Maude ‘Lores’ Bonney: The remarkable story of the first woman to fly solo from Australia to England

Maude Rose ‘Lores’ Bonney, who made history as first woman to fly solo from Australia to England in a gruelling 157-hour journey, was born 122 years ago today.

The milestone is being marked with a Google Doodle, which pays tribute to a woman who made her mark on the world during the infancy of aviation.

Doodle creator Matt Cruickshank said he was inspired by her story: “I grew up reading boys’ adventure comics about male explorers. Bonney’s accomplishments are straight out of a girls’ adventure comic and are equally as important. She can be an inspiration for everyone.”

Bonney travelled through heavy storms, survived two crashes, and even ran into a herd of water buffalo during her 1933 voyage.

Born in South Africa, and raised in England then Australia, her passion for flying was sparked when she was a passenger on a flight with her husband’s brother In 1928.

Within two years, she’d dedicated herself to flying, heading out on her first solo flight on a biplane called My Little Ship – a 15-hour journey from Brisbane, Queensland, for dinner with her father in Wangaratta, Victoria.

Not content with her 1933 feat from Australia to the UK, four years later she became the first person to fly solo from Australia to South Africa.

Flight technology was a far cry from what’s standard now – she had to do all of her own plane maintenance, and had to navigate her way halfway across the world without a radio.

Next on her list was a round-the-world trip via Japan, Alaska and the US, but the outbreak of the Second World War put paid to that.

She died in Queensland in 1994, aged 97.

She was awarded an MBE by King George V, and the Bonney Trophy is still awarded annually to an outstanding female British pilot.

The Australian Women Pilots Association has also established a trophy in her honour.