Fergus McMaster

Sir Fergus McMaster (3 May 1879 – 8 August 1950) was an Australian businessman and aviation pioneer. He was one of the three founders of the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited, the airline company that became commonly known by its acronym, Qantas.

Sir Fergus McMaster
Born	(1879-05-03)3 May 1879 Morinish, Queensland, Australia
Died	8 August 1950(1950-08-08) (aged 71) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Occupation(s)	Businessman, soldier
Employer	Self employed: McMaster Brothers Pty. Ltd.
Known for	Founding of QANTAS
Spouse	Edith Scougall 1889-1913 (died 1913)
Children	1

Allegiance	Australia
Service / branch	Australian Imperial Force
Rank	Gunner

Early life

McMaster was born in Morinish, a town near the city of Rockhampton, Queensland. As a young man, he assisted his brothers as a sheep grazier. He married Edith Scougall in 1911; she died in 1913. In January 1917 he enlisted in the First Australian Imperial Force and served as a gunner and dispatch rider in France during World War I.^[1][2]

Business

Arrival at Longreach of the Armstrong Whitworth FK8 with the first bag of air mail on the inaugural flight of the first Qantas air service from Charleville to Cloncurry, 22 November 1922 (McMaster is third from right)

McMaster was named as chairman of Qantas at the company's establishment in 1920 and served in that capacity for all but three of the next 27 years until 1947, when Qantas was taken over by the Australian government.^[3] He was knighted in 1941 for his services towards the development and survival of Qantas, and the development of other companies, such as North Australian Worsted & Woollen Mills Ltd and Electric Supply Co., Charters Towers.

Later life

McMaster died in Brisbane on 8 August 1950. His funeral was held on 10 August 1950 at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, after which he was cremated at Mount Thompson crematorium.^[2][4][5]

In 2008, Qantas named one its fleet of twelve Airbus A380s (registration VH-OQD) "Fergus McMaster" in recognition of its first chairman's contribution to the aviation industry and particularly to Qantas.^[6][7]

References

1. "Sir Fergus McMaster (1879–1950)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
2. Unidentified, Sir Fergus McMaster, the first chairman of Qantas, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, archived from the original on 12 August 2023, retrieved 4 June 2014
3. "The Men Who Established Qantas". Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
4. "He brought aviation to Queensland". The Courier-mail. No. 4275. Queensland, Australia. 9 August 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 1 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "Family Notices". The Courier-mail. No. 4276. Queensland, Australia. 10 August 1950. p. 18. Retrieved 1 January 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Qantas A380". Qantas. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
7. "Qantas Takes Delivery of Fourth A380". Qantas. 24 August 2009. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.

Further reading

• Fysh, Elizabeth (2020). When Chairmen Were Patriots: The extraordinary life and times of the founding chairman of QANTAS Fergus McMaster. Tingalpa, Qld: Boolarong Press. ISBN 9781925877441. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.