| Alfonso Bernard O'Reilly | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 3, 1903 Hartley, New South Wales |
| Died | January 20, 1975 (aged 71) Beaudesert, Queensland |
| Occupation | Author |
| Known for | Discovering plane crash site |
| Spouse | Viola Gwendoline King |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents | Peter Luke O'Reilly Jane née McAviney |
Bernard O'Reilly (1903-1975) (born Alfonso Bernard O'Reilly) was an Australian author and bushman of Irish descent. He was born and raised in the Blue Mountains about 50 km north-west of Sydney and later moved to the McPherson Range near Beaudesert in South East Queensland, Australia.
On 20 August 1931 Bernard O'Reilly married Viola Gwendoline King in Brisbane.[1]
He is best known for the discovery of the 1937 crash site in Lamington National Park of a Stinson Model A airplane, the VH-UHH Brisbane, and the organization of rescue crews that retrieved two survivors.[2][3] After finding the wreck on the second day of his search he trekked 16 km to get help and return the next day with rescuers.[1] The rescue operation gained national headlines with reports broadcast live on the radio.[4]
At a ceremony in Sydney, O'Reilly was presented with a plaque and a cheque raised by public subscription. At the ceremony he paid tribute to the two survivors and one of the five victims, Jim Westray, who died trying to get help for the others.[5] In years afterward, O'Reilly's nephew, Peter O'Reilly, organized bush tours recreating his uncle's "remarkable feat."[6]
O'Reilly wrote three books on the theme of Australia's Great Dividing Range, which lies inland from its east coast and is where he lived: Green Mountains (1942), Cullenbenbong (1945), and Over the Hills (1963). Green Mountains includes his own account of finding the aeroplane. The Australian philosopher David Stove has written a short appreciation of his life and books.[7]