As the world approaches the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing, a Gunnedah family is remembering a man whose fascination with flying was sparked by the historic event.
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Items from the the late David Newell's immense collection of Apollo 11 memorabilia are on display in the Gunnedah Shire Library ahead of the anniversary on Saturday.
The items were loaned to the library by his mother, local woman Rose Newell and his sister Jennifer Werner who told the NVI that Mr Newell had been an avid collector after US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history.
Mrs Newell said she lent items to the library so that others could benefit from her son's "fascination" with space.
"The main reason to display the [items] is to get it out there," she said.
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Mr Newell's sister has strong memories of gazing up at the moon alongside her brother in South Africa.
"Our parents really saw the magnitude and significance of the moon landing in 1969 to the point that they woke up their four children - aged 7, 5, 4 and 2 - on a cold and windy July night in Port Elizabeth, took the transistor radio outside with them and 'watched' and listened to this amazing event unfold," Mrs Werner said.
"This single event fascinated my 5-year-old brother David and sparked an interest in aviation and space travel that would last for the next 50 years of his life and propel him into a career in aviation that took him around the world.
"If you can't be an astronaut, be a pilot."
Mrs Werner said her brother had a "purpose-built" room in his house in Japan to house his memorabilia, which included a limited edition Omega Apollo 11 watch, commemorative coins, books and models.
"He was an extraordinary man, who lived an extraordinary life; and we as a family are immensely proud of him, and miss him dearly," she said.
