In his aviation career "Bob" Gurney was chief pilot of Guinea Airways, a Qantas flying boat captain and a Squadron Leader in the RAAF, who even had to bomb his own home.

[2] His family moved to Sydney and on 14 December 1925 he joined the RAAF, learning to fly at Point Cook, Victoria[3] under the instruction of Alan Cross.

When Bob started with Guinea Airways in November 1929 he arrived with two other pilots to join the three already flying the two Junkers W 34s and two de Havilland Moths.

Guinea Airways was flying in the equipment needed for gold dredging and at this time was carrying more freight than the rest of the world combined.

Among the more unusual pieces of freight that Bob transported was a Baby Austin car belonging to Dr. Ian Dickson from Lae Airfield to Wau Aerodrome in 1933 (in the Junkers G 31 VH-UOW).

The next year, in the same plane, he flew a 7,500 lb stator for Baiune power house to Bulolo Airfield, with the centre of gravity about 3’ 6" above the wings, and landing with only ten minutes of fuel left.

[5] Bob not only flew large amounts of freight, but was also involved in the exploration of the interior of Papua and New Guinea doing aerial surveys and supply runs for the Leahy brothers, Ivan Champion, Jack Hides and Jim Taylor.

Three other colleagues from Guinea Airways also moved to Qantas around the same time: Orm Denny (April 1936), Aubrey Koch (July 1938), and Godfrey "Goff" Hemsworth.

On 22 December 1938, Gurney and Denny piloted the Cordelia in the first Qantas Empire Airways flying boat flight from Darwin to Brisbane (1940 miles) in one day.

[13] At the outbreak of World War II, the Australian Government requisitioned two C-class Empire flying boats from Qantas (‘’Centaurus’’ and ‘’Calypso’’), along with their crews, to form No.

Due to civilian crew shortages, Bob Gurney, Bill Purton and Eric Sims were seconded from the RAAF to operate the flying boats with Qantas.

Japanese forces invaded Papua New Guinea, and chose to place part of their headquarters in the house that had previously been Gurney's home in Lae.

When a bombing raid on Lae was launched by the 435th Bombardment Squadron (also based at Townsville) on 10 March 1942, Gurney insisted on taking part: “urging that he not only knew the place better than anyone else on the station, but could claim a prior right in smashing up his own home.

He went, and from the aircraft he flew was launched the bomb that blew his own house to smithereens.”[18] In February 1942 the 22nd Bombardment Group USAAF, equipped with Martin B-26 Marauders, left the United States and made its base at Townsville.

The staff at Port Moresby knew, along with Gurney, that a woman named Francine had previously lived on Kiriwina Island, the largest in the Trobriands, so were able to send a rescue mission to the right area.

Having waded waist-deep through the swamp, the crew found Gurney already dead, and Herron trapped in the cockpit filling with water as it sank into the mud.

They landed on the water near Samarai, and were told by an Australian Soldier on board a Lakatoi that Francine was the daughter of a French Missionary who had lived on Kiriwina.

[26] On 11 June 1942, in the King's Birthday Honours, Gurney was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) for "outstanding ability on seaward reconnaissances".