Shine Awards 2021: Aircraft maintenance boss circled back to dream job
Verity-Jane Dolton’s journey to the sky has been anything but smooth sailing.
Growing up on a farm in Western Australia’s wheat belt, Verity-Jane Dolton always had eyes for the sky.
“I used to dream of flying,” said the 27-year-old, remembering her childhood on the mixed property at Dandaragan.
“Me and my grandpa used to tell stories, and pretend to go flying with each other, from a very little age.”
Now working as the chief aviation maintenance engineer for A and A Air Services at Carnarvon, Verity-Jane doesn’t have to dream about flying any more.
She is in charge of essential maintenance on helicopters and aircraft used for mustering across Western Australia’s Pilbara.
Once Verity finishes an intricate service job, she gives her personal guarantee of the workmanship by taking a flight with each pilot.
“I have to make sure that I’m happy to get in that machine. If I’m not happy I’m not going to put anyone else’s life in danger,” she said.
Securing the lead role in the A and A Air Services workshop has not been a breeze for the farmer’s daughter.
After completing a Certificate 2 in aviation maintenance engineering after finishing secondary school, she applied for apprenticeships, but was knocked back time and again.
“I did take it pretty hard I guess. I couldn’t see why they were taking other students over me,” she said.
She was the only female in her class who was pursuing a career in maintenance, and felt she was not taken seriously in the male-dominated industry. So, after six months of rejections,
she returned to the classroom, and did an agriculture business management course, then went mustering up north.
That’s where she circled back to her love of flying.
A few mustering pilots encouraged her to apply for a mechanic apprenticeship at Carnarvon, where she found a service company happy to take her on.
Now her daily job includes 100-hourly inspections and rigorous 2200-hour strip-downs, in which a helicopter’s major components are replaced with overhauled, or completely new, components.
At the moment, she is rebuilding a helicopter.
“There is no room for mistakes. I do take a lot of pride in the work,” she said.
Verity-Jane is a nominee in The Weekly Times Shine Awards, supported by Harvey Norman.
Darwin woman honoured in nation’s most prestigious awards
Presented by the Weekly Times and Harvey Norman, the awards cast a light on the often unsung efforts of women across regional Australia, across seven categories.
2024 Shine Awards winners revealed
A Tasmanian woman who has found a way to inspire hope after the death of her daughter is this year’s overall winner of the Shine Awards. See all the category winners here.