Captain Russell, DFC & Croix de Guerre, (right) was the pilot of the Walsh Brothers DH6 which travelled around New Zealand promoting air travel and taking people for 'joy rides'. H E Hibbard (left), of Dannevirke, was the first person to have a "joy-ride" in the plane during its stay at Dannevirke. His daugher, Violet Hibbard, was the passenger in the flight from Dannevirke to Palmerston North on 31 July 1920. The Walsh Brothers aeroplane was the first plane to land in Palmerston North.