Pathfinders
VALE Patrick George McGann OAM, 13 September 1930 to 24 February 2011
Qantas Steward (later Chief Steward) 1950-1954, 1955-1986
It is with great sadness Pathfinders, the organization Pat founded, advises of his passing, on the Gold Coast, after a long illness.
Pat initially joined Qantas in 1950 and took a 6 month break from late 1954 to marry Maureen in March 1955. On 12 April 1955 he rejoined the company and remained in the job he loved until 1986. Amongst Pat's career highlights was the successful evacuation of VH-EAC "Southern Wave" the Constellation aircraft that caught fire during take off in Mauritius in 1960. There are many stories to be told from Pat's long career; he was particularly proud of his evacuation charter flights during the Korean and Vietnam wars and following Darwin's Cyclone Tracy.
The Pathfinders story is well know. Pat took up a collection amongst the crew for a dying boy he read about in the newspaper during a flight. When the crew returned home the boy had passed away. Pat donated the toys to, what is now, the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children (RIDBC) and Pathfinders, named after the famous WWII Squadron, was founded in 1967. The "little Auxiliary" Pat began has now raised over $5.9million for deaf, blind and multi-handicapped children. Pat's legacy lives on in Pathfinders continuing work.
Pat and Maureen had 3 sons Michael, Paul and Peter. Peter, a Flight Attendant with Qantas 1984-1990, flew on his Dad's last flight in August 1986. (Peter married Naomi whom he met at TGIF's in Costa Mesa and still lives in Orange County, California). As Pat was known as "Budgie" due to his chirpy "G'day Mate, g'day mate" Peter was, naturally enough, "Feathers" (son of Budgie).
Pat McGann was an extraordinarily generous man and will be fondly remembered by all those who knew him.
