WELCOME TO
WHIRLY GIRL 530
From the first time Rosemarie saw a Fokker Friendship land in a remote outback town of northern Australia, she knew she was going to be a pilot. But before her dream could take flight, the Air Force rejected her because she was a woman, she suffered the horror of miscarrying her third child in a shower (alone in the remote outback of Australia) and she was cut off from the outside world during a rainy season in the tropics with stink beetles eating her only meat supply.
She has won several heroism awards, flown movie stars, gold prospectors, and even the Aga Khan. She's lived in remote parts of the world where she had to share her bed with cockroaches and rats. She's survived a back-breaking journey across thousands of miles with her two young daughters, fought against discrimination, abuse, dust storms and cyclones, to become one of the most respected pilots in history.
Her story takes you on the ride of your life – so fasten your seatbelts and be prepared to be whisked to the heights of adventure, hardship – and triumph!
Rosemarie is a member of the professional international body of Lady helicopter pilots known as “The Whirly Girls”. Her membership number is five hundred and thirty. She is also a member of The Ninety Nines, which is the international body of Lady airplane pilots and is now Vice President of the Helicopter Association of Australasia.
“She’s Indiana Jones meets Amelia Earhart in real life!”
AN
EXTRACT FROM ‘ONE MAN’S DREAM’ BY BILL RICHARDS.
THE FIRST SOLO CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF AUSTRALIA BY HELICOPTER.
‘Off
we went again, to Thursday Island this time.
“Reef Helicopters this is Alpha Hotel Sierra, can you guide us to your
Helipad?”
Surprise,
surprise a female voice guided us in and was there to greet us after we landed.
Rose McRae, who was the Chief Pilot for Reef Helicopters, directed us to
our landing spot, then took us to the Jardine Hotel where we had made
arrangements to stay.
That
evening as we dined with Rose she described some of the work that she was
involved in. Search and rescue,
medivac, doctor delivery to the islands, ferrying pilots to and from the ships
of the Torres Straits.
This
was sometimes a very difficult job and one which she and her team handled very
well. Recently, she had been
awarded a medal for bravery after she rescued some natives from a wild sea in
extremely dangerous conditions. Apparently
they were in a ‘tinny’ when the engine broke down. She pushed them onto some
rocks with the down draft from her helicopter, then picked them up from off the
rocks. What a gutsy woman, I doubt
if I would have attempted that.
The
next day we flew around the inner islands in the Robinson, then in the
afternoon, Rose took us along for the ride when she ferried the doctor between
some of the outer islands. She was
an excellent pilot - I was very impressed, smooth flying with a couple of very
smooth landings on the edge of some small villages.’
While
I was talking with Bill only the other day, he reminded me of how I told him the
story of the body passing wind while I was transporting it back to Thursday
Island.
It
really did demonstrate to me just some of the truly bizarre things that have
occurred in my life.
Chopper lineup!
Whirly Girl - ready for
action!
Just another days work!