Aviator Helena Cato

ruwoltjon
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Cato's Garage

In late 1914 or early 1915 her father Hobart Cato joined the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Navy Air Service for which he was awarded the Queen’s Medal.

During this time he flew planes from England to Europe and went on bombing runs in Belgium dropping bombs by hand over the side of the plane.

In the navy he flew Sopwith seaplanes which were catapulted off the war ships by steam (A very hit and miss manoeuvre).

When he returned to Australia he ran the first newspaper run around Victoria’s south Coast (Geelong area) by dropping the papers from a Gypsy Moth and also did a bit of “barn storming”.

He came to Clare as a aircraft mechanic for Dudley Angas and later built Cato’s Garage (now WSB Distributors).

He built a single seater plane called the Flying Flea while he was there.

When the Second World War started he sold the premises to the government as an ammunition factory and worked in the Hendon munitions factory in Adelaide.

He flew planes until 1939.

In 1921 Hobart Cato was flight mechanic to Lieutenant Long in the record breaking flight from Adelaide to Melbourne in a De Haviland Dove aircraft; owned by Mr. Dudley Angus of Hill River estate

Aviator Helena Cato

Helena Adeline CATO was born on 27 March 1907 in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa, when her father, Hobart, was 26, and her mother, Mary, was 25.

She arrived in Australia when she was nine months old and went to a Catholic boarding school in Melbourne thought to be Presentation College. Little is known of her earlier schooling.

At the boarding school she was taught by French nuns and learned, among other things, to do fine needle work and to play the piano. She made two wedding dresses and worked on large tapestries all her life.

In 1920 when she was 13 she sat for the Melbourne University examination in Pianoforte Grade III and in 1921 passed with honors (honours) in the examination in Piano Playing Grade III.

She became a concert pianist and played with 2 orchestras and many concerts around South Australia.

The ABC offered her a contract to play on live radio before the days of record players in studios but her father wanted her to help in his motor garage in the Clare main street, the building now occupied by WSB Distributors.

Helena Cato with her parents Mary and Hobart Cato at Cato's Garage, Clare

Helena came to Clare in 1923 to work for her father as a garage Jack of all trades where her father expected her to do a man’s work despite her size and femininity.

“I lifted wooden cases holding two four-gallon tins full of petrol, cleaned plugs and cars and mended punctures for clients,” said Helena.

“When I was 17 I learnt to drive a Model T Ford and then naturally with a father so interested in flying I became interested in that too,” she said.

Helena had her first flight when she and her sister Yootha went up with her father to persuade customers to go with Hobart for joy rides.

When business was slow he took both his daughters up to show how safe it was.

Her first experience in an aeroplane was probably at the age 11 or 12 when her father was offering joy flights in Melbourne and needed to show that flying was quite safe and took Helena and sister Yootha for a few circuits.

Thus this young woman took the controls under the guidance of the Parafield Aero Club on 22 October 1931, and she obtained her ticket on 26 January 1932.

She flew Tiger Moth and Gypsy moth bi-planes.

She took her first flying lesson in November 1931 and passed her “A” ticket 3 months later. One newspaper reported that she was the first to get her licence and another said that she was the second.

In October 1932 she was 1st in the cross country race to Bute and the next month passed her advanced licence. Her first of many passengers was her father.

Her log book lists many activities including height judging, blind flying, paddock landings, bombing practice (dropping flour bombs on a target) and forced landings. She had quite a collection of trophies in her cupboard.