The more we encourage young women to think about aspirational careers – and careers that have previously been the domain of men – the better. Which is why I thought catching up with airline pilot Emma Youngman would be valuable to show girls what you can achieve if you want to (literally) ‘fly high’ on leaving school. Emma is at the top of her field, recently becoming a Captain at Virgin Airlines.
I’m not sure how many careers advisors at high schools put forward this option to women, and Emma says it certainly wasn’t a job she considered when she was in Year 12. ‘I really wish that I’d had more focus in school in those final years,’ she said. ‘Even when I started to learn to fly, it didn’t occur to me that I could do this commercially. I’m annoyed it wasn’t presented to me at school as a viable option.’
When you hear Emma’s family history, you might wonder why she didn’t. Emma’s grandfather flew in World War One and was a founding director of Ansett Airlines, and her father flew privately. Emma grew up in southwest rural Victoria, near Hamilton, where her father had a light aircraft on their property.
‘From nought to five, I spent a lot of time in Dad’s plane,’ said Emma, smiling as she remembered. ‘Sometimes I’d take the cat for a fly, or we’d take the dolls. It was a great form of entertainment back then.’
‘You were allowed to take the cat on the plane?’ I asked. ‘That was lovely of your Dad.’
‘It was,’ said Emma. ‘But it didn’t work out so well. The cat freaked out and poohed everywhere. So that went down like a lead balloon obviously.’
Sadly, Emma’s father died when she was just five years old, so the flying stopped. ‘It wasn’t until after I left school that I flew in a small aircraft again,’ she said. ‘It was the first time I’d been back in a plane and I couldn’t work out why I felt this strange attraction to it but it felt like it was home.’
For Emma, that light bulb moment was life changing. ‘I felt, oh my God, I have to do this,’ she said. ‘So I quit my job as a secretary at a sports marketing company and went back home to the farm to learn to fly at Hamilton.’
Even while Emma was training, she didn’t think about making a living from flying. Half way through her course, the instructor said she should think about getting a commercial licence. ‘I still didn’t really understand. I think I asked him what that was! It was still so far from my thinking that I could be a commercial pilot. So then he explained further and I followed up to see what was needed.’
At 19-years-old, Emma was on a mission. More courses were needed and weren’t cheap. She had a small business on the side, training and selling horses to help fund the lessons and her mother chipped in as well. ‘Mum’s always been incredibly supportive of any hare-brained scheme I’ve come up with. She was one hundred per cent behind me,’ she said.
After finishing her commercial licence, Emma flew for freight companies to build up her flying hours. She describes it as a tough business, where, twenty years ago, pilots were pushed to fly in unsafe conditions and there were many accidents. ‘It was quite confronting. You’d often come to work and a friend and his plane would no longer be there because he’d crashed the day before.’
‘So you lost a few friends?’ I asked.
‘Yes, many. It was hideous.’ We sat for a moment, while Emma reflected. It was a tough learning curve that left lasting lessons. ‘It reinforced to me that safety is critical. Don’t be cavalier and don’t let people push you around.’
Was it a bloke’s world back then? Did they accept women flying? ‘They did, although it was only seven or eight years before (1979) I started flying that Deborah Wardley won a case against Ansett to allow her to fly as a pilot. I was only seven years after that. I mean, fancy being told as a journalist you can’t do that? Deborah is an amazing lady.’
Now, Emma says the flying world is completely fine as far as equality goes. ‘We work in one of the most protected industries,’ she said. ‘As soon as I’m in a cockpit, all our conversations are recorded. We have a dialogue that is almost scripted. Often we have an all-female crew.’
The only disappointing reaction Emma occasionally receives is from passengers. ‘Ninety-nine per cent of people are encouraging, but sometimes you get comments. Probably because traditionally it was a male-dominated industry.’
Yet still the number of female pilots is ridiculously small. ‘It used to be one per cent. Now overall, it’s about five per cent,’ said Emma. ‘Although Virgin are quite pro-active in this area, so we probably have about ten per cent of pilots who are women.’
I asked Emma about the academic challenges of getting a pilots licence and surprisingly, she said that while an appreciation of maths and physics can help, she believes it’s more like studying for a law degree. ‘Technically, it’s not difficult,’ she said. ‘But there is a vast amount of theory. There’s a whole other language and set of rules to learn. The strongest trait needed for a pilot is common sense.’
For Emma, the hard work has paid off because flying is her passion. ‘I still, to this day, love the physical sensation of flying an aeroplane. It’s an addictive feeling of freedom. To see the sunrise, the sunsets, it’s just a straight out love of flying.’
And her advice to young women thinking of flying? ‘First, take a ride in a light plane and see whether you love it. You have to be dedicated because the lifestyle requires commitment. You miss a lot of personal events, like births and weddings, with your schedule but for me, it’s worth it.’
For me, the most reassuring part of this interview was when I asked Emma about turbulence. Don’t you hate it when you’re flying and the plane drops ten metres and you feel like you’re about to lose your lunch? I grip the arm-rest with sweaty hands and start praying. But Emma says it really is NOTHING to worry about!!!
‘Oh, no!’ she scoffs. ‘It’s really just like driving over a bumpy road. There have been some nights where you can’t get out of the bumps and it can be quite rough, but they’re pretty rare. And it’s only difficult because you know it’s uncomfortable for the passengers. But it’s much less bumpy up the front than down the back, so we don’t feel it as badly.’
Okay, so there’s the solution. Get rich quick and fly first class or become a pilot. Simple!
So before you start thinking I’m a spoilt brat who enjoys far too many holidays than she deserves, let me explain. There was a GENUINE reason I HAD to come to Bali this week. I had no choice – seriously. My sister’s fiancé, Pete, phoned me a month ago to say he was going to spring a SURPRISE WEDDING for Jill and wanted me to help with orchestrate the nuptials. How could I say no?
With Jill being so busy with work commitments, Pete knew it was going to be a tough call, locking in a wedding date. She’s also been married before and knew full well how much planning a wedding would involve. So when Pete tried to get her to set a date six months ago, she jokingly replied, ‘It’s too much to organise. You sort it out and I’ll just turn up.’ I don’t think she thought he’d take her so literally.
When it panned out that many of her friends were going to be in Bali at the same time, Pete thought it would be perfect to organise a surprise wedding. Particularly as it was Jill’s birthday on June 25th. It would be simple to get everyone together for a celebration without raising her suspicions.
I wasn’t so sure. Jilly is SO switched on, it’s difficult to keep anything a secret from her! But on the morning of her birthday, when I offered to blow-dry her hair, (because she should look her best at her celebratory dinner!!) she scoffed at the idea, saying she didn’t care. That’s when I was pretty sure she hadn’t twigged. Surely she’d want good hair if she knew she was getting married??
Pete booked a dinner at Bali’s most glamorous seaside restaurant – Kudeta. None of the guests knew until just hours before exactly what was going to happen. There was always the VERY slim possibility she might say ‘no’… so there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air as we gathered for pre-dinner drinks.
The tricky part was getting Jill to the restaurant by 4.30. We needed to kick proceedings off early-ish to make sure we could take photos before the sun went down. So we told a weeny white lie and pretended we had to get there early to secure the sofa area because it’s peak holiday season and the restaurant needed the space for another group booking, It worked and we managed to assemble everyone pretty close to the planned time.
Then we all held our collective breath as we watched Pete take Jill aside and tell her what was about to happen. They had their backs to us, so it was hard to work out exactly what was going on… the only give-away, when she wiped a tear from her eye.
Then she turned around with a beaming smile and I sighed with relief and handed her a bouquet we’d organised. Plus some flowers for her hair. ‘Damn, I would have put some lippy on if I’d known!’ she laughed.
We’d also organised a marriage celebrant, so Pete led us down to the beach, where we met Kim, to officiate the ceremony. And a very celebrated celebrant I might add – as he just happened to ALSO perform the wedding of Australia’s most gorgeous super-model, Jennifer Hawkins, only a few weeks ago.
The aisle was marked out with scattered rose petals and orchids…
Kim not only spoke beautifully, with sensitively chosen words, but had also prepared a rose-petal strewn beach-aisle for the betrothed couple to walk down.
Then, there they stood. Pete and Jill, who have been together for nine years – finally – exchanging vows on Legian Beach in Bali. I couldn’t have been more thrilled for my baby sister. I’ll let the pictures tell the story…
Just after the group photo, Jill announced it was time to throw the bouquet, so the youngest of the wedding party raced onto the beach to battle it out.
That’s my girl!! Yep, our daughter Ronnie beat the others to the bouquet. Which surely means I can look forward to another Bali wedding?
Then it was time for drinks and dinner. Although sadly I must have put a greasy finger on the camera photo lens at some point, making for slightly blurry pics… oops!
Pete and Jill have been together for nine years, so we’ve waited some time for this wedding. But it was definitely meant to be. From the beginning, their relationship has faced some tough challenges – trials you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. That they’ve managed to see these through just made this day an even greater cause for celebration.
Not long after they met at a bayside pub on a Sunday night just before Christmas, Pete headed off to the UK for business for two months. Smitten, he phoned her every morning and every night the entire time he was away. Both agree it was a wonderful way to really get to know each other and cement their connection through conversations that went for hours. Pete racked up a phone bill of more than four thousand dollars.
Then six weeks after Pete returned home, they met with some friends at a local pub. Pete had planned to take Jill on a date that night. As he was riding his motorbike, he told her he would go home and get changed, then return in an hour in his car to pick her up.
He didn’t show.
As time passed, Jill became really annoyed, believing he’d stood her up.
Her mobile phone rang. A man said he was calling from the Alfred Hospital and that Pete had had an accident and was asking for her. Initially, Jill thought it was a bad joke by one of Pete’s friends and told the man to get stuffed. Eventually he convinced her it was true and Jill took a taxi to the hospital.
Sadly, it wasn’t a joke. It was deadly serious. Pete had been hit by a four-wheel drive and knocked off his bike at a major intersection. The car had run a red light. Pete had nearly been killed.
Jill took one look at Pete, his body swollen and bloodied face, as he lay on a hospital bed and she fainted on the spot. He’d lost part of his bottom lip, nearly lost an eye, had two broken legs and a broken arm. He’d also suffered a head injury and was transferred to the Epworth Hospital where he remained for two months. He was then back at the Alfred and in hospital for a whole year, mostly in a wheel chair.
Jill says most of Pete’s friends visited at the beginning but then the visits became fewer and fewer until he pretty much lost most of his friends. But Jilly remained steadfast and never gave up hope that he’d recover and that they would be able to share a life together. And they have.
Pete has never had kids of his own and has also been a wonderful stepfather to Charlie and Jesper.
Jill was thrilled with the wedding day but says if she’d known, she wouldn’t have worn black. And she might have put on a bit of make-up. But overall, the surprise made it such a special and over-whelming day, she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Congratulations to my beautiful sister Jill and my wonderful new brother-in-law, Pete.
And now finally, the day has arrived. I’m just about to finish some last minute packing, hop in the shower and jump on a plane tonight with the kids. Sadly, Fletch has to stay home to continue working on Neighbours, but hey, I’m lucky enough to have my sister, Jill, and several friends heading over to paradise as well, so I won’t be short of company.
But I thought I should warn you this time. Last year when I went on holidays, (to the U.S., last July) I fully intended to Blog every day about stuff, but then found it all too much. Every day I would chastise myself for being slack and every day I would vow to tap something out, but time slipped by and it never happened. Eventually I just gave up. Happily, I must add. I mean, why take a holiday, really, if you’re not going to have a rest? And I did write two summary travel Blogs once I got home.
The problem is, I really do love writing, so I may WANT to Blog. Or not. Which is why I’m saying – there may be a BIG gap between entries – but I’m just not going to commit to anything. At least this time you’ll know why.
Given the crew I’ll be hanging out with, no doubt there will be plenty of stories to tell and I always enjoy sharing travel tips, so let’s see.
At least one piece of travelling advice from our last trip has been taken on board by our son, Tom. He saw how much I benefitted last year from taking a neck brace on planes when travelling long haul economy. It’s the BEST way to keep the head stable and be able to nod off and have a solid nap without waking, feeling like your first stop off the plane has to be at the chiropractors. They really are SO much more effective than those useless travel pillows sold at airports. And they’re only about $10-$15 each. So now Tom and I will be sporting matching neck braces for the journey!
Don’t worry, I won’t wear it by the beach. The sand’s a good enough cushion for me when lying horizontal. And if you’re wondering about the weird colours with that pic above, it’s because I finally found a solution to publishing crap photos of myself. Edit the bejeezus out of it with colour distortion and it hides a multitude of sins. Perfect.
Now, if only I could do that to my body when I’m on the beach…
Fourteen years ago while breastfeeding my son I witnessed what I thought was a miracle. Well, yes, my son was a miracle but that is another story for another time.
In the early days when he couldn’t control his arms, he’d often scratch himself on his face – his tiny, perfect nails leaving teeny, weeny scratches. By the next breast-feed this barely obvious wound would be completely gone, like it had never happened!
If I hadn’t been so absorbed in his every waking moment, I may have blinked and missed it. I remember thinking to myself, ‘If you could bottle what was in breast milk you would have the holly grail of face creams.’
Today, I’m still as passionate about discovering all things new and wonderful, as I was when I was the long-standing beauty editor of Victoria’s biggest selling newspaper and its’ colour magazine.
So while researching for my new grooming products business, I’d often be distracted by a link or site, which would lead me to the most amazing places. Six months ago a new product was being promoted through some American doctor’s vitamin newsletter. I clicked, followed the link and couldn’t believe my eyes.
I swear I have finally stumbled upon the Holly Grail of skin creams. A cream made with colostrum simply called theCream.
For those of you that don’t know, Colostrum is the first secretion from the mammary glands after giving birth, known as foremilk and it is very rich in antibodies. The literature and studies on it’s miraculous benefits are endless and worth a read when you get the chance. The list of ailments it’s said to cure is even too long for this short blog.
Now the company that makes theCream gets its colostrum from New Zealand cows. In fact, the creator Denie Hiestand was once a successful New Zealand dairy farmer.
It is said that bovine colostrum is the universal donor and New Zealand grass-fed bovine colostrum is recognized as even more powerful than human colostrum.
One of the great things they say on the company literature is that they don’t have to kill or hurt any cows to obtain it. It is produced every year voluntarily after calving by happy New Zealand cows. It the ultimate renewable health resource.
I love this quote on their advertising as it resonates with my beliefs. ‘We use “quantum physics” and energy field concepts to create the most bio-active, natural beauty cream. We don’t use water as a base. Everything is built around Colostrum as the main active ingredient.” In fact 75 percent of the cream is pure colostrum and the rest is natural. See the list of ingredients below:
Coconut/Palm
MSM
Tocotrienol Vitamin E is a long chain molecular complex from Rice Bran oil.
And the good news is that theCream is not only for women. There’s a men’s version too which has a slightly different formula due to the thickness of male skin.
There are some wonderful claims on the website (no I haven’t tested them all just yet!) but I highly recommend you check them out – especially as this cream might also improve everything from your sex life to the gums in your mouth.
I’ve been using this cream for six months and I’m a convert. I love the way it feels, makes my skin look and improves my energy. I occasionally alternate it with the snail cream I bought a month ago because I couldn’t help myself as the idea of snail slime in skin cream got those journalistic desires flowing again. But that story is for my next post.
If you’d like to know more about this product, which you can buy online for $59.95 US, visit this website:
So here comes the next phase in the life of this Blog – and I couldn’t be happier! Time to ramp things up a notch and bring you stories from Guest Bloggers – sources who are far more qualified than me about particular topics.
My first Guest Blogger, former beauty and fashion editor at the Herald Sun, Carolyn Palliardi, will be posting her first story tomorrow. And it’s (excuse the pun…couldn’t resist) a BEAUTY!! Yep, Carolyn has discovered the HOLY GRAIL of skin care creams and you’ll find out all about it tomorrow.
You may remember reading about Carolyn in a Blog I posted last week, introducing you to her new range of grooming products for teen boys – 808 Dude. Carolyn continues to work as a freelance writer and her fascination and knowledge of beauty products is endless – whereas mine is more skin-deep… She is also the co-author of the book The Best Beauty Products, Tried and Tested.
Not only will you benefit from Carolyn’s expertise, her contribution will give me more time to pursue my other writing projects – including a film script – more about which I will share with you in the near future.
Welcome Carolyn, to the team at The Official Website of Jennifer Hansen!
