Recurring elements in the Final Fantasy series

Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science fantasy role-playing video games (RPGs). The eponymous first game in the series, published in 1987, was conceived by Sakaguchi as his last-ditch effort in the game industry; the game was a success and spawned sequels. While most entries in the series are separate from each other, they have recurring elements carrying over between entries: these include plot themes and motifs, gameplay mechanics, and visual elements.

The Final Fantasy series features recurring thematic elements, including magical crystals and creatures such as the Chocobo and Moogle which have appeared in multiple roles. Numerous writers have worked on the series, including Sakaguchi himself, early writer Kenji Terada, Kazushige Nojima, and Yasumi Matsuno. Some settings and specific themes have been used in multiple installments and subseries, including the fictional world of Ivalice, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, and the Fabula Nova Crystallis mythos. The art design for the series has been associated with multiple artists: the three most prominent being Yoshitaka Amano, Tetsuya Nomura, and Akihiko Yoshida. Amano designed characters up to Final Fantasy VI and continues to design each game's logo, Nomura has designed characters for multiple games since Final Fantasy VII, and Yoshida has been involved in XII, XIV, and games associated with Ivalice.

The original gameplay created by Akitoshi Kawazu was based around Dungeons & Dragons and Wizardry. Starting with Final Fantasy IV, the Hiroyuki Ito-designed ATB system took prevalence: variations of the ATB system have been used in multiple entries since then. These various elements have been positively received by critics over the series' lifetime, contributing to its overall worldwide success, with the gameplay and narratives frequently cited as setting a standard for RPGs. The series also produced spin-off entries including SaGa and Mana, and in turn influenced later game developers and studios.

## Overview

Final Fantasy began with the development of the titular first game in the series. It was developed at Square, later dubbed Square Enix after its 2003 merger with Enix. Final Fantasy was creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's last ditch attempt at success within the video game market: Sakaguchi had long wished to create a role-playing game, but the company had denied him the opportunity until then. The first Final Fantasy was released in 1987, and was a commercial and critical success that fueled the development of further games. The series garnered international popularity with the release of Final Fantasy VII (1997) for the PlayStation, which became the highest-selling Final Fantasy game to date. Final Fantasy has become one of Square Enix's major gaming franchises; as of 2016, the series has sold 110 million copies worldwide across 48 video game releases.

## Scenarios

Final Fantasy series consists of multiple games that, while generally having separate settings and narratives, share common themes and motifs in their worlds and plots. Multiple writers have worked on the Final Fantasy series over its existence, the most prominent having worked on the mainline games. The first Final Fantasy writer was Kenji Terada, who was asked on board the project by staff who were fans of his work in anime. He was asked to create a scenario that would make players cry. Terada would provide the scenarios for Final Fantasy II (1988) and III (1990). He later had mixed feelings about the impact of Final Fantasy on his career, as many only knew him from his video game writing. When Final Fantasy IV (1991) was pushed forward onto the next generation of game hardware, Terada's planned scenario was scrapped by the management and he parted with Square on poor terms.

After Terada's departure, scenario work was delegated to Takashi Tokita. Tokita wrote the scenario for Final Fantasy IV (1991), along with being the game's designer. For Final Fantasy V (1992), the scenario was a collaboration between Sakaguchi and Yoshinori Kitase. Final Fantasy VI (1994) was worked on by a group of four or five different writers, including Kitase. Sakaguchi was responsible for providing the basic story from the original game until Final Fantasy VI. Sakaguchi would also write the scenario draft for Final Fantasy IX (2000), with further contributions Kazuhiko Aoki and Nobuaki Komoto.

One of the notable recurring writers is Kazushige Nojima: he first joined the development team for Final Fantasy VII, and would later write the scenario for Final Fantasy VIII (1999). He was also a major contributor to Final Fantasy X (2001) alongside other writers. He returned to write the scenario for Final Fantasy X-2 (2003), despite initial reluctance due to its upbeat feel when compared to its predecessor. His later supplementary material would return to a darker theme. Nojima also created the original scenario of Final Fantasy XV (2016), then called Final Fantasy Versus XIII. His original scenario was reworked for XV by Saori Itamuro. Another recurring writer is Daisuke Watanabe. His first job on the series was with Final Fantasy X. He worked on Final Fantasy XII (2005) as a scenario writer after original writer Yasumi Matsuno left due to illness. The initial script was written by Miwa Shoda, whose work was fleshed out by Watanabe. Watanabe would later work on the scenarios of Final Fantasy XIII (2009) and its sequels, which would become one of his major projects.

The scenario for Final Fantasy XI (2002) was created by Masato Kato, who returned for the expansion Rise of the Zilart. For Final Fantasy XIV (2010), the writer was Yaeko Sato, who also worked on XI and XII; Sato stayed on as lead writer for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2013), alongside new writer Kazutoyo Maehiro. The lead writer for expansions beginning with Heavensward is Banri Oda. The scenario of Final Fantasy XVI is written by Maehiro.

The first game to receive a direct sequel was Final Fantasy X: X-2 is set in the same fictional world of Spira, while using a lighter tone than its predecessor. No sequel to Final Fantasy X was planned initially. Final Fantasy XIII was also intended to be a standalone game, and was later expanded into the series' first official trilogy with the development of XIII-2 (2011) and Lightning Returns (2013). Final Fantasy XV was expanded into a multimedia series to avoid creating a video game series; named the Final Fantasy XV Universe, it is split between pre-release media including a feature film and original net animation, and post-release content including other spin-off games and downloadable content.

Final Fantasy VII was later expanded into a multimedia series gamed Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, which included video games (Before Crisis, Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core) and film projects (Advent Children, Last Order). A different subseries linked by common elements, and indirectly inspired by the Compilation, is Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy: while the subseries' games have unique settings and stories, they all share a common mythos surrounding crystals and their associated deities. Fabula Nova Crystallis was originally planned as a platform for the development of multiple games planned out in advance, compared to Final Fantasy producer Shinji Hashimoto to the Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings film franchises. Eventually mixed reactions to the subseries prompted Square Enix to move away from the esoteric and complex storylines it incorporated.

A world later incorporated into the Final Fantasy series is Ivalice, the setting for games within the game collection known as the Ivalice Alliance. Taking place within a single world across a large time period, Ivalice is the setting for Final Fantasy Tactics (1997), Final Fantasy XII, and Vagrant Story (2000). Vagrant Story did not originally take place in Ivalice, being incorporated into the subseries by Square Enix long after its release. The game's references to other Final Fantasy games were originally intended as fan service. Ivalice itself was the creation of Yasumi Matsuno, the main creative force behind Tactics and Vagrant Story. It first appeared in Tactics. Matsuno's work with Ivalice later inspired the scenarios for A Realm Reborn.

### Common elements

#### Story themes

Stories in the series frequently emphasize the internal struggles, passions, and tragedies of the characters, and the main plot often recedes into the background as the focus shifts to their personal lives. Other aspects explored are the relationships between characters, which range from love to rivalry. Other recurring situations that drive the plot include amnesia, a hero corrupted by an evil force, mistaken identity, and self-sacrifice. Esoteric and mystical elements also took a central role in several games, though later games such as Final Fantasy XV focused on simple narratives and understandable knowledge for its lore. The central conflict in many Final Fantasy games focuses on a group of characters battling an evil, and sometimes ancient, antagonist that dominates the game's world. Stories frequently involve a sovereign state in rebellion, with the protagonists taking part in the rebellion. The heroes are often destined to defeat the evil, and occasionally gather as a direct result of the antagonist's malicious actions. Twin antagonists, with the second main antagonist being hidden for the majority of the game, is also a recurring element. Other common plot and setting themes include the Gaia hypothesis, an apocalypse, and conflicts between advanced technology and nature. Most games feature names inspired from various cultures' history, languages, and mythology, including Asian, European, and Middle-Eastern. In-game items such as weapons follow this tradition: the two most notable are Excalibur and Masamune, derived respectively from the Arthurian sword and legendary Japanese swordsmith.

#### The Crystals

A recurring concept within Final Fantasy settings is the use of important magical crystals: in early games, they represented the Japanese classical elements, and would be instrumental in keeping the world in balance. Due to this, control over the crystals forms part of a chosen games' core narrative. The concept of crystals was introduced into the original game by game designer Koichi Ishii. Based on positive fan feedback, Terada suggested carrying them into future entries. Since then, crystals have taken prominent roles in Final Fantasy III, IV, V, VI, VII, and IX. They took minimal roles in II, VIII, X, and XII. Crystals also took a central role in Final Fantasy XIII and XV, which both used the crystal-based Fabula Nova Crystallis lore: overt references such as terminology and branding were removed from XV to help with marketing. Crystals were included in A Realm Reborn as a central plot due to being given "short shrift in recent games". For Final Fantasy XVI crystals were included as the equivalent to limited fuel sources, with their fading power triggering the plot's events.

#### Magitek

In games with universes containing more advanced technology, it is often depicted as predominantly powered by magic. This is specifically called magitek in Final Fantasy VI, XIV, and XV, while other games have similar elements under a different name, such as mako technology in VII and magicite technology in XII. Such magical technology is often used as a metaphor for overreaching, evil ambition, breaking the rules of the world, and stealing its energy no matter the cost. Extremely powerful magitek armor is recurring in various games in the series, such as in VI, XIV, and XV in the form of mecha, and in XV as powered armor.

#### Characters and monsters

Characters and monsters have made appearances in multiple Final Fantasy games, although they remain unconnected in a narrative sense. A recurring animal in Final Fantasy is the Chocobo, a galliform bird that regularly acts as a means of transport for characters. The Chocobo was created by Ishii for Final Fantasy II, and have appeared in every mainline Final Fantasy game since then. A second recurring race are the Moogles, whose Japanese name is Mōguri, a portmanteau of the words mogura (mole) and kōmori (bat); while frequently seen running shops or assuming some other background role, they have also appeared as party allies or playable characters. The Moogles were also created by Ishii, originally designed in his school days by combining a koala with a bat. Other recurring races include common monsters such as the cactus-like Cactuar, the Tonberry, the Malboro, the Behemoth, and the Iron Giant.

A human character that has frequently appeared is Cid (シド, Shido). Making his debut in Final Fantasy II, he has appeared in multiple forms as everything from a player character to an antagonist. His most frequent occupation is an engineer, and he is commonly associated with the party's airship. Cid was originally created as a character that would appear in multiple forms: his one common attribute was that he was an intelligent and wise figure "like Yoda from the Star Wars series". Two other recurring human characters are Biggs and Wedge, a duo named after characters from the Star Wars franchise who are often used for comic relief. Making their debut in Final Fantasy VI as footsoldiers, they have since appeared in multiple Final Fantasy games. A different character is Gilgamesh: first appearing in Final Fantasy V, he has made cameo appearances in multiple Final Fantasy games since then. Gilgamesh, named after a mythical character of the same name, was created by Sakaguchi, and designed by Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshitaka Amano.

## Gameplay

Since the series' inception, gameplay in the majority of mainline Final Fantasy games has followed certain conventions of the role-playing genre. Players take control of a party of characters, commanding anywhere between three and eight during battles. Players must face a variety of enemies who continually try to damage the player: in battle, the characters can select a variety of commands from a menu, such as "Fight", "Magic", "Item", as well as other special skills such as "Steal", "Throw", or "Summon". The battle is won when all enemies are defeated. Up until Final Fantasy XI, battles were triggered through random encounters: starting with XI and continuing in following games, enemies were visible in the field and could be avoided. A recurring means of travel are airships, which are often unlocked for players fairly late in the game. In common with other role-playing games, Final Fantasy most commonly uses an experience point-based leveling system, where each battle awards experience points, and gaining levels increases character statistics such as health and magic.

Magic is another common role-playing element in the series. The method by which characters gain magic varies between installments, but is generally divided into classes organized by color: "White magic", which focuses on spells that assist teammates; "Black magic", which focuses on harming enemies; "Red magic", which is a combination of white and black magic, "Blue magic", which mimics enemy attacks; and "Green magic" which focuses on applying status effects to either allies or enemies. Different means of transportation have appeared through the series. The most common is the airship for long range travel, accompanied by chocobos for traveling short distances, but others include sea and land vessels. Following Final Fantasy VII, more modern and futuristic vehicle designs have been included. For Final Fantasy XV, a car dubbed "Regalia" was introduced as both a ground-based transport and later as a vehicle that could be converted to function as an airship.

### Battle systems

The battle system of the original Final Fantasy was designed by Akitoshi Kawazu. When creating it, he closely followed the mechanics created in the Western tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons, particularly the incorporation of enemy-specific weaknesses that were otherwise missing from Japanese games at the time. He also added elements such as weapon and item abilities based on their successful implementation in Wizardry. This first version of the battle system was a traditional turn-based system with characters appearing on the left-hand side of the screen, a feature later adopted by multiple other role-playing games (RPGs). For Final Fantasy II, Kawazu designed a battle system based around a more focused approach to story, along with accommodating for character classes being locked to specific characters. In Final Fantasy II, character abilities improved based on the number of times they were used and the number of hit points accumulated during battles: if a character used magic, they would become strong in magic while other attributes would suffer. For Final Fantasy III, the system changed back to a traditional class-based model: Kawazu said that the reason for this was because no-one could fully understand the system he had created for Final Fantasy II.

The battle system most closely associated with Final Fantasy is the "Active Time Battle" (ATB) system: while utilizing a turn-based combat system, action meters are assigned to all characters that empty when they act in battle. Each player character being issued a command when their action meter is filled: enemies could attack at any time despite player actions being in progress, adding an element of urgency to battles. The ATB system was designed by Hiroyuki Ito. According to Kawazu, Ito was inspired while watching a Formula One race and seeing racers pass each other at different speeds. This gave him the idea of different speed values for the individual characters. Ito himself described the inspiration as his wish to balance pure turn-based mechanics with real-time battle mechanics, which played into a movement in Formula One where cars were shifting towards using semi-automatic gearboxes. For Final Fantasy V, Ito evolved the system further as he felt the version in IV was incomplete. A mechanic introduced in Final Fantasy VII was Limit Breaks, special cinematic moves that have become a staple of the series. The ATB system was in use until Final Fantasy X, which switched to a system called the "Conditional Turn-based Battle" system: while reverting to a purely turn-based model, it included additional elements such as in-battle party member switching. Final Fantasy XI, XIV, and its sequel A Realm Reborn used real-time command-based combat systems and removed random encounters, playing in a similar fashion to other contemporary MMORPGs. Final Fantasy XII used a similar real-time command-based system to XI: dubbed the "Active Dimension Battle" system, characters fought enemies in environments without random encounters, with players acting on commands set by the player.

The battle system for Final Fantasy XIII was designed to retain the strategic elements of earlier games while emulating the cinematic action of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. While retaining the ATB system, elements such as magic points were removed, and a strategic role-change system dubbed the Paradigm System was implemented, with the roles being based on Final Fantasy jobs. Final Fantasy XIII-2 continued using the Paradigm system with added gameplay functions based on criticism of the first game, while Lightning Returns changed to a more action-based, single-character version that incorporated design elements cut from XIII. Final Fantasy XV used an action-based system that was described as a "realistic" version of those used in the Kingdom Hearts series and spin-off game Final Fantasy Type-0. Unlike mainline Final Fantasy games up to this point, the players could only control one character out of the four-strong party. While the team experimented with multiple character control, it was decided that it presented too many development difficulties. The battle system of Final Fantasy XVI, designed by Capcom veteran Ryota Suzuki, again focused on action with a single protagonist with a focus on switching elemental abilities gained from the world's summons. Battles were also split between standard combat with smaller enemies, and large cinematic battles with their own mechanics.

### Classes

Character classes in Final Fantasy are often referred to as "jobs"; they have been present in the series since the first game, where players chose each character's job from the outset. Kawazu created this system to give players freedom to customize the party. For Final Fantasy IV, jobs were attached to specific characters. Each job in a Final Fantasy game has unique abilities which develop as the player's level increases. In some games, the player can assign a character a specific job at the start of the game, while others allow characters to combine and learn abilities from a number of jobs. In addition to other abilities, a character's job usually determines the types of weapons and armor that they can use.

Final Fantasy III saw the introduction of the Job Change System: through special crystals, the four player characters were granted a variety of jobs that could be switched at any point by the player. The Job Change system was initially proposed by Sakaguchi as he wanted to give players freedom to customize the party members. The Job System has continued to have a strong role in the series, being most prominent in Final Fantasy V with 22 available jobs. Jobs have recurring functions throughout the series. Some of the more traditional classes include the Warrior/Fighter, the Dragoon, the Thief, and variations on magical classes such as White and Black Mages. More original classes have appeared throughout the series, such as Bards, Scholars, and Summoners. Due to the series' popularity, they have become staples of RPGs since their debut. The complexity and scope of the job system, as well as whether or not characters are capable of changing jobs, varies from game to game. The original Final Fantasy XIV did away with the Job System in favour of a character class-driven system where equipment determined skills and growth. For the later stages of XIV and later A Realm Reborn, the Job System was reintroduced as a second level to the class system. Many Jobs, such as the Dragoon, the Summoner, the White Mage, the Black Mage, and the Red Mage have become closely identified with the series.

### Summoning

A different system is "Summoning", a mechanic where characters can evoke summoned monsters (summoned beasts (召喚獣, Shoukanjuu) in Japanese) to aid the party through cinematic actions. The concept of summoning was proposed for the first Final Fantasy, but was not implemented until Final Fantasy III. Summons can be either optional acquisitions unnecessary for progression of the narrative, or tied to story events and particular characters. The names of summons derived from multiple cultures, including Egyptian, Middle-Eastern, Asian, and Classical mythology. As groups within the games, they have been referred to by several names (Espers, Guardian Forces, Aeons, Eidolons, Astrals, Primals, Eikons), and have taken either core roles in the story or less prominent roles as tools for the player characters.

## Art design

The artwork and character designs of the first Final Fantasy were created by Yoshitaka Amano, a noted artist who had worked with Tatsunoko Production on multiple anime series including Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, and also did illustrations for Vampire Hunter D. Amano was brought on board the first Final Fantasy as general artwork designer, filling that role for II and III. For Final Fantasy IV, Amano was given more freedom to create elaborate character designs. Amano returned as character designer and general artwork for Final Fantasy V. Final Fantasy VI, in addition to featuring work by Amano, also had contributions from other designers including Kaori Tanaka. From the first Final Fantasy to IV, Amano created his artwork based on specific descriptions from game staff, while for Final Fantasy V and VI it was the game staff that took and adjusted his artwork to suit the games. He returned as a character designer for Final Fantasy IX, working from specifications provided by the game's staff. For Final Fantasy XI, Amano created the game's world map. One of the designs he recalled was for the summon Bahamut: while the original Bahamut was an aquatic monster, he did not know this at the time, so he designed Bahamut as a "mecha dragon". As of Final Fantasy XV, Amano's artwork has been created fairly early in a game's development based on the basic themes.

Amano's most enduring contribution to the series is his logo designs: receiving design documents as primarily text-based requests and descriptions, he treats each logo as a piece of full artwork rather than a simple logo. Since Final Fantasy IV, the current font style was adopted, along with a specially-designed logo by Amano. The emblem relates to a game's respective plot and typically portrays a character or object in the story. Subsequent remakes of the first three games have replaced the previous logos with ones similar to the rest of the series. His work on Final Fantasy brought him international fame.

From Final Fantasy VII onward, the main character designer for the series was Tetsuya Nomura, whose first major contribution had been character and monster designs for Final Fantasy VI. He was chosen by Sakaguchi as the character designer for VII after being amused by his storyboards for VI. His greater involvement was also due to scheduling conflicts with Amano's overseas trips to open exhibitions in Europe and North America. Nomura would end up having a substantial input into the character stories. While Final Fantasy VII would become Nomura's favorite project, its graphical limitations meant that his art style was limited in turn. For Final Fantasy VIII, he worked with other artists to make the characters more realistic. Nomura returned for Final Fantasy X, designing the main cast and creating a setting influenced by the South Pacific, Thailand, and Japan. For Final Fantasy XV, Nomura created the main characters alongside being one of the main creative forces behind its development. A trend with Nomura's characters is their names being related to the weather or the sky (Cloud, Squall, Tidus, Lightning). He wanted to break this tradition when designing Noctis Lucis Caelum, but after Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning was given a weather-based name, Nomura gave Noctis his current name: Noctis' name translates from Latin to "Night of Light Sky".

Other notable artists include Akihiko Yoshida, Isamu Kamikokuryo, and Yusuke Naora. Yoshida's first major games were Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, which he worked on together with Hiroshi Minagawa. He also did design work for Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, creating the Bangaa race that would later appear in Final Fantasy XII. For XII, he designed the main characters. As inspiration for their physical appearances, Yoshida used a variety of influences from multiple cultures. He returned to work on Final Fantasy XIV, where he needed to adjust from working on a static project to designing for the more fluid environment of an MMORPG. He would also contribute designs to A Realm Reborn, and its first expansion Heavensward. Kamikokuryo first did work on Final Fantasy VIII and X, then became art director for XII. He would return to this role for Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, and the Final Fantasy XIII games: he had a major role in the design of Lightning's new appearance in XIII-2. He was also involved in the world design of Final Fantasy XV. Naora had a presence within the series since Final Fantasy VII, for which he designed the kanji logo for the antagonistic Shinra Corporation. His involvement in the series has primarily been as an art director for games such as Final Fantasy X and XV, in addition to creating character designs for Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Final Fantasy Type-0.

Other artists have also contributed to the series. Hideo Minaba contributed character designs to Final Fantasy IX, worked as an art director for XII, and would later design characters for XIII-2. Italian-born artist Roberto Ferrari worked as a secondary character designer for Final Fantasy Type-0, Final Fantasy XV, and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Yusaku Nakaaki worked with Naora and Nomura to create characters for Final Fantasy Type-0, and along with Ferrari created secondary characters for Final Fantasy XV. Akira Oguro created the character artwork for the mobile games Final Fantasy IV: The After Years and Final Fantasy Dimensions. Toshitaka Matsuda's first major work was on Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, and he would later serve as a costume and character designer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Toshiyuki Itahana first worked on character designs for Final Fantasy IX, then later served as a main artist for the Crystal Chronicles spin-off series, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, and the mobile game Mobius Final Fantasy. A key designer for much of the series' life was Kazuko Shibuya, who did sprite designs from Final Fantasy to VI. She also did work on Final Fantasy Dimensions. A notable outside collaborator was Hiromu Takahara, lead designer for Japanese fashion house Roen, who created the clothing for the main cast of Final Fantasy XV.

## Reception and influence

The Final Fantasy series and several specific games within it have been credited for introducing and popularizing many concepts that are today widely used in console RPGs. The side view perspective with groups of monsters against a group of characters used by the early Final Fantasy games has been frequently imitated, supplanting the prior RPG standard of one-on-one battles against monsters from a first-person perspective. The class changing systems and multiple types of magic available were also influential on the genre, as were the use of a variety of vehicles. By contrast, IGN has commented that the menu system used by the games is a major detractor for many and is a "significant reason why they haven't touched the series". Destructoid's Chris Hovermale cited the battle systems of the Final Fantasy series as an example of video games have evolved their combat systems over time.

Edge cited the visuals of the series as a reason for its long-standing critical praise. In 1996, Next Generation included the series on a ranking of the best games and series of all time, with one of its points of praise being the narratives. That magazine later cited the "melodramatic storylines" used in the series as a factor in its longevity. In a review of Final Fantasy VI from 2005, GameSpot cited that game as a genre-defining game with its storyline and emphasis on character development, while Final Fantasy VII has frequently been classed as a game that helped solidify the structure and style of RPGs for many years to follow. Digital Spy said in 2012 that Final Fantasy had "shaped and defined role-playing games across generations of consoles", though felt the series had lost some of its appeal as its more recent installments differed too much from their predecessors, with some fans referring to Final Fantasy X as "the last traditional game in the series".

Kawazu would develop the concepts he created for Final Fantasy II into its own series, titled SaGa, and other franchises including The Elder Scrolls would adopt its usage-based skill systems. Ishii's experience working on Final Fantasy was reflected in his design philosophies for the Mana series, which began life as a Final Fantasy spin-off. Numerous industry developers and studios (including Ubisoft's Maxime Beland, multiple BioWare staff, Peter Molyneux) have cited Final Fantasy as an influence on either their general game design or specific games. Several independent developers have drawn on both classic and contemporary Final Fantasy games when developing games, citing examples within their narratives, game design, and visuals.


Royal National Lifeboat Institution

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It is one of several lifeboat services operating in the same area.

Founded in 1824 as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, it soon afterwards became the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck under the patronage of King George IV. On 5 October 1854, the institution’s name was changed to its current name (RNLI), and in 1860 was granted a royal charter.

The RNLI is a charity in the UK and in the Republic of Ireland and has enjoyed royal patronage since its foundation, the most recent being Queen Elizabeth II until her death on 8 September 2022. The RNLI is principally funded by legacies (65%) and donations (28%), with the remainder from merchandising and investment. Most of the members of its lifeboat crews are unpaid volunteers.

The RNLI is based in Poole, Dorset. It has 238 lifeboat stations and operates 444 lifeboats. RNLI lifeguards operate on more than 200 beaches: the lifeguards are paid by local authorities, but the RNLI provides equipment and training. The institution also operates flood rescue teams nationally and internationally, the latter prepared to travel to emergencies overseas at short notice.

Considerable effort is put into training and education by the institution, particularly for young people; in 2013, more than 6,000 children a week were spoken to by education volunteers about sea and beach safety, and over 800 children a week received training. Crews rescued on average 22 people a day in 2015. The institution has saved some 140,000 lives since its foundation, at a cost of more than 600 lives lost in service.

## History

Sir William Hillary moved to the Isle of Man in 1808. Being aware of the treacherous nature of the Irish Sea, with many ships being wrecked around the Manx coast, he drew up plans for a national lifeboat service manned by trained crews. Initially he received little response from the Admiralty. However, on appealing to the more philanthropic members of London society, the plans were adopted and, with the help of Member of Parliament Thomas Wilson and former MP and merchant George Hibbert, the Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck was founded at a very well-attended public meeting at the London Tavern on 4 March 1824, presided over by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Charles Manners-Sutton. The institution gained the patronage of King George IV, and not long afterwards the granting of the Royal prefix, making it Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck. The first president of the institution was the then Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool.

In 1826, George Palmer joined the society, and was deputy chairman of the society for over 25 years. He created a new design for a lifeboat which was officially adopted by the institution in 1828 and retained until superseded by the system of self-righting lifeboats in 1858. Palmer's role was crucial in getting Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland appointed as president of the institution, an office he held from 1851 to 1865.

At the age of 60, Sir William took part in the 1830 rescue of the packet St George, which had foundered on Conister Rock at the entrance to Douglas Harbour. He commanded the lifeboat and was washed overboard with others of the lifeboat crew, yet finally everyone aboard the St George was rescued with no loss of life. It was this incident which prompted Sir William to set up a scheme to build The Tower of Refuge on Conister Rock – a project completed in 1832 which stands to this day at the entrance to Douglas Harbour. In 1849 Prince Albert added his support to the institution) and the first of the new lifeboats to be built was stationed at Douglas in recognition of the work of Sir William.

The institution underwent a reorganisation under the presidency of the Duke of Northumberland, leading to a description of him as "second founder", and on 5 October 1854, its name was changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, abbreviated as RNLI.

Algernon Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland was President from 1866(7?) to 1899, and Henry Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland presided from 1911 until his death in 1918. It was he who founded the Duke of Northumberland's Life-boat Essay Competition in Elementary Schools. Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland, a British Army officer, first became a member upon the death of his father in 1918, then was elected Vice-President in 1921, and was also president and patron of a couple of branches. He died on 23 August 1930.

The RNLI was a founder member of the International Lifeboat Federation, now known as the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF).

### Design of the flag

The first design of the RNLI flag was created by Leonora Preston in 1884 after her brother was rescued by Ramsgate lifeboat volunteers. The design depicts Saint George's Cross bordered by a dark blue line and within the white cantons, initials of the charity name coloured red, the first design included the Tudor crown worn by King George VI at the centre of the cross with a foul anchor below it, representing the charity's dedication to the royal charter and to the sea. The design was formally adopted in 1908 and was flown at every lifeboat station thereafter. In 1953, following Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, the design was altered to exchange the Tudor crown with St. Edward's crown to represent the newly appointed monarch.

### Financial difficulties

In its first year of existence the RNLI had raised £10,000; however by 1849, income had dropped to £354. In 1850, 28-year-old Welshman Richard Lewis became secretary, with the 4th Duke of Northumberland's presidency commencing in the following year, and along with a new management committee and a new Inspector of Lifeboats, Captain John Ross Ward (later Vice Admiral) of the Royal Navy, big changes were made. Captain Ward was responsible for the design and introduction of new cork lifejackets for lifeboat volunteers, while Lewis was largely responsible for turning the financial fortunes around.

The RNLI accepted a government subsidy of £2,000, which rose in subsequent years. This lasted until 1869, when the RNLI ceased accepting subsidies – it had found that voluntary donations had fallen by more than the subsidies; in addition, the government's imposition of bureaucracy and regulations were detrimental to the service. By 1883, the annual income was over £40,000. The loss of 27 lifeboat crew of Southport and St Annes in 1886 gave new impetus to fundraising and an 1889 appeal raised £10,000. The first Lifeboat Saturday was held in that year.

### Growth in services under Lewis

When Lewis became secretary in 1850, the institution had care of 96 lifeboats, but only about 12 were actually usable. By the time Lewis died 30 years later, it had 274 lifeboats, ready for use by trained crews at short notice. In 1850, 470 lives were saved; in 1883, 955 were rescued.

### Wartime

During the First World War, lifeboat crews launched 1,808 times, rescuing 5,332 people. With many younger men on active service, the average age of a lifeboatman was over 50. Many launches were to ships that had been torpedoed or struck mines, including naval or merchant vessels on war duty; a notable example was the hospital ship SS Rohilla which foundered in 1914 and was attended by six lifeboats, saving 144 lives over a 50-hour rescue mission.

The Second World War placed considerable extra demands on the RNLI, particularly in south and east England where the threat of invasion and enemy activity was ever-present, rescuing downed aircrew a frequent occurrence, and the constant danger of mines. During the war, 6,376 lives were saved.

#### Dunkirk evacuation

Nineteen RNLI lifeboats sailed to Dunkirk between 27 May and 4 June 1940 to assist with the Dunkirk evacuation. Lifeboats from , (RNLB Prudential (ON 697), now Trimilia), and , (), went directly to France with their own crews, Ramsgate's crew collecting 2,800 troops. Both Coxswains, Edward Parker from Margate and Howard Primrose Knight from Ramsgate, were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for their "gallantry and determination when ferrying troops from the beaches". Of the other lifeboats and crews summoned to Dover by the Admiralty, the first arrivals questioned – reasonably in their view – the details of the service, in particular the impracticality of running heavy lifeboats on to the beach, loading them with soldiers, then floating them off. The dispute resulted in the first three crews being sent home. Subsequent lifeboats arriving were commandeered without discussion, much to the disappointment of many lifeboatmen. A later RNLI investigation resulted in the dismissal of two Hythe crew members, who were nevertheless vindicated in one aspect of their criticism, as Hythe's Viscountess Wakefield was run on to the beach at La Panne and unable to be refloated; she was the only lifeboat to be lost in the operation. Some RNLI crew members stayed in Dover for the emergency to provide repair and refuelling facilities, and after the end of the evacuation most lifeboats returned to their stations with varying levels of damage and continued their lifesaving services.

### 1953 Coronation Fleet Review

Four lifeboats took part in the 1953 Coronation Fleet Review; they were from , , and Campbeltown.

### 21st century

#### Migrant crisis

In 2021, the RNLI received press attention for its rescue of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel via boat. Its actions received a polarising response, with the British government praising its "vital work" while politician Nigel Farage criticised the organisation as being a "taxi service" for human traffickers. After its chief executive Mark Dowie disclosed verbal abuse received by RNLI volunteers from members of the public due to its rescuing of migrants, the charity saw a 3000% rise in daily donations and a 270% increase in people viewing its website's volunteering opportunities page.

## Rescues, losses and honours

### Rescues and lives saved

The RNLI's lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 140,000 lives since 1824. The RNLI makes a distinction between people aided and lives saved. There were 8,462 lifeboat launches in 2014, rescuing 8,727 people, including saving 460 lives. Lifeguards helped or rescued 19,353 people. Flood rescuers deployed seven times. In 2015 crews rescued on average 22 people a day.

The biggest rescue in the RNLI's history was on 17 March 1907, when the 12,000 tonne liner SS Suevic hit the Maenheere Reef near Lizard Point in Cornwall. In a strong gale and dense fog, RNLI lifeboat volunteers rescued 456 passengers, including 70 babies. Crews from , , and rowed out repeatedly for 16 hours to rescue all of the people on board. Six silver RNLI medals were later awarded, two to Suevic crew members.

### Losses

More than 600 people have died in the RNLI's service; their names are inscribed on the RNLI Memorial sculpture at RNLI HQ, Poole.

### Honours

More than 2,500 medals have been awarded by the RNLI to its crews for bravery, with 150 gold, 1,563 silver and 791 bronze medals earned up to 2004. The Thanks of the Institution Inscribed on Vellum or a framed Letter of Appreciation may be given for other notable acts, such as those awarded to crews of Aberystwyth Lifeboat Station. The Ralph Glister Award is a monetary award made for the most meritorious service in each year and was inaugurated in 1968. The Walter and Elizabeth Groombridge Award is given annually for the most outstanding service by an Atlantic 21 (and successors) lifeboat crew. Established in 1986 as the Walter Groombridge Award in memory of Brighton Lifeboat Station's Administration Officer it was renamed in memory of his wife who died in 1989.

The most decorated lifeboatman was Henry Blogg, coxswain of for 37 years, with three gold medals and four silver. He also received the George Cross and the British Empire Medal and is known as "The Greatest of all Lifeboatmen". The youngest recipient was Frederick Carter (11) who with Frank Perry (16) was awarded a Silver Medal for a rescue at Weymouth in 1890. Other notable lifeboatmen include Henry Freeman of Whitby, coxswain for 22 years, Robert William Hook (1828–1911), coxswain at Lowestoft from 1853 to 1883 and credited with saving over 600 lives plus two dogs and a cat, Henry "Shrimp" Davies, coxswain of the Cromer Lifeboat with 45 years service and James Haylett, coxswain of Caister-on-Sea. One lifeboat has received an award: for the Daunt lightship rescue in 1936, the RNLB Mary Stanford and her entire crew were decorated (see illustration in history section, above).

## Heritage

The RNLI maintains or encourages a number of entities in respect of the history and activity of the institution along with preserved lifeboats, including:

- Historic Lifeboat Collection in Chatham Historic Dockyard with 17 historic vessels.
- The Grace Darling Museum opened in 1938 at Bamburgh, commemorating her rescue of the SS Forfarshire. The museum is run by the RNLI.
- The Henry Blogg Museum illustrates the history of Cromer's lifeboats, and tells the story of Henry Blogg's most famous rescues.
- The Lifeboat Enthusiasts' Society (a branch of the RNLI)
- The (independent) Historic Lifeboat Owners Association, promoting the study and preservation of lifeboats.
- The RNLI Heritage Trust's collection of historic items at its HQ in Poole, including fine art, model lifeboats, and an archive of historic documents and photographs.
- The National Memorial Arboretum has a memorial dedicated to those who have served in the RNLI.
- In 2017 Mikron Theatre Company toured a commissioned play In At The Deep End about the RNLI.

## Operations

Throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, ships in distress, or the public reporting an accident, contact the emergency services by telephone or radio. Calls are redirected to HM Coastguard or the Irish Coast Guard as appropriate, who will coordinate air-sea rescue operations and may call on the RNLI (or independent lifeboats), or their own land-based rescue personnel and rescue helicopters to help.

### Lifeboat stations

As of May 2023, there are 238 RNLI lifeboat stations around the coasts of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Tower Lifeboat Station on the River Thames in London is the RNLI's busiest, in 2013 rescuing 372 people and saving 25 lives. In 2015 Tower's launches had increased to 465.

For public access the RNLI classifies stations as one of three types: Explore, which are normally open all year round and have a shop, Discover, normally open during the summer months and Observe which, because of their location, still welcome visitors but may not be easily accessible.

From time to time the RNLI may close a station; some of these are later reopened by independent services. The history of some former lifeboat stations can be found in Wikipedia articles on the places where those stations were. (See also: List of lifeboat disasters in Britain and Ireland for further information on closed stations.)

### Rescue craft

As of May 2023, the RNLI operates 449 lifeboats. The ship prefix for all RNLI lifeboats from the D-class (IB1) to the Tamar-class is RNLB (Royal National Lifeboat).

- All-weather lifeboats (ALBs) are large boats with enclosed wheelhouses and survivor spaces below deck, which are self-righting and can go out in all weather conditions. Some ALBs carry an inflatable Y-class lifeboat or Y-boat for inshore work, launched by mechanical arm. There are six classes of ALB motor life boats, with speeds ranging from 17 to 25 knots. The RNLI's aim is to provide a 25-knot lifeboat to every all-weather crew, and has begun construction of an All-weather Lifeboat Centre (ALC) in Poole which, when complete, will save £3 million per year. The RNLI took over the ALC in 2015 with the expectation of becoming fully operational in 2019, when six Shannon-class lifeboats a year will be built.
- Inshore lifeboats (ILBs) are smaller boats that operate closer to the shore and in shallower waters than ALBs. There are two classes, inflatables and RIBs capable of 25–40 knots. The RNLI's Inshore Lifeboat Centre at Cowes, Isle of Wight, has been building lifeboats since the 1960s and by 2015 had produced over 1,600.
- Hovercraft were introduced in 2002, allowing rescue on mudflats and in river estuaries inaccessible to conventional boats.

### Personnel and equipment

Lifeboat crews are composed almost entirely of volunteers, numbering 4,600 in 2013, including over 300 women. They are supported by 3,000 volunteer shore crew and station management. Lifejackets have evolved from cork, kapok and synthetic foam to today's light and non-cumbersome designs. ALB and ILB crews wear different styles of lifejacket. ALB crews wear lifejackets that inflate automatically when submerged in water, while ILB crews wear lifejackets that are already inflated.

RNLI lifeguards are placed on more than 200 beaches around England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and aided almost 20,000 people in 2014. The lifeguards are paid by the appropriate town or city council, while the RNLI provides their equipment and training.

The institution has operated an International Flood Rescue Team since the 2000 Mozambique floods, with six strategically placed teams each with two boats, support transport and equipment. The teams are formed of volunteer lifeboat crew with a range of additional skills, prepared to travel to emergencies overseas at short notice. They have trained alongside other teams for the common purpose in the United States.

#### Women in the RNLI

In the early days of the service, lifeboat launch and recovery was usually undertaken by women. There were deeply-held views about women crewing the boats – it was considered extremely bad luck. Along all parts of the coastline, women supported their men on the lifeboat crews by working together to get the lifeboat afloat and then later recovering it from the water in readiness for when the next call came. While lifeboat crew are still predominantly male (92 per cent in 2013, falling to 90 per cent in 2022), the first female (inshore) crew member was Elizabeth Hostvedt in 1969, and Frances Glody was the first woman crew member on an all-weather lifeboat, at Dunmore East Lifeboat Station, in 1981. Lauren McGuire, at the age of 27, became the RNLI's youngest station manager in 2011, at Clovelly, Devon. In 2017 at Harwich Lifeboat Station, Di Bush became the RNLI’s first female full-time mechanic. Four years later she was appointed coxswain of the Harwich Lifeboat, making her the first female full-time coxswain in the RNLI’s history. In 2011, Cardigan Lifeboat Station launched an all-female crew in what was believed to be a first in Wales. In 2022, Cullercoats RNLI station launched its first all-female lifeboat crew. The 2022 figures published show lifeguards comprise 29 per cent women, and the RNLI total workforce to be 34 per cent women.

#### Voluntary support

Apart from lifeboat crew and lifeguards, the institution provides a variety of volunteering opportunities. One of these is as "Deckhand" where signed-up volunteers are notified by email or mobile phone when there is a local need, such as marshalling at fundraising events, helping with collections or in an RNLI shop. Voluntary internships in RNLI offices are available three times a year.

#### Patronage

Since its establishment in 1824, the RNLI has enjoyed royal patronage. Elizabeth II was patron until her death on 8 September 2022.

### Safety advice

In addition to safety advice given in its publications, the RNLI offers safety advice to boat and beach users when the opportunity arises, and to at-risk groups such as anglers, divers and kayakers. The institution runs sea and beach safety sessions for young people, particularly in inner-city areas; in 2013, more than 6,000 children a week were spoken to by education volunteers about sea and beach safety, and over 800 children a week received training. Five hundred children were taught to swim in 2014. In an effort to reduce the estimated 400,000 drownings a year worldwide, more than half of them children, the RNLI extends practical or strategic safety advice to lifesaver organisations overseas, in some cases providing training at the Lifeboat College.

### Attitude to salvage

The RNLI does not support or encourage salvage (the recovery of a ship and its cargo). This is for two reasons: firstly, because they exist to save lives at sea, and secondly, to become involved in salvage might discourage those whose lives are at risk from calling for help. The RNLI's Sea Safety Guidelines state that "There is no 'salvage' fee when you are towed by a lifeboat, but a voluntary contribution to the RNLI is always very welcome!". This stance was reinforced in Newquay in 2009, when the RNLI was criticised for not launching a lifeboat in order to aid an unmanned fishing vessel that had run aground. A spokesman for the RNLI declared that "We are not a salvage firm and our charity's aim is to provide immediate assistance for people in trouble at sea and lives are at risk."

There have been a few isolated cases where RNLI crew members (but not the RNLI itself) have claimed salvage. There is no legal reason why crew members of the RNLI could not salvage a vessel, since they frequently tow small vessels to safety, often over long distances.

## Infrastructure

The RNLI's chief executive is Mark Dowie, formerly lifeboat operations manager at Salcombe RNLI; he succeeded Vice Admiral Paul Boissier, RN, on 15 May 2019.

The institution used to be split into six administrative divisions: East (East Anglia and South East England), South (South West England), West (Wales and the Isle of Man), North (East and west coasts of northern England), Scotland and Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). Since 2017 (2020 for non-operational departments) the Divisions became Regions: North & East (Berwick upon Tweed to Burnham on Crouch), South East (Southend to Swanage including River Thames), South West (Weymouth to Portishead including Channel Islands), Wales & West England (including Isle of Man), Scotland and Ireland.

The RNLI's main base is in Poole, Dorset, adjacent to Holes Bay in Poole Harbour. It includes RNLI HQ, lifeboat maintenance and repair facilities, the Lifeboat Support Centre and RNLI College (the training centre). The support centre and college were opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004. Specialist training facilities include a wave and capsize pool, a fire simulator, a ship's bridge simulator and an engineering workshop. The College's accommodation is available for RNLI members and their guests when training is not taking place and offers facilities for weddings, conferences and other events. About half of the RNLI's staff work at Poole. Other locations are Dublin, London, Perth, Saltash, St Asaph and Stockton-on-Tees, while some roles are at lifeboat stations or home-based and include operations, estate and financial management, public relations and information technology. A new headquarters for RNLI Ireland was opened at Airside in Swords, County Dublin, in June 2006 by President Mary McAleese, attended by the then Chairman of the Executive Committee of the RNLI, Admiral Sir Jock Slater, RN.

### Funding

The RNLI is principally funded by legacies (65%) and voluntary donations (28%), with the remainder from merchandising and investment. In 2021, the RNLI's income was £219.9 million, which included government contracts worth £3.7 million, while its expenditure on delivering a lifeboat service was £157.8 million. It has 65 employees paid more than £60,000 per year, and 21% of its expenditure was on fundraising and governance rather than delivering its charitable aims. The institution encourages corporate partnerships, which included in 2014 Waitrose, Yamaha and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

As of 2013, there were 1,100 RNLI fundraising branches throughout the regions served by the institution, many far from the sea, which may support a particular station, or a project such as a new lifeboat. The institution estimated their volunteer network at 31,500 in 2014. The largest regular contributor is The Communications and Public Service Lifeboat Fund (known simply as 'The Lifeboat Fund') established in 1886 for civil servants to support the RNLI collectively; the Fund has provided the institution with 52 lifeboats as well as other support.

The lifeboat collection boxes are seen nationwide, and have even become the target for thieves. A fixed, cast iron collection box in Porthgwarra, Cornwall, is Grade II listed. The institution's annual fundraising day ("SOS Day") is at the end of January, but many lifeboat stations hold open days during the summer, hosting displays, stalls and other events, as well as in-station shops which are open full or part-time.

Nationally and internationally known celebrities in various fields are, or have been supporters and fundraisers for the RNLI; for example, the cartoonist Giles was a Life President of the RNLI and donated many cartoons which are still being used for RNLI charity cards and other illustrations, and Ross Brawn, the former Formula 1 team boss, in 2012 raised funds through a business challenge, for a new lifeboat for Chiswick Lifeboat Station on the River Thames in London. Other names include Bear Grylls, Ben Cohen, Daniel Craig, Bernard Hill, Celia Imrie, David Morrissey, James and Oliver Phelps, and Rebecca Newman, whose Coast to Coast tour in 2012 earned her an Outstanding Achievement Award.

### Membership

Membership classes involve differing levels of contribution

- Governor, which includes voting rights
- Offshore, aimed at active sailors and boaters
- Shoreline and Joint Shoreline, the most popular level
- Storm Force, for younger members

## Publications

From March 1852 to October 1854) the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck published The life-boat, or, Journal of the National Shipwreck Institution. Volume 2, no. 1 started with a new name in 1855: The life-boat, or, Journal of the National Life-Boat Institution. The last issue under this name was volume 31, no. 341 in April 1940; Life-boat War Bulletins were published from No. 1 in September 1940; from 1945 to December 1946 simply entitled Life-boat Bulletin. From volume 32, no. 342 (June 1947), the journal has been called The Life-boat, more recently The Lifeboat and then Lifeboat.

Lifeboat is the quarterly magazine for all members, containing regional and national news from the institution, featured rescues, book reviews and lifeboat launch listings, with a related news and features section in the RNLI's website. Archived copies are available in searchable form online.

Life-boat International is an annual publication, apparently a conference report, since 1974.

The website contains full details of the organisation and its activities, including fundraising, lifeboats and stations, history and projects.

## See also

- Awards of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
- Isle of Man Coastguard
- Independent lifeboats in Britain and Ireland

Similar organisations of other nations

- Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution
- Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer – France
- German Sea Rescue Society
- Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue
- Swedish Sea Rescue Society
- Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue – West Coast of Canada
- National Sea Rescue Institute – South Africa

Rescue charity operating in Britain and Ireland

1824 establishments in the United Kingdom

Emergency medical services in the Republic of Ireland

Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom

Emergency services in the Republic of Ireland

Emergency services in the United Kingdom

Sea rescue organisations of the United Kingdom


Cathay Dragon

Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (Chinese: 港龍航空公司), also known as Cathay Dragon (國泰港龍航空) and Dragonair, was a Hong Kong-based international regional airline, with its corporate headquarters and main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. In the final year before it ceased flying, the airline operated a scheduled passenger network to around 50 destinations in 14 countries and territories across Asia. Additionally, the airline had three codeshares on routes served by partner airlines. It had an all Airbus fleet of 35 aircraft, consisting of A320s, A321s, and A330s.

Cathay Dragon was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong's flag carrier, Cathay Pacific, and was an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. The airline was founded on 24 May 1985, by Chao Kuang Piu, who was most recently the airline's honorary chairman. Its maiden flight departed Hong Kong for Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia after being granted an air operator's certificate (AOC) by the Hong Kong Government in July 1985. In 2010, Dragonair, together with its parent, Cathay Pacific, operated over 138,000 flights, carried nearly 27 million passengers and over 1.80 billion kg (4.0 billion pounds) of cargo and mail.

## History

### Early beginning

The airline was established in Hong Kong on 24 May 1985 on the initiative of Kuang-Piu Chao, the airline's present honorary chairman, as a subsidiary of Hong Kong Macau International Investment Co. It started operations in July 1985 with a Boeing 737-200 service from Kai Tak International Airport to Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Malaysia, after receiving an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) from the Hong Kong Government. The airline began services to Phuket, Thailand, as well as six secondary cities in mainland China on a regular charter basis in 1986. In 1987, the airline became the first Hong Kong-based airline to join as an active member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Dragonair was the first local competitor for Hong Kong's largest airline, Cathay Pacific, in forty years; and since the airline's inception, Cathay Pacific fought vigorously to block the airline's flight-slot applications. In January 1987, the airline announced its expansion by the order of two long-range McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft. However, after a heated hearing before Hong Kong's Air Transport Licensing Authority, the Hong Kong Government adopted a one route-one airline policy, which lasted until 2001. The airline was not able to gain the scheduled routes it needed to compete effectively. The airline was disadvantaged in that Hong Kong's financial secretary back then, Sir John Bremridge, was a former Cathay Pacific chairman.

Stephen Miller, Dragonair's first CEO, said:

> Our arrival on the scene was not hailed very enthusiastically by the then Hong Kong Government...we got a lot of opposition from Cathay (Pacific).

It was later discovered that Cathay Pacific was concentrating on a boom in travel elsewhere in the 1980s, and left the undeveloped mainland China market to Dragonair. Forced into accepting less-desirable routes, the young airline focused on the mainland.

### 1990s

In January 1990, Cathay Pacific, Swire Group and CITIC Pacific acquired an 89 per cent stake in the airline, with CITIC Pacific holding 38 per cent; while the family of the airline's chairman Kuang-Piu Chao reduced their holding from 22 per cent to 6 per cent, with the remainder held by minor shareholders. The change of ownership saw Cathay Pacific transferring its Beijing and Shanghai routes to Dragonair, along with a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar on a lease basis. The first Airbus A320 joined the airline's fleet in March 1993 and by December, there was a total of six A320 aircraft. This was followed by the introduction of the Airbus A330 into the Dragonair's fleet in July 1995.

A further redistribution of shares took place in April 1996, when China National Aviation Corporation purchased 35.86 per cent of Dragonair and became the largest shareholder, with Cathay Pacific and Swire retaining 25.50 per cent, CITIC Pacific retaining 28.50 per cent and the Chao family retaining 5.02 per cent. CNAC's holding was further increased to 43 per cent when it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 17 December 1997. On 5 July 1998, Dragonair Flight 841 from Chongqing was the last scheduled arrival at Kai Tak Airport, landed runway 13 at 15:38 GMT (23:38 Hong Kong time).

### Operational expansion

In 2000, the airline commenced an all-cargo service to Shanghai, Europe and the Middle East using a leased Boeing 747-200 freighter and a service to Osaka was added in May 2001. The airline purchased two Boeing 747-300 freighters in 2001 and extended freight operations to Xiamen and Taipei in 2002. The airline's net profits rose 60 per cent to HK\$540 million in 2002, with cargo operations accounting for 30 per cent of revenues; and freight volume increasing nearly 50 per cent to 20,095 tonnes.

All regular flights were converted to scheduled services in March 2000, with passenger service to Taipei, Bangkok and Tokyo commenced in July 2002, November 2003 and April 2004, respectively. Dragonair Cargo continued to see steady growth and the airline began a Hong Kong–Shanghai freight route on behalf of DHL in June 2003 and leased an Airbus A300 freighter to start a cargo service to Nanjing in June 2004. A second daily European loop to Frankfurt and London, in addition to Manchester and Amsterdam, followed and by mid-2004 the airline had five Boeing 747 freighters and 26 Airbus passenger aircraft. In a bitter Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) hearings in 2004, Cathay Pacific applied to fly to three mainland cities to which Dragonair filed an objection, saying the move would have an effect on its very survival.

A new passenger service to Sydney was scheduled to open in the second half of 2005, along with Manila and Seoul as the other anticipated destinations. The airline also planned services to the United States in 2005, at first with cargo flights. It was the airline's intention to more than double its freighter fleet to nine Boeing 747s by 2008.

### Cathay Pacific takeover

By 2005, Cathay Pacific owned 18 per cent of the airline, with its parent, Swire Pacific owned 7.71 per cent; China National Aviation Holding owned 43 per cent and CITIC Pacific owned 28.5 per cent. South China Morning Post reported that Swire Pacific was in advanced negotiations that would see Cathay Pacific taking over Dragonair. This was dismissed outright by Tony Tyler, then chief operating officer of Cathay Pacific who said "We have no plans to change that structure right now... we are happy with the structure of the shareholding in Dragonair at the moment. " Peter Hilton, transport analyst at CSFB, said Tyler's remarks were a "cut and dried" dismissal of the takeover talk.

On 28 September 2006, Dragonair became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific after completion of a major shareholding realignment involving Cathay Pacific, Air China, China National Aviation Corporation Group, CITIC Pacific and Swire Pacific. Cathay Pacific claimed that Dragonair would continue to operate as a separate airline within the Cathay Pacific group, maintaining its own Air Operator's Certificate and with the brand unchanged, with 2,976 employees worldwide. However, the airline would be downsized with five percent of the airline staff retrenched or transferred into Cathay Pacific. No Cathay Pacific staff were to be affected by this announcement.

By 2009, services to Bangkok and Tokyo, and the expansion plans to introduce services to Sydney, Seoul and the United States, had been cancelled and terminated while Cathay took over these routes with immediate effect. In addition, the planned nine-aircraft freight operation had also been eliminated, with three Boeing 747-400BCF freighters transferred to its parent fleet and the remaining two parked at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California.

On 7 June 2010, Dragonair received its first second-hand Airbus A330-300 from Cathay Pacific to replace their leased A330s.

### Service integration with Cathay Pacific

Dragonair's own loyalty programme, The Elite, that was launched on 12 February 2001, was merged into Cathay Pacific's The Marco Polo Club from 1 January 2007. Existing Elite members were offered similar membership by The Marco Polo Club. On 1 August 2007, the airline opened a joint regional office with Cathay Pacific in Beijing, that featured a dedicated area for the airline and its parent, and joined the Oneworld alliance as an affiliated member on 1 November, of which its parent is a founding member. In addition, they opened the first airline-branded arrival lounge, The Arrival, at Hong Kong International Airport on 1 October 2008. The airline's ground handling services subsidiary, Hong Kong International Airport Services Ltd (HIAS), was merged with Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd (HAS) on 1 November 2008 and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific on 1 December 2008.

In January 2016, Cathay Pacific announced it was rebranding Dragonair as Cathay Dragon. The Cathay Dragon brand became active on 21 November 2016.

### Demise

On 21 October 2020, it was announced by Cathay Pacific that as part of the restructuring due to the COVID-19, Cathay Dragon would cease operations with immediate effect. Almost every cabin crew and pilots, along with the vast majority of the staff at the regional subsidiary were laid off.

## Destinations

Before ceasing operations, the airline operated its own aircraft to 47 destinations including 22 destinations in mainland China from its home base Hong Kong.

### Codeshare agreements

Cathay Dragon had codeshare agreements with the following partner airlines:

- Air Canada
- Air China
- American Airlines
- Bangkok Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- S7 Airlines
- Shenzhen Airlines

## Final Fleet

### Pre-merger fleet

Cathay Dragon operated an all–Airbus fleet in a mix of single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft. The fleet consisted of the following aircraft prior to folding into Cathay Pacific:

### Former fleet

## Livery

The airline's original livery consists of a thick red-coloured horizontal strip along a white-coloured fuselage with a red-coloured vertical stabiliser. The airline's traditional Chinese and English name and its logo are in gold colour and are painted on the forward fuselage above the red horizontal strip and on the vertical stabiliser, respectively.

The previous livery is in white colour with a red dragon on the cowling and on the vertical stabiliser; and the airline's name written in Chinese red lettering and in English black lettering above and below the front passenger windows, respectively. In addition, there is a 30 cm Oneworld logo next to the first left door and a Swire Group logo on the aft of the aircraft.

On 5 May 2005, Dragonair celebrated its 20th Anniversary with a new Airbus A330-300 (B-HWG) painted in a special livery. The work of art took 14 months to create, from design tender to completed image. The special livery featured a waterside view with a junk and fishes leaping out of the water at the front of the aircraft; a red dragon spread across the fuselage in the daylight; and children playing with traditional Chinese lanterns by the waterside of an ancient village on the left side of the aircraft, representing the past. It also featured a waterside view with a Star Ferry at front of the aircraft; and a red dragon spread across the fuselage in the Hong Kong night sky, representing the present. Stanley Hui, Dragonair's CEO at the time, described the special livery "embodies the spirit of the Chinese dragons of old – a spirit that aspires to excellence". The aircraft was removed from service in February 2013, at the expiration of its lease.

On 1 June 2010, Dragonair celebrated its 25th Anniversary, with a special livery painted on an Airbus A330-300 (B-HYF). The livery also bears the slogan, "Serving you for 25 years" on the right side on the aircraft, and its Chinese slogan is on the left side of the aircraft. It also has a golden dragon spreading across the fuselage along with several grey Chinese letters on it. It was repainted to the standard livery in March 2014.

In 2016, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair's parent company, announced that they would be re-branding Dragonair to Cathay Dragon. It now uses the logo of its parent company, using light maroon color. For this change, a new hybrid livery has been adopted. The new livery is similar to Cathay Pacific's new livery in the tail logo and font. The major difference is instead of the Cathay Pacific green theme, it has a light maroon theme. The titles reads "Cathay Dragon" along with Chinese lettering reading the name. The airline's previous logo has been retained and appears next to the cockpit windows. The new livery first appeared on an Airbus A330-300 (B-HYQ).

On 1 June 2017, In the celebration of the 20th year of independence in Hong Kong, Cathay Dragon received its special The Spirit of Hong Kong livery. It is painted on an Airbus A330-300 (B-HYB), and it is the sister aircraft to Cathay Pacific's Boeing 777-300 (B-HNK), and was retired on 24 September 2020, after its last flight from Shanghai to Hong Kong as KA877.

## Loyalty programmes

Cathay Dragon shared two loyalty programmes with its parent company, Cathay Pacific: The Marco Polo Club (The Club), a loyalty programme, and Asia Miles, a travel reward programme. Members of The Club are automatically enrolled as Asia Miles members.

## Services

Food and beverages served on flights from Hong Kong are provided by LSG Lufthansa Services Hong Kong Ltd, a Cathay Dragon associate. A variety of regional dishes, such as dim sum, Fokkien fried rice, barbecue pork with fried rice and chicken with Thai sweet chilli, is served on flights into mainland China. However, only beverages and pastries will be served in Economy Class for flights between Hong Kong and Changsha, Clark, Guangzhou, Haikou and Sanya.

In addition, the airline provides a range different newspapers and magazines from around the world, including the airline's in-flight magazine Emporium. Beginning in March 2013, the majority of the airline's fleet is retrofitted with new Business and Economy Class seats. The seats are nearly identical to the new Regional Business Class and new Long-haul Economy Class products offered by parent company Cathay Pacific. The new design features a Cathay Pacific-like ambience infused with traditional Chinese art designs. Seats in both classes will be fitted with StudioKA (a rebranded version of the StudioCX inflight entertainment system on board Cathay Pacific aircraft), which features a 12.1-inch (Business Class) or 9-inch (Economy Class) touchscreen display, a multipurpose controller Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD), support for iOS devices, and a USB port for connectivity to other devices. Worldwide in-seat power outlets will be available to all passengers. The new Business Class features a 21-inch wide recliner seat with 45 inches (narrowbody aircraft) or 47 inches (widebody aircraft) of pitch, while the new Economy Class will be 18.1 inches wide with 30 inches (narrowbody aircraft) or 32 inches (widebody aircraft) of pitch. The retrofitting process is completed by the end of 2014.

### Awards

## Subsidiaries and associates

Since its founding in 1985, the airline has been investing into airline-related servicing companies, including inflight catering, ground handling and service equipment companies.

The following are Cathay Dragon's major subsidiaries and associates: (as of 23 December 2016)

- LSG Lufthansa Service Hong Kong Ltd – 31.94% owned
- Dah-Chong Hong-Dragonair Airport GSE Service Ltd (DAS) – 30%
- HAS GSE Solutions Ltd – 30%

### Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd

Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd (HAS), a former wholly owned subsidiary, provides ground handling services to the airline at Hong Kong International Airport. Their services include airside/landside operations, airport lounge, baggage services, cargo services, ramp services, ticketing & Information, station control and flight operations. On 1 November 2008, HIAS was integrated into Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd (HAS), a joint venture between Dragonair and Cathay Pacific, to become one of the Asia's largest airport services providers. On 1 December 2008, HAS became a wholly owned subsidiary of Cathay Pacific.

## See also

- List of airlines of Hong Kong
- List of airports in Hong Kong
- List of companies of Hong Kong
- Transport in Hong Kong

Defunct regional airline of Hong Kong (1985–2020)


Whitemore, Tasmania

Whitemore is a rural locality and small town in the local government area of Meander Valley in the Launceston region of Tasmania. The locality is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south-east of the town of Westbury. The 2016 census has a population of 198 for the state suburb of Whitemore.

The town's land and surrounding rural area was first granted to Richard Dry in the 1830s then sold for farming to William Hingston in 1854. Hingston constructed a Wesleyan Chapel, near which a few later buildings were added. Over time the town has had a blacksmith, post office, library, shops and petrol station; none of these remain in the 21st Century.

Shaw Contracting, a large Civil engineering firm formed by James Alan Hope Shaw, has been the most significant business in the town's history. Whitemore's most prominent features are the 1864 brick church, adjacent original church building dating from 1857—now a community hall—and the large workshop and offices of Shaw contracting.

From 1870 to sometime before 1978 the town had a nearby rail service but in the 21st century transport is by car or school bus. The town has a small largely Australian born, and aging, population. Whitemore has a few houses, a church that is part of the Uniting Church in Australia, the offices and workshops of Shaw Contracting, and a recreation ground and tennis courts used by the towns' tennis and cricket teams.

## History

Whitemore is in the southern part of the former Quamby estate. The estate was granted to Richard Dry, father of Richard Dry who was later Premier of Tasmania, in 1837. The estate was in two main parts. The southern section was approximately 4,500 acres (1,800 ha), including an outlying part of 500 acres (200 ha) on which the modern town of Whitemore lies. The land in this section was recorded as first leased to William Burke in 1846. He worked a 200-acre (81 ha) lot as a tenant farmer, though it was probably leased before this, as at the time 200-acre (81 ha) was recorded in the lands returns records as cleared. This southern part of Quamby Estate covered the Whitemore Creek valley, the later town of Whitemore and Shaw's farm, amongst other later farms.

By 1851, 350 acres of the 500 acre section was cleared. By the mid-1850s the area had been settled for almost two decades and was noted as "fairly well populated". Dry sold land in the area in 1854 to William Hingston, who named a 120 acres (49 ha) section "Whitemoor farm" after a farm his family had run as tenant farmers in Cornwall. Hingston's land ownership and actions assisted the establishment of Whitemore as a central village of the surrounding farming area. Around 1857 Hingston donated the land for a Wesleyan chapel that became known as "Whitemoor chapel". Over time this name was taken by the village that grew around the church. Hingston built "Whitemoor house" in c.1860 using locally made bricks. The building was extant as of 2002.

By the time Hingston built Whitemoor House the town had a modest country store, a blacksmith's shop and the Wesleyan chapel. The town never became the population centre and Whitemoor remained a farming district with only a few buildings clustered near the church. By 1865 the town had four substantial buildings: A brick church; the original wooden church now used as a school; and two cottages. As late as 1915 there were only three occupied cottages in the town.

Land was purchased by the local council in 1951 for a memorial hall to commemorate those who served in the two world wars. Built largely using volunteer labour and working bees, the hall opened on 9 December 1953. The buildings in Whitemore are constructed either side of the only road through the town. The town section of this road was sealed in 1953.

Whitemore was gazetted as a locality in 1968.

## Geography

The Bass Highway forms the northern boundary, and Whitemore Road forms part of the eastern boundary.

## Road infrastructure

The Bass Highway (National Route 1) runs from east and to west along the northern boundary. Route C507 (Black Hills Road / Whitemore Road) enters from the north-west and runs through to the south-east, where it exits. Route C508 (an extension of Whitemore Road) starts at an intersection with C507 and runs north-east until it exits, where it then forms part of the eastern boundary. Route C510 (Adelphi Road / Glenore Road) starts at an intersection with C507 and runs west and south-west until it exits.

## Services

In common with the rest of Tasmania, Whitemore no longer has passenger rail transport; the last Tasmanian passenger rail service stopped in 1978 and the service to Whitemore prior to that. Rail transport for Whitemore opened in the late 1870s. The first passenger train was on 27 April 1870 and the rail line opened for regular traffic in February 1871. This transport was from a siding rather than a station. The Whitemore siding did not have a full-time station master and was not a regular stop; passengers had to request the train stop or flag the train for a pickup. The town's only regular transport services as of 2014 are Redline Coaches' private school-bus services.

One of the town's buildings was used as a house and a shop from 1859; a Shell petrol bowser was installed in the late 1920s outside the shop. A district post office was established in 1871 at the railway siding's station house. By 1908 the post office was run from the chapel house in the main part of the town, and a shop ran from the same building. This building was used for around 70 years as a store, telephone exchange, mail exchange and petrol station. The post office closed in 1977 and has not reopened.

Telephone services reached Whitemore in 1918, initially with only three subscribers. Telephone switching was done at the post office. Whitemore was connected to the State's electricity system in 1929. The electricity was fed from the Hydro-Electric scheme and was connected to twelve buildings, in Whitemore and several nearby farms, by August of the same year. There may have been blacksmiths in Whitemore from the mid-19th century. A blacksmith established a shop on the main road in 1895 that was, by 1900, the only blacksmith in the area. Shaw Contracting's office is on the site of this former blacksmith's shop.

The Whitemore irrigation scheme was begun in 2010 to provide irrigation water to 12,000 hectares (46 sq mi) of farmland with water from the Poatina Hydroelectric Power Station. The scheme uses a 400 megalitre dam for storage.

## Religion

A Methodist circuit had been established in Westbury in 1848 with meetings held in homes of the Oaks Estate. After Hingston purchased his land in 1854, Methodist meetings were held at his home. Hingston's home proved too cramped for religious meetings so in 1857 he donated land for a chapel, which was built in the same year by Joshua Higgs. It was an all timber 18 by 30 feet (5.5 m × 9.1 m) building made from pit-sawn beams clad with split timber. It opened for services on 13 December 1857, after completion at a total cost of 250 pounds. The wooden church was also used as a Sunday school and state school from 1865 to 1928. A chapel house was built in 1859 next to the church by the Wesleyan trustees. This house was used initially by David Tinning, the town's first school teacher.

In the 1860s a new church was planned. The original wooden building was relocated in 1864, and the new church subsequently built on its site. Its foundation stone was laid on 30 November 1864; the year of the Australian Wesleyan Church's jubilee observance. The church is a brick-structure in a Gothic architectural style, and was designed to hold 200 people. The new Wesleyan chapel at Whitemoor, as it was then known, was opened Sunday 4 June 1865. It had cost 450 pounds, 150 from the Wesleyan building fund and the remainder from subscriptions, fund-raising and donations. The money from Wesleyan building fund was a 10-year loan. By 1929 it was used as a Methodist chapel in 1929 and in the 21st century is part of the Uniting Church in Australia.

The original wooden church building was moved again in 1909 and extended in 1928 for use as a community hall. It had a kitchen extension added in 1955 and a kindergarten room in 1958. The split paling cladding was replaced with weatherboards in the 1900s. The roof was replaced with iron, probably in 1914 when the brick church was also re-roofed in iron. The interior paling lining of the old wooden church was covered with pine sheeting in the late 1930s. This building has been used as a church for seven years, more than sixty years as a meeting room and community centre and more than seventy years as a day and Sunday school. After the school moved to a new building in 1929 the old building remained in use as a Sunday school.

## Sport and recreation

On the main street, opposite the church, is a recreation ground and playground, both maintained by the Meander Valley Council. The recreation ground was upgraded with toilets c.1949 that were replaced with newer ones in 1966. Playground equipment was installed in 1964.

Whitemore cricket club began in the 19th century. An early record is of a match against Oaks in 1898, though club minutes date only from 1927 at which time it was playing in the Westmoreland association. A cricket pavilion was built some time prior to 1900 and was replaced during 1962–63. The cricket club has continued to field teams and in 2013 they played in the B grade of the Northern Midlands Cricket Association. Their most successful years were from the 1960s through to the 1980s.

Whitemore tennis club had its first meeting on 18 November 1910. Asphalt was laid on the courts in November 1921 and a shed built in February 1923. From 1928 the tennis club fielded two teams in the newly formed district tennis association. Lights were installed on the courts in 1958. The tennis club had three plexipave courts by 2002. As of 2012 the Whitemore Tennis club fielded an amateur A grade team, and others in lower divisions

## School and Library

The first wooden church was used as the area's school from 1857. This dual use of the church as a school has been stated, by local historian Ivan Heazlewood, as likely to be planned from the beginning. The area was more heavily populated in the past than in the 21st century due to a large number of tenant farmers with large families. Heazlewood speculated that the later 1865 church was probably used for classes due to the small size of the wooden school building. The school grew to around 100 pupils on the register in 1900. The church building, also used for Wesleyen Sunday school, was used as a school until 1929. For this period the Education Department rented it from the Church trustees. A new school was built, on donated land, opposite the church and next to the recreation ground. This state school was opened in a ceremony on 23 August 1929. The school remained open as late as the end of 1954.

A library was operating from the wooden church building by 1860. Patronage of the library had declined markedly by the 20th century and by the 1930s it was virtually unused. A mobile library began calling in the 1960s and for a time called once per month. The bookmobile service was finally ended, for all places not only Whitemore, in 1998.

## Current town

In the 21st century, Whitemore consists of a small cluster of buildings either side of the only road, surrounded by farming land. By the late 20th Century the town's population was ageing, and it was described as somewhat of a retirement village. The buildings owned by Shaw Contracting dominate the town; they have two workshops and a three-storey office.

### Agriculture and land

The town sits on flat to gently undulating land in the base of the Meander Valley. The soil is primarily of alluvial origin, underlain by dolomite bedrock. Whitemore creek, a tributary of the Meander River (Tasmania), flows past Whitemore. The creek is seasonal, often drying up completely in summer. The Whitemore Irrigation Scheme has reduced the dry periods by discharging up to 2 megalitres (71,000 cu ft) per day into the creek for downstream irrigation use.

Whitemore, along with Hagley, has historically had one of the highest concentrations of stud farms breeding pedigree livestock, in Australia. In the 1950s there were more than 100 registered studs within 5 miles (8.0 km) of the town's centre. The Poll Dorset, an important breed in prime lamb production in Australia, was first bred at a Whitemore stud. Whitemore farmers, the French family, began breeding Ryeland lambs in early 21st century. The family had originally farmed this breed in the 1930s, but it had now become uncommon in Australia due to changing fashions in meat. The Heazlewood family breeds the Border Leicester, another sheep breed that is now uncommon in Australia. The family was honoured by the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania in 2013 for their involvement in the Tasmanian sheep industry over the previous one hundred years.

In 2014 a Whitemore farm attracted media attention creating the first crop maze in Tasmania. It was designed by specialist crop design company from the United Kingdom, and created to attract tourists and visitors. The maze was in the form of a stylized Tasmanian tiger, cut into a 5-hectare (12-acre) sorghum field. An open day was held on 28 February 2014 and the maze subsequently opened to the public, until the crop was harvested a few weeks later.

### Shaw Contracting

Shaw Contracting is a large Tasmanian civil contracting firm based in Whitemore. Its two large workshops and three-storey office dominate the town; the company has stood large in Whitemore since the mid-20th Century. James Alan Hope Shaw was born in Bridgenorth, Tasmania in 1904. He designed and built agricultural machinery, including the first "stump jump" scarifier that was suitable for the northwest coast of Tasmania. In 1939 Shaw was granted a patent for "An improved scraper for reversible disc ploughs". This plough was never commercialised though some prototypes were built and used. Shaw moved to Whitemore in late 1935 and began work as an agricultural service provider, from what had been a blacksmith's workshop.

His company expanded into civil construction work during World War II. Using in-house manufactured equipment they scarified 5 mi (8.0 km) of road so it was ready for regrading. The company's work did have some negative impacts on the town. When they had electricity installed their first welder drew so much power the town's supply had to be upgraded. This welder also put out sufficient radio-frequency interference to disrupt radio reception elsewhere the town; a matter that caused some complaint. They added vehicle sales and maintenance in the 1940s and expanded with the purchase of a one-acre lot opposite the original workshop in 1946. A significant part of the Shaw company's income from the late 1940s to the early 1950s was selling vehicle tires. The company continued to expand and a new workshop was opened in the town, with a ceremony in August 1953. In the same year the company became an agent for "David Brown" tractors, its first agency.

In 1958 James Shaw and a partner purchased a 25-ton International Harvester TD24 tractor that was formerly owned by Tasmania's Hydro Electric Commission. The company by this point was known as "JAH Shaw & Sons". With the lack of a transporter at first the tractor could only be used in the close surrounds. One of its first jobs was levelling the tennis courts in Whitemore. By 1960 JAH Shaw & Sons had moved into large scale earth-moving. In 1970 they tendered for, and won, work on the Cressy to Longford irrigation scheme; 7 km (4 mi) of main channel excavation and 100 km (62 mi) of smaller channels. By the 1970s the company was known as "Shaw Contracting". An offshoot was launched in 1973 as "Shaw Mix" which sold concrete and created and installed precast concrete panels. Shaw Mix were involved with the Launceston General Hospital and some cast concrete bridges but this line of work ceased during the 1990s. Other significant contracts have included: Building 11 kilometres (7 mi) of the Hume freeway from Seymour to Avenel Victoria in 1978; A road upgrade near Samoa's capital Apia in 2004; Constructing, from 2009, a 15 kilometres (9 mi) bypass of the Town of Dilston on the road from Launceston to Georgetown. The company completed their three-storey offices in the town in 1999. Alwyn Shaw—Son of James Shaw—and his wife Judy ran the business until 2013, when they sold it to a group that included long-term company employees. When sold the company had approximately 100 employees.