A Tribute by Trevor Dean, Curator

Australian Aviation Museum

 Our Beloved Patron and my dear friend Nancy Bird-Walton AO, OBE, Hon. DSC., Hon. ME sadly passed away peacefully in her sleep on the 15th of January, 2009 at 2pm. Although hospitalised earlier after a nasty fall, right up until two days before her passing Nancy was going on daily walks and cheerfully answering a mountain of correspondence with the aid of her Personal assistant, Christine Robertson.

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It will be a relief to all of Nancy’s friends and relatives that she left this world a mentally alert and bright personality, the way she will always be remembered, and that she kept a promise made at her 90th birthday party hosted by Qantas – to live long enough to be present for the naming ceremony of the new Airbus A380, appropriately named Nancy Bird Walton.

Nancy Bird-Walton, or just Nancy Bird as she preferred to be known, was truly an aviation legend.  Given her first few flying lessons by Charles (later Sir Charles) Kingsford Smith, who used to pick up Nancy from her home and drive her to Mascot, Nancy soon took to the air with the passion reserved only for those determined to live their dreams to the full

On a Personal Level

A special exhibition dedicated to Nancy Bird at the Australian Aviation Museum, Bankstown Airport highlights her advances in aviation from the days of Nancy Bird “Air Queen”, her barnstorming days, to flying patients for the Far West Children's Health Scheme, becoming Commandant of the Womens’ Air Training Corps and Founder of the Australian Women Pilots’ Association.

Other items of great interest in the exhibition include a Diary, which records Nancy’s thoughts as she was presented to Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, a letter from the Queen sent after Her Majesty proclaimed Bourke Airport to be renamed Nancy Bird-Walton Airport, the “Red Book” given to those honoured on the television program This Is Your Life, a beautiful photograph taken for the Powerhouse Museum publication “Women With Wings”.

A unique honour bestowed on Nancy was that of National Living Treasure by the National Trust, an award not lightly and rarely given.  Nor also is the honour, richly deserved, of the State Funeral held at St. Andrews Cathedral, Sydney, attended by hundreds of friends and admirers.

 A spectacular photograph of a WWII Spitfire, flying almost at ground level features a close friend of Nancy and myself, Alex Henshaw MBE, the Chief Spitfire Test Pilot at Castle Bromwich during World War II. Alex was another person born to fly (Nancy’s first book was entitled “Born to Fly), the winner of many sports aviation trophies including the prestigious Kings Cup.  He also created a record, yet to be beaten, of a flight from London to Cape Town in South Africa and return.

Alex and Nancy were great friends and ironically, Alex was also 93 years of age when he passed away in 2007 (Alex flew a Spitfire at 93 !).

Nancy’s own heroes included Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Sir Gordon Taylor, both legends in their own right.  International friends included German female aviators Ellie Beinhorn, and Hanna Reich.  Ellie flew Nancy from Berlin to Paris in a Messerschmidt 108, forerunner of the infamous 109 WWII fighter. Hannah Reich became the first female officer in the Lutwaffe.

Unbeknown to Nancy at the time, the very active German “flying clubs” were in fact being used as a training ground for future Lutwaffe pilots Another great friend and an aviator greatly admired by Nancy was New Zealand born Jean Batten CBE, who set many solo distance and endurance records between 1933 and 1937. Documenting all of Nancy Bird’s exploits would take far more space than allocated

For the Volunteers of the Australian Aviation Museum, however, Nancy

will always be remembered as the Patron who accepted our invitations to

a wide variety of functions without hesitation over the 15 years since inception, always ready with a smile and a “Hello, I’m Nancy Bird” to those waiting in line to have their copies of her wonderful book “My God It’s A Woman” autographed.

The 90th birthday party hosted for Nancy by Qantas was a wonderful expression of the high regard people from many walks of life held for her.  It was my privilege to be among the diverse gathering which included Dick and Pip Smith, Army General Peter Cosgrove, Astronaut Andy Thomas and Entertainer Kamahl to name a few.

Despite the distinguished company at her birthday, however, Nancy did not shrink from strongly condemning those politicians and others determined to destroy General Aviation in Australia by closing vital airports and services.  Nancy, you will be greatly missed by all of us at the Australian Aviation Museum and by countless people around the world.  We are sad to lose you, yet happy in the knowledge that you are now in the company of so many old friends from the past. 

What a reunion in Heaven !!!