Sylvia Jessie Catherine BIRDSEYE
Also known as: née Merell
Born: 26/01/1902
Died: 9/08/1962
Special Achievements:Pioneer of transport services in South Australia. First woman in South Australia to gain a Commercial Driving Licence (1923). Memorial cairn on Eyre Highway; Birdseye Highway - first highway in South Australia to be named after a woman; Birdseye Lane in Canberra.
Began work as a bus driver at 19. In 1928, she and her husband pioneered and maintained the Eyre Peninsula Motor Service. For almost 40 years, she drove 3,200 km a week, mostly at night. Renowned for providing a reliable and economic service under hazardous conditions, she was known as “Grandmother Queen of the Open Road.” Daisy Bates was one of her regular customers.
Resources
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References
Kelsh, Margaret. (1994, October/Volume 4, Number 3). Sylvia Birdseye’s car. Community History, 24.
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Image - Sylvia Birdseye
National Trust of South Australia file B71279.tif
Photo provided by, and used with permission of, National Trust of South Australia.
