Ray Parer

Raymond John Paul Parer (18 February 1894 – 4 July 1967) was an Australian aviator.

Parer was born in South Melbourne, Victoria, the second of nine children of a Spanish-born caterer, Michael Parer, and his Australian wife Maria (née Carolin). He was educated initially by an educator on King Island, then at Mentone College, Melbourne, with his final two years from 1920 at St Stanislaus College, Bathurst, New South Wales, and Xavier College, Melbourne. He developed an interest in aviation and mechanics at an early age, and served a motor engineering apprenticeship with Broadbribb Brothers in Melbourne.

He enlisted in the Australian Flying Corps on 2 November 1916, initially as a mechanic, but was soon accepted to train as a pilot, as an acting sergeant. From February to May 1917, he trained on box kites at the Central Flying School at Point Cook. He was commissioned a second lieutenant on 1 June 1917 and was sent to England to complete his training, qualifying as a pilot and being promoted lieutenant on 15 February 1918. He served as a test and ferry pilot with the Royal Air Force Central Despatch Pool, being twice recommended for the Air Force Cross. as well as £500 each. which stood for a decade. His attempt at the first flight to encircle Australia, which he began from Melbourne on 21 October 1921 in an FE2b, ended in disaster when he crashed on take-off at Boulder, Western Australia on 7 February 1922. Disillusioned with aviation, he bought a garage on King Island in Bass Strait. Range. He spent fifteen years flying in New Guinea.

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