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MONDAY, MAY 27, 2013 www.themercury.com.au 27 MARY MACKILLOP 1842-1909 T HE first Australian-born saint was a remarkable pioneering woman, radical thinker and educational reformer. Mary MacKillop was born in Melbourne, the eldest of eight children. Her parents were Scottish immigrants. Becoming a Catholic nun in 1867, she was a revolutionary thinker who put social justice into practice for the first time in Australia by opening schools for the needy, orphanages, accommodation centres and refuges for ex-prisoners and ex-prostitutes. For many of her 67 years, MacKillop clashed with priests and bishops who wanted to control her and her order of sisters. She was even excommunicated for insubordination – that is, willfully disobeying an authority – on September 22, 1871. This was later renounced and in 2010 she was recognised as a saint by Pope Benedict XVI. CHARLES KINGSFORD SMITH 1897-1935 P IONEERING aviator Charles Kingsford Smith earned international fame for his record-breaking flights in the years between World War I and his disappearance and presumed death. Born in Brisbane, Sir Charles (pictured left panel, bottom) was educated in Canada for a time and in 1915 saw action as a soldier at Gallipoli. In 1916 he transferred to the Australian Flying Corps and within months he had been awarded for gallantry after his plane was shot down. After the war Sir Charles embarked on a commercial flying career. In 1928 he successfully completed the first trans-Pacific flight from the US to Australia. Later the same year, he made the first non-stop flight across Australia and the first trans-Tasman crossing to New Zealand. He was knighted in 1932. In 1935 Sir Charles and co-pilot John Thompson Pethybridge disappeared over the Andaman Sea while attempting to break the England-Australia speed record. Their bodies were never recovered. DOUGLAS MAWSON 1882-1958 D OUGLAS Mawson was Australia’s greatest Antarctic explorer. Born in Yorkshire, England, in 1882, he was raised in Australia and educated in Sydney. Tall and strong, his teachers predicted he would be a leader of men to faraway places. Sir Douglas’s first Antarctic experience came with the 1907 British Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton and he later turned down a position on Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to lead his own Australasian Antarctic Expedition dedicated to science rather than the race for the pole. Departing Hobart in 1911, the expedition explored previously unknown country and their ship, Aurora, sailed 3000km of unmapped coastline. The party used radio successfully for the first time on the continent. The expedition took a turn for the worse when two explorers died on a survey mission. Sir Douglas (pictured left panel, centre) survived starvation and exhaustion and cheated death after falling into a crevasse. He returned to a hero’s welcome and was subsequently knighted, becoming an academic and advocate for exploration. WHICH AUSTRALIANS HAVE MOTIVATED OTHERS WITH THEIR INSPIRING STORIES? MEET FIVE OF OUR MOST INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE Mary MacKillop was b Melbourne, the eldest of e Her parents were Scottish Becoming a Catholic n she was a revolutionary put social justice into p first time in Australia schools for the needy, accommodation cent for ex-prisoners and ex-prostitutes. For many of he MacKillop clash and bishops w control her a of sisters. S excommu insubord is, willf an auth Septe T reno in re a POSTER 1 OF 10 IN A SERIES TO COMPLEMENT THE DISCOVER: THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA EDUCATION KIT 2013 WORDS: DAMIAN BESTER VINNY LAUWERS 1967- W ITH a gleeful shout and tears in his eyes, this Melburnian became the world’s first paraplegic to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the globe. Sailing past the Queenscliff Heads at dawn on August 10, 2000, a then 33-year-old Vinny Lauwers (pictured above, top) had conquered his disabilities and fulfilled his dream. Seven years of preparations led to the seven-month journey on the custom-built yacht Vision Quest. Born in Belgium, Lauwers was already a seasoned sailor when he set out on his world record attempt. He had completed two Sydney to Hobart races as well as the Melbourne to Osaka ocean race. In May 2001, Lauwers was recognised as International Disabled Sports Person of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards. TOMORROW FIVE OF OUR BEST MEDICAL HEROES INSPIRATIONAL JIM STYNES 1966-2012 O FTEN described as Australia’s most successful sporting experiment, Jim Stynes was more than just a talented footballer. Born in Dublin, Ireland, Stynes converted from Gaelic to Australian Rules football in the mid-1980s and played his first senior game with the Melbourne Demons in 1987. He won the Brownlow Medal in 1991 and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2003. By the time of his retirement from sport in 1998, Stynes had co-founded The Reach Foundation, dedicated to helping young Australians. As a result of his youth work, he was twice named Victorian of the Year and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. He continued to work during a three-year struggle with cancer, earning further admiration for his courage and determination. Stynes was honoured with a state funeral in 2012. OUR HEROES NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION POSTER SERIES Charles Kingsford-Smith Mary MacKillop Douglas Mawson Vinny Lauwers
