Nancy Bird: 24 December 1935, Bourke and beyond

In this episode, you take a walk, a flight and a long car ride in the shoes of Nancy Bird, one of Australia’s pioneering aviatrix. Nancy, later known as Nancy-Bird Walton, and now the namesake of Sydney’s second international airport, became the first Australian woman to earn a commercial pilot’s licence and was a lifelong advocate for women pilots. As there were no jobs for women pilots, she blazed her own path by giving ‘joy flights’ (known as ‘barnstorming’) and charter flights, before being asked to trial assisting with a remote medical service. This had her flying the nurse of the Far West Children’s Health Scheme to settlements beyond the end of the rail line. Just before her twentieth birthday, Nancy became the first woman to run an air ambulance service in the outback, bringing much needed help to many who were otherwise well beyond reach of medical assistance. Nancy had deep compassion, particularly for the women and children of the outback. In this episode you’ll imagine yourself in Nancy’s shoes on 24 December 1935, when she brought special Christmas cheer to the children of the outback.

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