First R.N.Z.A.F. women engineers

Press, 15 June 1979, Page 2

First R.N.Z.A.F. women engineers

The ninth course of 1978 graduated from the Trade Training School at the R.N.Z.A.F. base, Wigram, yesterday. Among the class of seven were two women, :he first to qualify as >asie tradesmen on an R.NXA F. engineering course.

Aircraftwomen Fiona Smith, aged 19, a former pupil of Avonside Girls’ High School (left) and Elisabeth Le Grice, aged 21, a former pupil of Christchurch Girls’ High school, who are shown working on the magnetos of a Devon aircraft, graduated from the training school as avionic mechanics.

In civilian life, the girls would be called electronic technicians. Their job will be to work on air and ground radio, radar, and aircraft electrical and instrument systems. Both will now go to the RJV.ZjVF. base at Auckland for up to two years for on-the-job practical training on aircraft electronic systems. In the course at Wigram, Miss Le Grice who already held an Intermediate New Zealand Certificate of Electrical Engineering, was first equal. She joined the R N.Z.A.F. she said, because it was the only place where she could “get the trade.”

Since all but combat roles were opened to servicewomen, about two years ago, a number of women had trained in areas that had previously been “all-male domains” — firemen, cooks, and police — said the chief trad e-training officer (Wing Commander G. St A. Murray).

Men were also gradually taking up jobs that had traditionally been held by women, including telephonists, accounting machine operators, and typists.