Margaret Mary Kelman, OBE (6 April 1909 – 23 December 1998) was an Australian pioneer aviator.

Personal life

Kelman was born as Margaret Mary McKillop in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1909, her father was the

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of c ...

politician

William McKillop William McKillop (1860 – 25 August 1909) was an Ayrshire-born grocer and restaurant-owner in Glasgow who became an Irish nationalist politician, serving for the last decade of his life as an Irish Parliamentary Party member of parliament (MP) f ...

, and her mother, Rose (née Dalton) McKillop was from

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

, Australia. Her father died in 1909, the year of her birth. Her mother returned to Australia and Peggy was educated at Rose Bay Convent, Sydney, as well as in France and England. On 5 November 1936 she married, in London, Colin Kelman, an Australian farmer. Colin and Peggy Kelman then returned to Australia continued as graziers both in

Moree, New South Wales Moree is a town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River, in the centre of the rich black-soil plains. The town is located at the junction of the Newell Highway and Gwydir Highway ...

and

Julia Creek, Queensland Julia Creek is an outback town and locality in the Shire of Mckinlay, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Julia Creek had a population of 511 people. The town of Oorindi is within the west of the locality () beside the Oorindi rail ...

; the couple had 5 children. Her husband died on 17 January 1964. After his death, she moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Peggy McKillop Kelman died in 1998 in

Buderim Buderim ( ) is an urban centre on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. In the , the urban area of Buderim had a population of 54,483. The name "Buderim" i ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, aged 89. She is buried with her husband in Buderim Cemetery. Her headstone has a depiction of a small plane and the words "Wings forever folded". She was a devout

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Aviation career

Kelman began flying training in 1931 at the Aero Club of NSW and gained her A licence (now called

private pilot licence A private pilot licence (PPL) or, in the United States, a private pilot certificate, is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as pilot in command of an aircraft privately (not for remuneration). The licence requirements are dete ...

) in 1932, followed by a

commercial pilot licence A commercial pilot licence (CPL) is a type of pilot licence that permits the holder to act as a pilot of an aircraft and be paid for their work. Different licenses are issued for the major aircraft categories: airplanes, airships, balloons, glide ...

in 1935. Her first and only paid job was flying for

Nancy Bird Walton Nancy Bird Walton, (16 October 1915 – 13 January 2009) was a pioneering Australian aviator, known as "The Angel of the Outback", and the founder and patron of the Australian Women Pilots' Association. In the 1930s, she became a fully ...

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

in western NSW in 1935. While barnstorming near Moree,

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Kelman met a young grazier with his own aeroplane, his name was Colin Kelman. After their marriage in London, Peggy and her husband bought a used twin-engined light aircraft, a

Monospar The General Aircraft Monospar was a 1930s British family of touring and utility aircraft built by General Aircraft Ltd (GAL). Design and development In 1929, the Monospar Company Ltd was formed to pursue new techniques of designing cantilever ...

, and decided to fly home to Australia. That adventure began 19 December 1936. They flew by way of France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Burma, Malaya, Java, Timor, Darwin and Moree and arrived home on 15 January 1937. Kelman only ever claimed one flying record; she said she was the first and only pilot to fly from England to Australia while pregnant. She owned many aircraft including a Percival, an

Auster Auster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.Willis, issue 122, p.55 History The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes (England) Limited, ma ...

, a

Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

, a Beech Staggerwing then one of the first

Cessna 182 The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engined light airplane built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats in the baggage area. Introduced in 1956, the 182 has been produced in a ...

s in 1957. Kelman flew these aircraft to town to do her shopping and to social days on neighbouring properties. Age did not stop her; in her 80s, she went to the

Oshkosh Air Show EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, toured the US, went twice to the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

and revisited places where she'd been a schoolgirl in Britain, France and Italy (on one trip to the Antarctic, Peggy persuaded Dick Smith to take her by helicopter to land on the ice).

Aviation organisations

Kelman joined the Australian Women Pilots' Association in 1951, serving as its Queensland president, then Federal president from 1974 to 1976. She joined the international women pilots' association, The Ninety Nines, and became Australian governor of that organisation.

Honours

On 3 June 1978, Kelman was appointed an OBE in Australia "For service to aviation in Queensland, particularly in the promotion of women in aviation."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelman, Peggy 1909 births 1998 deaths Australian aviators Women aviation pioneers Australian women aviators Officers of the Order of the British Empire Scottish emigrants to Australia Australian people of Irish descent Australian Roman Catholics