Maude Bonney

Maude Rose "Lores" Bonney, (20 November 1897 – 24 February 1994) was a South African-born Australian aviator. She was the first woman to fly solo from Australia to Britain.

Early life and education Maude Rose Rubens was born on 20 November 1897 in Pretoria, South African Republic, the only child of Rosa Caroline (formerly Staal, née Haible) and German-born Norbert Albert Rubens, a clerk and later a merchant. She later adopted the name Dolores, shortened to "Lores" (pronounced Lor-ee) in preference to her given names. She returned to flying after the war but retired in 1949 due to failing eyesight. alongside the names of Charles Lindbergh, Charles Kingsford Smith and Amelia Earhart. Griffith University, Queensland, awarded her an honorary doctorate for her services to aviation.

Legacy In 2012 she was inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame. The Lores Bonney Riverwalk was opened in 2019 as part of the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade project by Brisbane City Council, along the Brisbane River in the suburb of Hamilton. Bonney Avenue, in the suburb of Clayfield, Brisbane, is named for her. The street is not too far from the Eagle Farm Airport (old Brisbane International Airport) where she learned to fly.

Bonney featured in a Google Doodle on 20 November 2019, 122 years after her birth.

Awards 1934 – Member of the Order of the British Empire 1991 – Member of the Order of Australia