On July 16, 1910, John Duigan flew an aircraft for a distance of around 23 feet (seven metres), at his family's property “Spring Plains” at Mia Mia, Victoria.

To commemorate this significant achievement in Australia’s aviation history, the community of Mia Mia and the Australian aviation industry will stage a number of events as part of Australia’s broader centenary of powered flight celebrations, on 16 and 17 July 2010 at the township of Mia Mia – located 120kms north of Melbourne.

These celebrations will not only mark the 100 year anniversary of the Duigan brothers’ important achievement, but will also launch a range of ongoing events to be run on an annual basis aimed at encouraging innovation in aerospace engineering in future generations.

Objectives of the Event
This initiative has been developed with some clear objectives in mind and is not merely a “feel good” celebration of an anniversary of achievement in Australia’s history.  There are several important aviation industry imperatives that can benefit from this initiative including Australia’s ability to compete on the world stage of the aviation industry and our ability to provide qualified professionals to cope with the forecast growth of the global airline industry.

The key objectives of the event are to:
• Build the profile of Duigan brothers’ achievement on 16 July 1910;
• Celebrate the significant milestone in Australia’s aviation history;
• Celebrate the origins of Australia’s history of innovation in aviation;
• Encourage innovation in the current day aviation industry in Australia;
• Encourage young people to choose careers in the aviation sector in Australia.