Smithy has decided to land at Albert Park. I have seen it and marvelled how he got the Southern Cross in there, without brakes, after thirty-four hours in the air. To-night he will put the Lady Southern Cross down in the same small patch of grass among the buildings and the trees of Suva ...

Tommy is the first to reach the machine, beaming with joy. His cup of happiness is full. Smithy is here ...

The Fijian people are greatly intrigued with the machine, and it is quickly roped off to be the centre of attraction ...

Owing to the lateness of our arrival it is decided not to leave for Naselai Beach the following day so that Tommy can make a thorough inspection of the motor ...

Smithy proposed to spend some time on the machine with Tommy, and also to look into the reason of the sudden miss which had developed.

P.G. Taylor so describes their arrival in Fiji in his book Pacific Flight. This photograph was taken at Albert Park, Suva, probably on 22 October 1934, the day after their arrival. The person attending to the engine is probably Smithy's engineer, Tommy Pethybridge, although it could be Smithy himself.

Picture: Tim Kalina Collection.