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· collected 2026-08-21 · by TOI World Desk
Australian teacher and kite enthusiast Angus Johnstone has turned an unusual hobby into a
Guinness World Records achievement and a fundraising campaign for Myanmar.
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Johnstone → turn → Myanmar
In March 2026, Johnstone kept a kite airborne for 26 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds in Killarney, Victoria, earning the Guinness title for the longest kite flight by an individual.
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Johnstone → keep → individual
He began the attempt at 7:37 a.m. on March 14 and continued through an entire night before bringing the kite down the following morning.
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He → begin → kite
The challenge was also a personal mission for Johnstone, who previously lived and worked in Myanmar and met his wife there.
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who → live → wife
He used the record attempt to raise money for grassroots health and education initiatives in Myanmar and among refugee communities along its borders.
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He → use → borders
Angus Johnstone flew the kite through an entire night
Johnstone began the record attempt on March 14, 2026, in Killarney, Victoria, with a target of keeping his kite airborne for at least 24 hours.
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Johnstone → fly → hours
He ultimately exceeded that goal by more than two hours, completing the flight after 26 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds.
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He → exceed → hours
During the attempt, he remained awake while sitting for long periods in a lawn chair and holding the kite line, carefully watching the kite as wind conditions changed.
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conditions → remain → kite
The challenge continued through daylight, sunset, darkness and a second sunrise.
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challenge → continue → daylight
Stronger gusts eventually gave way to gentler nighttime winds, making it necessary for Johnstone to keep monitoring the kite's height, angle and movement.
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Johnstone → give → height
Guinness World Records officially recognised his achievement as the longest kite flight by an individual.
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Records → recognise → individual
The attempt was monitored by 10 official observers and two timekeepers, while friends and supporters worked in shifts to provide food, water and encouragement.
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friends → monitor → food
Johnstone later told The Standard that he was "beyond tired" after completing the record, but said the excitement and support around him helped him continue.
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him → tell → him
His love of kite flying began during the COVID pandemic
Johnstone's record-breaking challenge grew from a hobby he developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when restrictions limited many activities and kite flying offered him a way to spend time outdoors.
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flying → begin → time
He gradually became deeply interested in the hobby, joining online kite-flying communities, learning about different designs and collecting kites.
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He → become → kites
His interest eventually developed into endurance flying and record attempts, but the 2026 challenge gave him an opportunity to connect his hobby with a cause that was personally important.
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that → develop → cause
Johnstone previously lived and worked in Myanmar, including time in Yangon and Lashio, and worked as a teacher there.
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Johnstone → live → teacher
He developed friendships during his years in the country and also met the woman who became his wife.
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who → develop → woman
His personal connection to Myanmar was the reason he decided to use the record attempt to raise money and awareness for communities affected by the country's ongoing humanitarian crisis.
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he → decide → crisis
The record attempt raised thousands for Myanmar
Johnstone's GoFundMe campaign, titled "Fly with Myanmar: World's Longest Kite Flight", has raised A$18,843 from 218 donations, exceeding its original A$18,000 target.
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campaign → raise → target
The fundraiser says the money is intended to support grassroots health and education initiatives in Myanmar and among refugee communities along its borders.
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money → say → borders
Johnstone's campaign comes as the country continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis involving armed conflict, displacement, disrupted services and economic hardship.
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country → come → conflict
The United Nations estimates that more than 16 million people will need humanitarian assistance in Myanmar in 2026, while the World Health Organization estimates that 9.3 million people will require health assistance.
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people → estimate → assistance
Johnstone has previously used unusual personal challenges to raise money for Myanmar, including a 2024 "Monobrows for Myanmar" campaign that raised more than A$4,000.
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that → use → 4,000
The kite flight therefore became another unconventional way for him to combine his personal interests with fundraising for a country that remains closely connected to his life.
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that → become → life
Keeping a kite airborne for 26 hours was no easy task
Although kite flying can look effortless when conditions are favourable, maintaining a single kite in the air for more than a day requires careful attention to wind, height and angle.
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maintaining → keep → wind
Johnstone had to remain awake throughout the attempt and respond as the weather changed from daytime conditions to a gentler nighttime breeze and back again.
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weather → have → breeze
His support team helped monitor the attempt and keep him supplied with food and water, but Johnstone remained responsible for holding the kite line and keeping the kite airborne.
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Johnstone → help → kite
Photographs from the challenge show supporters feeding him grapes while he continued flying, as well as Johnstone sitting under the night sky with the kite still visible above him.
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kite → show → him
The attempt ended on March 15 after 26 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds, when Johnstone finally brought the kite back to the ground as supporters gathered to celebrate.
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supporters → end → ground
The achievement is specifically the longest kite flight by an individual, rather than the longest kite flight overall, as Guinness World Records has separate categories for team attempts.
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Records → have → attempts
For Johnstone, the Guinness title was ultimately a way to draw attention to Myanmar while doing something he genuinely enjoys.
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he → draw → something
The record gave his fundraising campaign an unusual hook, turning more than 26 hours of endurance flying into an opportunity to collect donations and highlight the needs of communities in a country where he once lived and taught.
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he → give → country
His achievement also shows how a hobby developed during the pandemic can evolve into an extraordinary endurance challenge with a humanitarian purpose.
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hobby → show → purpose
After more than a day of holding the kite line, staying awake and watching the wind, Johnstone finally brought the colourful kite back to the ground, securing a Guinness World Records title while raising thousands of Australian dollars for a cause with a deeply personal connection to him.
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Johnstone → hold → him
