Eight ‘Kookaburras’ arrived in Lockhart, the home of the Wagga Wagga Gliding Club, for the first ‘Kookaburra Konvention’, held on April 14 and 15 2007. One Cherokee 2 also joined in. The initial assembly of pilots and friends on Friday evening was at the Blue Gum Café, unchanged since the late 40s and early 50s. This was in keeping with the naissance of the Kookaburra in 1952.
On Saturday morning, rigging and briefing was completed at leisure, after which the meet started in earnest with the city slickers capitalising on the $10 launches to 1500-1800 feet. Lengths of flights varied with one pilot reporting a climb to 8500 feet. Harry (pictured right) and Margaret Schneider, the builder of the Kookaburra arrived from Gawler. Harry gave an illuminating but modest speech on their life as sailplane builders.
Before the war Edmund Schneider, Harry’s father, was known as the builder of the Grunau sailplane. At the cessation of hostilities Harry status was that of a POW. On release he and his father were unable to resume sailplane building owing to the allied prohibition. As a result of this the business turned towards boat building.
The Schneider’s interest in Australia was aroused on reading an article in a magazine of the exploits of a GCV member Keith Chamberlin who flew to 13,000ft in a Grunau Baby from a  launch at Benalla. The flight was part of a project under Dr Raddock, meteorologist, and until his death a GCV honorary president. Alan Patching of VMFG recalls that when the barograph was reviewed at ARL it revealed some of the highest down drafts ever recorded to that date.
Edmund and Harry Schneider were encouraged by the fledgling GFA to immigrate to Australia , initially to Melbourne , where GCV were at the time laboriously building a Grunau sailplane. It was agreed that the Schneiders would complete the project. The Schneiders later moved to Adelaide on the offer of suitable premises at Gawler, and commenced design and manufacture of a series of sailplanes suited to Australia . Many of these sailplanes remain in service, and indeed the original GCV Grunau on which Harry and his father worked is now held by the Australian Gliding Museum as a flying exhibit.
Of the ES 52 Kookaburras, 36 short-wing and five long-wing were built. One was exported to New Zealand . Brazil ordered two, however anecdotal reports indicate that an export permit was refused. Undaunted the Brazilians built two from plans supplied by Schneiders. Eleven remain in flying condition, which attests to the popularity and ruggedness of the design.