BIRDSEYE
Sylvia Jessie Catherine
26 January 1902 — 9 August 1962
AKA: née Merell
Additional Information
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
Link - Birdseye, Sylvia Jessie Catherine (1902 - 1962)
The Australian Women's Register
Link - Birdseye, Sylvia Jessie Catherine (1902–1962)
Australian Dictionary of Biography
References
- Kelsh, Margaret. (1994, October/Volume 4, Number 3). Sylvia Birdseye’s car. Community History, 24.
Link - Sylvia Birdseye
SA History Hub
Link - Sylvia Birdseye
Monument Australia
Link - Birdseye, Sylvia Jessie Catherine 1902-1962
The State Library of South Australia
Link - Sylvia Birdseye
Flickr
Image - Sylvia Birdseye
National Trust of South Australia file B71279.tif
Photo provided by, and used with permission of, National Trust of South Australia.
