Touching the Sky

Deborah Lawrie didn't just break the glass ceiling - she flew right through it.

They told her women couldn't fly commercial airliners.

They told her women weren't welcome in the cockpit.

They told her women couldn't work and have a family.

She told them she'd see them in court.

In an era when flight attendants were dismissed as 'trolley dollies' and smoking on aeroplanes was practically mandatory, Deborah Lawrie broke barriers to become Australia's first female pilot for a major commercial airline, fighting against absurd gender discrimination and prejudice to pave the way for equal opportunity in a male-dominated industry.

In this candid, cheeky, jaw-dropping memoir, she explains her journey from being a young girl in 1950s Australia who was determined to fly to taking Ansett Airlines to court in a landmark High Court battle - and winning. Now inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, Deborah Lawrie is the world's longest flying female airline pilot. This is her true story.

About the Author

Deborah Lawrie AM was the subject of the first contested equal opportunity anti-discrimination case in Australia. After fighting Ansett Airlines for more than a year, in 1979 she won the landmark battle in the High Court and became the first female airline pilot for a major airline in Australia.

Deborah has numerous accolades, including her induction into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001, winning the Master Air Pilot award in 2017 and, in 2022, she was added to the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame. In November 2023, Sydney Airport named a flyover that connects the International and Domestic terminals in her honour. It sits over Sir Reginald Ansett Drive.