Angel of the Outback

Nancy Bird Walton Nancy defied traditional gender roles and created a new path for women in aviation. She earned her commercial pilot’s license at the age of 19, learning to fly in 1930s Australia. As a result, she became the youngest Australian woman to obtain a pilot’s license and the first woman in the Commonwealth to receive a license allowing her to carry passengers. Nancy’s aviation career began with flying at fairs and race meetings until she was hired by the Far West Children’s Health Scheme to transport nurses across the outback. This crucial work provided much-needed aid and support to mothers and children throughout Australia. Additionally, Nancy played an important role in recruiting and training women for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). She also founded the Australian Women Pilots’ Association (AWPA). In recognition of her contributions, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1966 and later an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1990. Declared a National Living Treasure in 1997 and inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001, Nancy’s most notable achievement was her remarkable safety record—she was never involved in an accident, despite the many risks associated with early aviation. Unlike many of her contemporaries, such as the famous American pilot Amelia Earhart, Nancy lived to hand in her pilot’s license in 2006 at the extraordinary age of 90.