TheHallowian-2021Vol2 - Flipbook - Page 13
160 STORIES
The Aviatrix and the Archbishop
Maree Nugent, Past Pupils’ Liaison
All Hallows’ has a long and illustrious tradition of producing progressive,
innovative women of purpose and courage. Ivy Pearce Hassard was no
exception.
Born in Ipswich in 1914, Ivy Pearce became one of the first female pilots in the
Southern Hemisphere and a fashion pioneer on Queensland’s Gold Coast. She
commenced at All Hallows’ in 1928, where she excelled at music, playing the
cello, violin, and piano, for which she impressively earned her ‘letters’ while still
at school.
Ivy took her first flying lesson at only 16 years of age. By the time she was 18,
she had her A-Class pilot’s licence and, compliments of her father, a Tiger Moth
plane. She went on to become one of Australia’s first aerobatic pilots.
In 1934 Ivy Pearce was runner-up in the Courier-Mail Flying Scholarship. Despite
that accolade, and the fact that there were no other female pilots, certainly noone so young (let alone one that do loops in the air), Ivy had trouble finding a
willing passenger.
Eventually, the Catholic Archbishop of
Brisbane, James Duhig, volunteered
to be Ivy’s first passenger, joining her
on a flight from Archerfield Airport
to Ipswich on September 4, 1935.
Duhig reported afterwards that Pearce
handled the craft admirably and the
flight was indeed perfectly steady.
However, Pearce later said “I’ve never
been absolutely sure whether he put
his faith in me or the Almighty on that
occasion”
Ivy Pearce (centre) and Archbishop Duhig (far left)