachutist that New Zealand had produced. 

Afterwards a splendid aerial programme was gone through, including an acrobatic display by Pilot D. Campbell (Dunedin) and also displays of fancy flying by Flying Officer S. Gilkinson and Flying Officer J. H. Smith. A height-estimating competition, in which the pilot executed two half rolls, was won by Miss N. Rodger (Lovell's Flat) and A. F. Allan (Awamangu), who both guessed the correct height, 2150 feet. The proceeds will go to the M'Gregor Fund. 

In the South Otago landing competition the winner was Pilot B. Renton, and the bombing competition was won by Pilot J. H. Stevenson. The winner of the open landing competition was Pilot F. Wallis (Southland), and the open bombing was won by Pilot C. Tait (Otago). Only first awards were made in each section. Everything passed off without accident or untoward incident. As secretary, Mr G. H. Mitchell proved the right man for the position. In the evening a dance was held for the entertainment of visiting pilots.  -Otago Daily Times, 30/3/1936

PARACHUTE FAILURE

DEATH OF GEORGE SELLARS

INQUEST GIVES LITTLE MORE INFORMATION 

(Per United Press Association.] WESTPORT, July 14. A verdict was returned to-day by the coroner (Mr E. R. Fox), who inquired into the circumstances attending the death of William George Sellars, professional parachutist, that death was due to injuries received on July 2, 1938, at the opening of the aerodrome at North Beach, Westport. When the deceased jumped from a plane and the parachute to which he was attached failed to open he was dashed to the ground, thus causing his death. 

Evidence was given by Dr Foote concerning the injuries to the deceased, by Pilot Instructor William Frederick Park, who was in control of the plane from which Sellars made the jump, and also by Police Constable Cliff George, a spectator of the crash.

Park, in the course of his evidence, said arrangements had been made for him to take up George Sellars for a parachute descent after the completion of the opening ceremony. The official opening was over at approximately 3.30 p.m. The wind was blowing from the northeast, a steady wind at about 25 miles an hour on the ground level. At 2000 feet, when Sellars left the aircraft, it was blowing north-north-east at about 15 miles per hour. At this time there were no rain squalls, and the ceiling was 2300 feet. The arrangement was that they were to be 1500 feet, but Sellars actually jumped off at 2000 feet. The flight was carried out in a D.H. 82 aeroplane, registered No. ZKAFY. Witness informed Sellars that the wind was slightly different upstairs from what it was on the ground, and not so strong, except in squalls. He also informed him that he would climb to 2000 feet and set a course north-north-east along the western side of the aerodrome, and when he was ready Sellars could leave the machine. Sellars left the machine on the northern boundary of the aerodrome. He altered the course of witness slightly to the right after he left the cockpit and then sent him back again slightly to the left. Sellars left the machine about 100 yards over the boundary on the northern side of the aerodrome. Witness was concerned on keeping the machine straight for Sellars. He could not remember the exact words of Sellars when he left the machine. He said something like O.K. or cheerio. After the deceased left the machine witness did a quick turn to the left. This was a habit of his whenever he dropped a man off for a parachute descent. Witness wanted to know if the parachute envelope had opened. When he turned round the parachute had left the pack, and witness was amazed to see a very small dome. The theory that passed through his mind when he saw this was that Sellars for trying to spill the air, and as witness was gliding with his back to Sellars, and wanted to get behind the aerodrome before executing another turn to the left, he could not keep the deceased under observation all the time, and when he did eventually get round the parachute was lying flat on the sand approximately 100 yards from the boundary on the northern side of the aerodrome. It was limp and flat out instead of being billowed and full of air, which should have been the case if the parachutist had landed intact. Witness could offer no suggestions as to the cause of this. He did not hold a licence for parachute construction. Everything was in the hands of the man who was going to make the parachute descent. He decided absolutely if the weather were unfavourable or any other circumstances unfavourable. He simply stated that he was not going to jump, and that was the end of it.

At the close of the inquest Mr Fox announced that he was retiring owing to the age limit from the coronership, which he had held for 12 years, and was being succeeded by Mr George Taylor, a retired railway servant and child welfare officer. -Evening Star, 15/7/1938.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.