Daring stunts wow crowds at 'special' country air show

The Advertiser24-05-2025

Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot.
But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L.
"I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP.
She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event.
"It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said.
"I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing.
"Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing."
At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity.
"I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said.
The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989.
Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays.
Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely.
"It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it."
Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes.
At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised.
"We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said.
Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite.
"(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.
Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot.
But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L.
"I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP.
She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event.
"It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said.
"I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing.
"Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing."
At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity.
"I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said.
The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989.
Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays.
Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely.
"It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it."
Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes.
At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised.
"We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said.
Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite.
"(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.
Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot.
But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L.
"I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP.
She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event.
"It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said.
"I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing.
"Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing."
At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity.
"I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said.
The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989.
Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays.
Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely.
"It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it."
Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes.
At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised.
"We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said.
Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite.
"(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.
Third-generation aviator Emma McDonald grew up in the skies - watching, and sometimes going along for the ride, as her dad performed tumbles and tricks as an aerobatic pilot.
But it wasn't until she was standing alongside her father watching an Old Station Air Show display that she considered turning the high-octane sport into a career.
On Saturday, the 35-year-old returned to the iconic central Queensland show for the first time as a solo aerobatic pilot to wow an estimated 15,000 people with her loops, rolls, barrels and tumbles in a two-seat Extra 300L.
"I pulled up to 10Gs, which is 10 times your body weight, with a roll rate of 400 degrees a second," Ms McDonald, Australia's only current female aerobatic pilot, told AAP.
She trained as a diesel mechanic out of school and didn't get her pilot's licence until many years later after watching former RAAF fighter combat instructor-turned Red Bull Air Race world champion Matt Hall at the same event.
"It was the first time I'd seen it as someone doing it for a living and I was like 'oh my god, I want to do what he does'," she said.
"I went out and worked really hard, ticked off a heap of things ... and ended up with the job with Matt Hall Racing.
"Six years later, working continuously hard, I was able to do my very first aerobatic display at the Old Station Air Show with Matt out on my wing."
At the latest edition of the show, held at Raglan in Queensland's Gladstone region, Ms McDonald performed for the first time under her own brand, Beyond Gravity.
"I'm here to inspire the next generation and anyone who wants to get into aviation," she said.
The popular air show is a family affair, beginning as a gathering for members of the Old Station Flying Club, set up by the Creed family on their Raglan property in 1989.
Thousands of people make the pilgrimage from across Australia to the property, where they were treated to a weekend of air shows - including a display of WWII "warbirds" - as well as other displays.
Some arrive by car, but hundreds also fly in with special instructions on where to park their planes safely.
"It started as a small club event with just a handful of members," said Samantha Creed, whose grandparents began the tradition as a fundraiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"Over the years, it's just grown and grown and evolved and we've become so big we need help to run it."
Local community groups lend volunteers to help run the show and in return receive donations to their causes.
At the last event, in 2022, more than $100,000 was raised.
"We've helped put kitchens into local CWA halls, we've stocked libraries with books ... built a truck stop, upgraded sporting equipment," Ms Creed said.
Ms McDonald has performed her stunts in front of millions in the US and hundreds of thousands on the Gold Coast, but the Old Station Air Show is still a favourite.
"(The) Creeds have been absolutely phenomenal, giving me the opportunity to spread my wings and do what I need to do, so this air show is very special to me," she said.

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Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage

The Advertiser

11 hours ago

The Advertiser

Iconic Australian migrant story returns to the stage

Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people." Stephen Nicolazzo felt like throwing away his culture as a kid but is now using it to bring an Aussie classic to the national stage. Born of Melina Marchetta's iconic 1992 book and award-winning film starring Pia Miranda, Looking for Alibrandi the stage show has embarked on a first national tour. The story follows feisty protagonist Josie Alibrandi as she navigates her final year at a prestigious Catholic girls' school in Sydney. Along the way she finds her father, falls in love and grapples with her identity as a third-generation Italian growing up in Australia. It's an experience Nicolazzo shared as the grandson of Italian migrants. In primary school, the now 38-year-old was embarrassed to pronounce Italian words his classmates struggled with. "You want to throw away your culture and your ethnicity when you're younger because of all of the pressures of being discriminated against," he told AAP. "That's a really strange feeling because you lock away a part of yourself as a result of the pressures of expectation." The lived experience of young Australians from Italian cultures has improved over the past 30 years. "But there are many other migrants who have come to this country since the book was written," Nicolazzo said. "They're experiencing the same discrimination and tensions that Josie faced." The production highlights important issues of acceptance and tolerance, and is relatable to a wide audience. Nicolazzo points to the story's universal recognition of concepts like having to deal with over-bearing family members or being spoken to in a certain way. "The people that watch it are sobbing and laughing because there's a familiarity to it that goes beyond nostalgia," he said. The show first graced Sydney and Melbourne stages in 2022 and has since undergone script changes to enrich one of Jose's love interests, John Barton. "The audience is getting the best version of the show, which is five years in the making," Nicolazzo said. Three new cast members have also joined the fold, including 23-year-old graduate Riley Warner, who plays Josie's knockabout boyfriend Jacob Cootes. The rising star is debuting in his first stage show, having met Nicolazzo as a student. "There's something about him that feels like a national audience needs to see him right away," Nicolazzo said. The show next appears in Sydney on June 11 before heading across NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Nicolazzo hopes audience members take one key message from his production. "It's about finding freedom from the shackles of a culture that doesn't want you to be a part of It," he said. "That's a hard thing to do but we can only do it by making art and talking to people."