Gaby Kennard

Gabrielle 'Gaby' Kennard OAM (b. 1944) was the first Australian woman to fly solo around the world. Kennard grew up dreaming of flying – her childhood hero was Amelia Earhart – but she only began lessons at the age of 34. Kennard gained her pilot's licence in 1979, and, a decade later on 3 August 1989, began her solo flight from Sydney in her single-engine Piper Saratoga aircraft. Overcoming challenges including intense loneliness, malfunctioning equipment, and a terrifying series of engine cut-outs, Kennard completed the 54,000km flight in 99 days. She was feted on her return by jubilant crowds at Bankstown airport and with a motorcade through the Sydney CBD. Kennard's subsequent, numerous recognitions include the Harmon Trophy, the Nancy Bird Walton Trophy, and the keys to the cities of Sydney, Atchison, USA and Memphis, USA. The aviator summed things up in pithy terms at the end of her 1990 book Solo Woman (1990): 'I am an ordinary person, capable of extraordinary things – like all of us.'

In this portrait, Lisa Tomasetti sought to reflect both Kennard's bravery and warmth. The concept for the shoot derived from the lighting and dramatic atmosphere of Renaissance paintings, while the aeroplane that features is a partially complete model of the type of plane in which Kennard undertook her historic flight.

Purchased with funds provided by Joan Connery OAM 2020
© Lisa Tomasetti