Journalist and writer Lainie Anderson is South Australia’s Epic Flight Centenary 2019 Program Ambassador. The Sunday Mail columnist and radio broadcaster has more than 30 years’ experience in journalism and public relations, including stints at the Herald Sun in Melbourne, The Times in London and the South Australian Tourism Commission. In 2016 she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to gauge the significance of the 1919 Air Race from England to Australia and retrace the route of pioneering SA aviators Ross and Keith Smith.
“The 1919 Air Race from England to Australia was like something out of a Jules Verne novel. Six Australian crews and one plucky Frenchman took part, racing across the globe in planes made of wood and fabric, with open cockpits and just a compass for navigation. Airfields were non-existent across much of the route. Only one aircraft made it home in the required 30 days – the Vickers Vimy piloted by South Australia’s Sir Ross Smith. In 2019, I want every child across the state to learn this story, and to know that we South Australians can achieve anything if we work hard and dream big.”
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