The Arthur Baird Story Wilfred Arthur Baird was born in Benalla. He joined the Australian Flying Corps at Point Cook where he was an instrument fitter and air mechanic. In 1916 he enlisted and was sent to the Middle East where he served with distinction. On his return, he joined fellow servicemen when QANTAS was formed. The event will give details of not only what Arthur Baird contributed, but what his family did for the region. Arthur was the founding engineer for Qantas a role he held for 28 years. He was instrumental in modifying aircraft initially used by the Flying Doctors so that patients could be flown to and from medical treatment. Arthur’s role was to provide the maintenance facilities and oversee the operations of all of the Qantas operations during the important growth period of the airline.