By Dianne Stewart
When Edna Mabel Grant took to the skies in 1939, she became the first woman in South Canterbury to earn a pilot’s licence. While her journey was about flying – it was ultimately about defying expectations in a world for women. From knitting socks for soldiers during the First World War, to working in a Dunedin salon to pay for flying lessons, to becoming the only female air traffic controller at her RNZAF base during WWII, Edna’s life is a story of determination, courage, and inspiration. Big thank you to our guest writer Dianne for sharing his research into this phenomenal woman...
Edna Mabel Grant - the first woman in South Canterbury to gain a pilot licence
It was not ability that impeded females gaining access to traditionally male occupations, higher education and recreational pursuits. After gaining the right for New Zealand to vote in 1893 attitudes began to change. The male workforce shortage created by the World Wars opened new opportunities for women.
Perhaps Edna was inspired by women such as Caroline Freeman, first NZ woman to graduate Otago university in 1885. Caroline from Abbotsford Dunedin had family in Temuka. Or maybe it was world record setting Aviatrix Jean Battens solo flights. Jean was born in NZ around the same time as Edna. On the first UK to NZ flight (taking around 11 days) Jean was escorted into NZ on 16 October 1936, by RNZ Navy Walrus aircraft, among whose crew was Henry Windleborn TAG (navigator) also of Timaru.
Edna her sisters Nancy and Ina, parents William and Jeannie Grant lived in Hook, Waimate. The girls attended Willowbridge school. Edna was the pianist at fundraising and social events held in the Hook Memorial soldiers hall. She knitted socks and sewed handkerchiefs for the Waimate Mayoress Soldiers’ WWI Trench fund. The family attended Knox Presbyterian church and at picnics William provided tins of sweets. Edna had an interest in breeding collie dogs and enjoyed working with horses. The sisters attended Timaru Girls High School when they moved to Grants Road, Timaru. Ednas sister Nancy married John L Ferrier on 17.5.1934. John was a son of well-known photographer William Ferrier. William died in the 1922, leaving an amazing photographic record of early South Canterbury everyday life.
When Edna gained her NZ pilots licence (no. 1537) in 1939, there were only 53 other women holding the qualification. Her aviation journey started when she won a competition for a free flight in a Gypsy Moth. Edna enjoyed the brief flight so much she decided then and there to sign up for flying tuition in a Simmonds Parke, training under the Pilots of New Zealand Airways based at Saltwater Creek airfield, Timaru. Unfortunately, that company folded shortly after the commencement of her flying lessons but her determination to fly was so strong that she moved to Dunedin to continue her training with the Otago Aero club at Taieri airfield. To pay for the lessons in a Gypsy Moth single engine tandem cockpit biplane Edna took a job in a hair dressing salon. Her first solo being on 3 November 1938.
During WWII Edna joined the RNZAF women’s auxiliary and on becoming a WAAF was posted to RNZAF base at Taieri airfield. She became the stations only woman air traffic controller, another very rare achievement. After three years and at the end of the War Edna moved back to Timaru to care for her parents. She became a member of the Airforce association. The family were living at 68 Jellicoe Street when her parents died, William Robert Grant on 17.7.1965 aged 87 and Jeannie Grant on 7.7.1971 aged 88.
Other passions of Edna were horses and art. She gained trophies on her show jumping horses Baron, Royal Tartan and Marquis. Edna was a foundation member of the SC Pony Club and at her home in Jellicoe Street she taught riding basics to local children. Edna painted the SC bred horse Grey Way. A copy of the painting was included in a book of horse paintings presented to Queen Elizabeth II on one of the royal visits to NZ. Edna also painted landscapes working in several media including oils, pen and watercolours. Edna died aged 88 on 26.12.1997 in Timaru.
Thank you Dianne for sharing Edna's story with us.
Edna Mabel Grant's painting of Grey Way.
Visit Timaru's Aviation Museum
Pop out to the South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre in Timaru, South Canterbury to see their aircraft displays, objects and archives relating to South Canterbury and national aviation history. Richard Pearse, New Zealand father of powered flight, has a particular significance.
South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre at Old Control Tower, Timaru Airport, Falvey Road, Timaru
Edna Mabel Grant Obituary: (30 Dec 1997). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 22/08/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/3919
One of New Zealand’s earliest women pilots, Edna Mabel Grant, died in Timaru on Boxing Day 1997, aged 88.
Miss Grant received New Zealand pilot’s licence No. 1537 in 1939. According to the New Zealand Airwomen’s Association, only 54 women had qualified for licences up to the end of that year, and she is thought to have been the only South Canterbury woman among them.
Her love of flying began when she won a free flight in a Gypsy Moth through a competition. That brief trip convinced her that flying was for her. She began lessons in a Simmonds Parke with pilots from New Zealand Airways at Saltwater Creek, near Timaru. Unfortunately, the company folded soon after she began her training. Determined to carry on, Miss Grant moved to Dunedin and resumed her tuition with the Otago Aero Club at Taieri.
To pay for her lessons, she worked in a hairdressing salon. Most of her training was carried out in a Gypsy Moth, the classic single-engined, tandem-cockpit biplane. On 3 November 1938, she completed her first solo flight.
During the Second World War she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and was posted back to Taieri. Because of her flying experience, she became the station’s only woman air traffic controller — a rare achievement for women of that era.
After the war, Miss Grant returned to Timaru to care for her elderly parents, Mr and Mrs W. R. Grant.
Outside aviation, she had two other lifelong passions: horses and painting. She was successful in the show jumping ring with her horses Marquis and Royal Tartan, and was a foundation member of the Timaru branch of the South Canterbury Pony Club. For decades she taught children to ride from her Jellicoe Street home, using her horse Baron for lessons.
Her talent for art often reflected her love of horses. One of her best-known works was a painting of champion racehorse Grey Way. A copy of this painting was included in a book of horse paintings presented to Queen Elizabeth II during a royal visit to New Zealand. She also painted landscapes in oils, pen, and watercolours.
Miss Grant is survived by her sisters Nancy Ferrier and Ina Grant.
D E Drake, A veteran aeroplane and the pilots who flew her (01 Dec 1979). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 22/08/2025, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/5715
10 Fun Facts About Edna Mabel Grant
- Licence No. 1537 – When Edna earned her pilot’s licence in 1939, fewer than 60 women in New Zealand had one.
- First Solo – She flew solo for the very first time on 3 November 1938 in a Gypsy Moth biplane.
- A lucky prize – Her flying dream began after she won a competition for a free flight in a Gypsy Moth — one ride was all it took to set her course.
- Salon to skies – To pay for her lessons, Edna worked in a hairdressing salon in Dunedin while training with the Otago Aero Club.
- Timaru link – She first trained at Saltwater Creek Airfield near Timaru before moving to Dunedin when the company folded.
- One woman, one tower – During WWII, she became the only female air traffic controller at RNZAF Taieri Airfield.
- Family ties – Her sister Nancy married John Ferrier, son of William Ferrier, the legendary Timaru photographer whose images captured South Canterbury life before his death in 1922.
- Show jumper – Edna was a trophy-winning horsewoman, competing on horses named Baron, Royal Tartan and Marquis.
- Art for royalty – She painted the South Canterbury champion racehorse Grey Way; her work was included in a book of horse paintings presented to Queen Elizabeth II on a royal visit.
- Community heart – Edna helped found the South Canterbury Pony Club and taught local children to ride at her Jellicoe Street home.
Side Quest: Women Who Took to the Skies
Edna wasn’t alone in her dream of flying. She was part of a generation of bold women who looked up and thought, why not me? Around the world, female aviators were breaking barriers in an era when most women were expected to stay grounded.
In 1932, American pilot Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, making her a household name before her mysterious disappearance attempting a round-the-world flight. In Britain, Amy Johnson stunned the world by flying solo from England to Australia in 1930, capturing headlines and proving long-distance aviation wasn’t only for men.
Closer to home, New Zealand’s own Jean Batten was rewriting the record books. Just a few years older than Edna, she completed her famous 1936 solo flight from England to New Zealand... eleven gruelling days in the air. Batten was welcomed home as a heroine, escorted by naval aircraft, one of which had a Timaru man among the crew.
Against this backdrop, Edna’s achievement might not have made the front pages, but it was just as remarkable. At a time when only 53 women in New Zealand held a pilot’s licence, Edna joined their ranks from right here in South Canterbury. She may not have chased world records, but she proved that passion and determination could carry you skyward, even from a small rural community.
Side Quest: Did Edna marry?
Edna Mabel Grant was one of three daughters of William Robert Grant and Jeannie Grant, who first lived at Hook, near Waimate, before moving to Timaru. The sisters — Edna, Nancy, and Ina — all attended Willowbridge School and later Timaru Girls’ High School when the family settled on Grants Road.
Nancy Grant married John L. Ferrier in 1934. John was the son of celebrated Timaru photographer William Ferrier, whose images captured everyday South Canterbury life before his death in 1922.
Ina Grant remained unmarried, like Edna, and lived much of her life in Timaru.
Their parents, William and Jeannie, were active in the community — William was remembered for handing out tins of sweets at local picnics, while the family supported Knox Presbyterian Church and events at the Hook Memorial Soldiers’ Hall.
When their parents passed away (William in 1965, Jeannie in 1971), the sisters were still based in Timaru, living together at Jellicoe Street. Edna’s obituary noted that she never married or had children, instead devoting her life to her passions — flying, horses, art — and to her community.
Side Quest: Not Those Grants
I was curious if she was related to the Grant family who made their fortune from sheep runs and the frozen meat export trade in Canterbury and Otago. The name is the same, and the era overlaps. But Edna’s roots were very different. Her father, William Robert Grant, farmed at Hook near Waimate and later moved the family to Timaru. Their lives were tied to school, church, and community fundraising — not the world of big business and export wealth. In fact, Edna had to work in a Dunedin hairdressing salon to afford her flying lessons. So while the frozen-meat Grants left a mark on New Zealand’s economy, Edna’s story is one of persistence and self-made opportunity. Her achievements in aviation weren’t backed by family fortune — they came from her own determination to fly.
Side Quest: What were the Barriers in Edna's way?
For Edna, I think the biggest obstacle was not her ability, but access.
Money was a barrier. Flying lessons were expensive in the 1930s, especially for a young woman from rural South Canterbury. To pay for her training, Edna took a job in a hair salon in Dunedin, saving enough to keep her dream alive one hour in the cockpit at a time.
Opportunity was a barrier. She started her lessons with New Zealand Airways at Saltwater Creek near Timaru, but when the company folded her training was suddenly cut short. Rather than give up, she shifted to Dunedin and signed on with the Otago Aero Club at Taieri Airfield.
Gender was a barrier. In 1939, fewer than sixty women in New Zealand had a pilot’s licence. Most flying clubs and air services were dominated by men, and women were often discouraged or dismissed as “dabblers.” Edna persisted, proving she was serious about the sky.
War was both a barrier and a doorway. The outbreak of WWII restricted civilian flying but also created new openings. When she joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, Edna became the only female air traffic controller on her base at Taieri. She stepped into a role that would not have been available to her in peacetime.
How she overcame them: Edna’s story is one of stubborn persistence. She worked to fund her training, moved towns when the first plan collapsed, pushed back against social expectations, and embraced new opportunities when they appeared. Every barrier she hit, she treated as a detour rather than a dead end.
Amazing to think how in a reasonably short time, the world went from basic air contraptions like Richard Pearses, to sophisticated aeroplanes. Replica of Pearses' plane at a Waitohi Monument - Photo Roselyn Fauth 2021
Roselyn Fauth's Reflection
Reading about Edna makes me think not only about her courage, but about my own journey. In my twenties I had flying lessons with Russell Brodie and absolutely loved it — the thrill of being in the air, the freedom, and seeing my home from above. At the time it just felt like an exciting choice I could make. Looking back now, I see it wasn’t just luck. It was possible because women like Edna had already fought to make room for women in the sky.
I was also really lucky that Russell wanted to see more women flying. He gave his time to help me learn, and I’m so grateful for that experience. His encouragement reminds me that change often happens because someone opens a door and says, “come in.”
Edna earned her licence in 1939, when fewer than sixty women in New Zealand had done the same. She worked job by job to pay for lessons, shifted towns when her first training option collapsed, and became the only woman air traffic controller on her base during the war. Money, access, and social expectations were all barriers — but she found a way around each one. She didn’t have the same open doors that I have today. She had to push them open.
Her story reminds me not to take freedom or opportunity for granted. It challenges me to ask: how do I use the choices I have today? Do I step into them with the same persistence and joy that Edna carried into the cockpit of her Gypsy Moth? And do I remember that every opportunity I seize is part of a much bigger story — one written by women who went before me, who made sure that one day I could fly too?
I love flying. I love being up high and seeing the world from a birds perspective. Roselyn Fauth Learning to fly with Russell Brodie in 2008.