Portrait of Jane Winstone unveiled at retirement village

Cheyne Chalmers, CEO Ryman Healthcare NZ, unveiling the Jane Winstone portrait with former flying instructor Frances Barnes (right)

A portrait of Jane Winstone, the youngest female New Zealand pilot when she flew solo at age 17, was unveiled at a special event in the chapel of Jane Winstone Retirement Village in Whanganui on Thursday, August 8.

Winstone, a pioneering New Zealand aviator, attended mass in the chapel during her school years when it was Sacred Heart College.

Taking up flying as a hobby at age 16, Whanganui-born and bred Winstone was a pioneer whose courage and tenacity significantly contributed to the war effort and paved the way for future female aviators.

She spent her youth excelling in competitive flying events and was an active member of the Whanganui aviation community. Passionate about contributing to the war effort, Winstone applied to the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in England. At the ATA, she worked her way up to the rank of second officer.

A dangerous job with regular fatalities, she was one of only five New Zealanders to serve the ATA during World War II.

On February 10, 1944, Winstone died tragically when the engine of her Spitfire failed at 600 feet and the aircraft spun to the ground, killing her, aged just 31.

Wing Commander Hayden Sheard, Commanding Officer of the Flying Training Wing at Ohakea, spoke about Jane Winstone's flying career.

Wing Commander Hayden Sheard from Ohakea Base, spoke about her aviation accomplishments. “Jane Winstone was a remarkable lady, she was courageous and determined, making a decision to fly at a very young age.

“While a student in Whanganui, she took flying lessons in New Plymouth and Hawera. After flying solo at age 17, she went on to get her private pilot’s licencse in 1931, one of only 15 women in New Zealand.

“Between then and the outbreak of World War II, she did a lot of competitive flying. Determined to join the war effort in the Air Transport Auxiliary, she had to self-fund her journey to England. Two days before she ‘set sail’ from New Zealand, she found out that her fighter pilot fiancé was missing in action and presumed killed. She still got on that ship.

“She flew Spitfires and Hurricanes, ferrying them from their factory to the flying squadrons, in atrocious weather, in wartime conditions. She was a courageous lady.

“Winstone lost her life in a Spitfire after engine failure just after take-off, the worst possible time. Like many others, she lost her life serving her country. We should be proud that we have honoured her and that her name carries on as the Jane Winstone Retirement Village,” he said.

Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe was a guest speaker.

Whanganui mayor Andrew Tripe said it was wonderful to be present and to learn that history. “Jane Winstone was born the same year as my grandmother,” he said.

“It’s amazing to think that she walked on the floor of the chapel we are in when she attended Sacred Heart College.

“We have a rich history and heritage of people who contributed great things to New Zealand. When you read the story about Jane Winstone, you read about another great New Zealander, from Whanganui, who contributed to our history,” he said.

Jane Winstone Retirement Village Choir sang a bracket of several songs.

Jane Winstone is a much-respected name in the world of Ryman Healthcare, said Cheyne Chalmers, CEO of Ryman Healthcare New Zealand, which operates Jane Winstone Retirement Village. “This year we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary since opening our first village in New Zealand. Over this time, it has become a tradition for Ryman to name its villages after great New Zealanders.

“A number of years ago, the artist Craig Primrose was commissioned to paint portraits of our village namesakes. Primrose has carved out a reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists and was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal for his contribution to art in 2010. Jane Winstone is the 18th namesake portrait.

“Craig Primrose said he really enjoyed the entire process of creating this portrait. He says it is a painting of a young woman who showed a tonne of guts. The composition has Jane Winstone surrounded by two Spitfires in the air and a Hurricane aircraft on the tarmac, to give the painting some grounding.

“The summer clouds in the distance and a lovely clear blue summer sky add warmth, and together this and other detail is to try and take away some of the sombre realities of wartime.”

Frances Barnes assisted with the unveiling of the painting. She is also a pioneering aviator who began flying at 16 and then became the first fulltime female instructor at Wellington Aero Club in 1962.

After taking time out to raise her family, she later regained her commercial pilot’s licence and became the Chief Flying Instructor at Wanganui Aero Club.