Richard de Crespigny
Richard de Crespigny, was the QANTAS pilot in charge of QF32, a London to Sydney via Singapore QANTAS flight, an Airbus A 380, when one of the Rolls Royce engines failed over the Riau Islands, Indonesia, four minutes after take-off from Singapore Changi Airport.
After almost two hours assessing the situation, the plane made a successful emergency landing at Changi Airport in Singapore. No injuries occurred to the passengers, crew, or people on the ground, despite debris from the aircraft falling onto houses in Batam.
Richard de Crespigny was born in Melbourne in 1957 and at the age of seventeen joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the Point Cook RAAF Academy. With the RAAF he flew transport, jet and helicopter aircraft. During his eleven years’ service with the RAAF, he served as Aide-de-Camp to two Australian Governors-General – Sir Zelman Cowen and Sir Ninian Stephen.
In 1986, he joined QANTAS where he flew Boeing 747, Airbus A330 and Airbus A380 jet aircraft. In the 2016, Australia Day Honours, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to the aviation industry, both nationally and internationally, particularly to flight safety and to the community.
Bookings for the Oration
For now, please note the date of the Oration in your diary. Whilst the Oration is free a booking is required. The Federation University booking link will be added to this site when available. A QR code link will be provided here in coming weeks.
2025 Coates Oration Dinner
Following the Coates Oration, the Annual Oration Dinner will be held from 7.30pm at the Albert Coates Complex (Building C), Mount Helen Campus. Please book now to reserve your seat.
Booking details:
Cost for the dinner is $70 and includes a two-course meal.
To book your place, please deposit $70 per person in the Albert Coates Memorial Trust bank account with your name/s included in the reference.
BSB: 633 000 Account Number: 144 729 282
To advise of dietary requirements or other enquiries please contact:
Shirley McIver on 0434 540 171 or email at
RSVP - 12th November 2025 to Shirley McIver (details above).
