Cirrus@Austlit

'The sky darkened dramatically. Monsoonal winds whipped up. The Gipsy Moth was tossed about like a leaf in a gale. One moment it was racing down at breakneck speed. The next, its pilot was thrown from side to side in the cockpit. Within a blink, the Moth was swept into a violent upward current. Lores Bonney was terrified. Cling to the controls, the airwoman used all her strength to maintain stability - and to stay airborne. She battled the elements for about 20 minutes, then felt a vigorous jolt. The Moth had tipped over onto its right wing and she struggled to regain balance. She was just 30 miles from Victoria Point in Burma but, with an ink black sky and heavy lightning ahead, she thought it best to put down.' (Introduction)

'Queensland was not yet a separate colony when teacher Mrs Janet O'Connor and family arrived in Australia from England to settle in Victoria in the mid - 1850s. Australia was seen as a land of promise and possibilities, and would benefit particularly from the type of immigrant arriving from the middle to the late nineteenth century..' (Introduction)