Margaret Ferrier

Flight mechanic – Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force

“Of course I wanted to make a difference, but there was the excitement of being part of it…”

If they made a movie about Margaret Ferrier’s time in the services, she would have to be played by 40’s Hollywood screen queen Katherine Hepburn. There’s the intelligence, the cheekiness and the boldness.

In explaining why she enlisted, Margaret says:

“Of course I wanted to make a difference, but there was the excitement of being part of it.  And I secretly wanted to fly.”

For Margaret getting behind the controls of a plane was not a simple matter of ticking a box at the recruitment office since women were hardly if ever let near the controls of any military aircraft.

Coming from an established farming family in Roma, Queensland, Margaret was quick to find work in the essential industry sector. It was 1943 and more and more men were being sent to join the fighting overseas, leaving work that was previously their domain open to women.

On arriving in Sydney Margaret found work in a factory, manufacturing the famous vintage aircraft Tiger Moths. This suited Margaret who came from a farm and had good mechanical skills. But it wasn’t enough.

The work was repetitive and dull and Margaret banded together with some other women and decided to leave.  “I wanted to do something more active.” The women marched straight down to the recruitment centre in Martin Place, Sydney and signed up. It was 15 July 1943.

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