My significant Australian is Nancy bird. In 1915 she was born in sydney. ever since she started walking she wanted to fly. she was known to call herself an ‘eppy plane’ and she jumped off fences and climbed trees and fences.

Nancy left school young so she could work in her dad’s general store in the country. she flew for the first time when she was only 13 while at an air pageant. wHEN SHE was 18 the love of flying took her to take flying lessons. Nancy was one of the first pupils to enrol in a new flying school opened near sydney. Her instructor wasn’t any old one, it was sir charles kingsford-smith, the first man to fly across the mid-pacific.

most women back then learnt to fly for fun, expect nancy, she wanted to fly for a living. hAVING A commercial license would mean she could carry passengers but she needed wings, and pillows to reach the controls! Nancy’s family came and saved her and bought her first plane, a gipsy moth. it was the first time some people saw a plane with a female pilot! Nancy and her friend took off on a barnstorming tour giving joy rides while dropping in on country fairs.

nancy met reverend stanley drummond on tour. he wanted her to help him set up a flying medical service in the outback of n.s.w. she agreed and bought a better plane and began covering territory not reached by the royal flying doctors service. it was lonely but rewarding work.

after working in the outback for more than four years Nancy decided she needed a break when a dutch airline wanted her to do some work in europe. when she returned to australia world war 2 broke out. so she trained women in skills to back up the australian air force. in 1950 she founded the australian women’s pilot association.

after 20 years absence from flying Nancy entered an all-women american race and it made headlines. it was the first time someone from overseas competed!

Nancy has supported charities and people in need throughout her life which earned her the british empire in 1966. nancy died on the 13th of january 2009 at the age of 93. I admire her as a strong willed woman who never gave up.