Mooney’s return to Broome honours legendary Sugarbird Lady, Robin Miller-Dicks

A small crowd gathered at Broome Airport yesterday to watch a piece of Australian aviation history touch down on the same tarmac it once called home.

The polished white-and-red Mooney VH-RM, once flown by pioneering nurse and aviator Robin “Sugarbird Lady” Miller-Dicks, landed just after midday, its engine growl signalling both a homecoming and a tribute.

For Ms Miller-Dicks’ younger sister Marie Megaw, the moment was deeply personal.

“I feel so emotional. This is the plane Robin loved so much, and she would be thrilled to know it has touched down on the Broome tarmac again,” she said.

“Knowing it’s still flying and in such good hands is amazing.”

The commemorative landing marked the inaugural presentation of the Royal Australian Air Force Association of WA’s Sugarbird Lady Award, which honours Miller’s extraordinary career flying polio vaccines to remote Pilbara and Kimberley communities in the 1960s and ’70s.

This year’s recipient, Broome nursing student Ellen Bermingham, was recognised in a ceremony at the University of Notre Dame’s Broome campus.

She received $1000, a framed certificate and a copy of Miller’s book, ahead of her Royal Flying Doctor Service placement.

The Mooney’s owner, pilot and aviation restorer Florin “Fred” Clej, flew the aircraft from Corindi Beach in New South Wales via Derby.

“We were going to scrap it . . . but when I found out it had history, I thought, you can’t do that,” he said.

“(Ms Miller-Dicks) was an amazing woman and an excellent pilot — landing in some of those strips at night with only car lights takes a lot of guts. Flying this aircraft does too.”

RAAFA WA chief customer and community officer Aaron Crowther said the award was about ensuring Miller’s legacy continues to inspire.

“Robin Miller was an inspirational figure in Western Australian aviation history . . . this award aims to encourage the next generation of nursing professionals committed to serving remote and regional communities,” he said.

Miller, who died in 1975 aged 35, delivered more than 37,000 doses of polio vaccine across the north in her Mooney and Cessna 182.

She also completed risky ferry flights delivering Beechcraft Barons for the Flying Doctor Service.

For Ms Megaw, seeing the Mooney back in Broome 50 years after her sister’s death was a reminder of Ms Miller-Dicks’ skill and spirit.

“All she ever wanted to do was fly, and she was lucky to combine that with her nursing skills . . . she had incredible adventures — too many to count. It’s a very emotional day for me.”