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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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World Award for Flying Grandmother |
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A woman pilot flying a brilliant orange and white Cessna is the first Australian winner of the Ultimate Challenge, a prestigious international flying competition. She was only the fourth woman to win in the 40-year history of the contest, which requires contestants to 'demonstrate the capabilities of the pilot and machine in a day's flying to further some original or praiseworthy objective'. Marion is the wife of David McCall, the Anglican Bishop of Bunbury, WA. Last year, the Diocese was celebrating its centenary with the theme of Celebrate the Journey and Marion wanted to contribute. She decided to follow the old custom of the priest 'beating the bounds' of his parish each year by walking around the parish to mark the boundaries and pray for good crops. But the parish is so vast that walking was out of the question! Three minutesInstead, the pair took off in their plane, call sign Juliett Charlie Sierrra, or Jesus Christ Superstar as it is called affectionately, to Beat the Bounds on a journey that took them from Dawn to Dusk. Amazingly, after a journey of 1435 km, touching down 10 times and greeting 670 people, they arrived back home just three minutes behind schedule! Marion is a woman of many parts. She is a member of the Executive of MU Australia as Prayer and Spirituality Co-ordinator, and is well known to thousands of members through her prayer notes, which are sent to every state. Not much differenceShe is a member of the Women Pilots' Association, who funded her trip to London, a mother of five, grandmother of four. She has a neuro-muscular disease, which lost her her flying licence for a time, but which is now controlled by medication. And she is a published poet. Marion believes age and gender really don't make much difference in the long run. 'It may be a bit harder and it certainly was for me, with a neurological disease to cope with, but in the end we make it and are stronger for it!' she says. The prize was presented at a gala dinner at the Royal Air Force Club, in London. Not only did Marion receive the top prize, but also the Tiger Medal for the longest distance flown in a day as well. |
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