Lodge, Nevile Sidney, 1918-1989 :Auckland, today (PA). - War has been declared at the Mangere international airport site. The enemy is thousands of seabirds. "It's not what'll happen to the jets if we don't get rid of 'em that worries me, it's the shi-acking we'll get from Wellington - remember the smart alecky things we said when Rongotai opened, like how it was strictly for the birds?" 17 March 1962

A man stands on the doorstep of the hut containing the 'Mangere Airport Authority' and expresses concern about the number of birds on the site on which the new Mangere Airport is being built. He is not bothered about the danger they might pose to planes but rather about the laughter from Wellington in retaliation to the rude things the Mangere people said about Rongotai Airport when it was being built. A man charges around chasing the birds with an umbrella and a conch. It was at this time with advances in aircraft design and corresponding increases in air-speed that the problem of how to deal with bird-strike arose. Many airports are built on land near estuaries and the sea and so are fair game for gulls in particular. The new international airport was built on a site where little thought was given to the presence of large populations of birds.

Quantity: 1 original cartoon(s).

Physical Description: Ink, crayon and letratone on card, 255 x 305mm

Finding Aids: Photocopies available in Pictorial Reference Service.