Hopeful Hildas
About
Linda Beilharz and Sam Cottingham, both from central Victoria, share a friendship that includes a passion for flying and a love of rural communities.
It's great to see how blending aviation with fundraising initiatives has positively impacted rural healthcare through organizations like the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Angel Flight. Both services play crucial roles in providing essential medical support to remote communities, ensuring that people have access to health services despite geographical barriers.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service delivers emergency and primary health care via aircraft, making it a lifeline for those living in isolated areas. Likewise, Angel Flight provides transport services for patients who need to travel for medical treatment but lack the means to do so.
Linda Beilharz, Sam Cottingham, and their team, the "Hopeful Hildas," exemplify how passionate individuals can leverage their interests in flying to raise awareness and funds for these critical services. Their efforts not only highlight the importance of rural health but also inspire others to get involved in community support.
If you need more information about either organization, their impact, or how to participate in such fundraising events, feel free to ask!
Linda and Sam are not on their own – Rob Rigato is part of the flying team and pens entertaining updates about the flights. Jane, Lincoln, Kristian, Meghan and Gary support the organising, communicating and planning. Hopeful Hildas represents the efforts of many.
Honoring Hilda Hope McMaugh - A Legacy in Aviation
Hilda Hope McMaugh (1885–1975)
Hilda Hope McMaugh, an Australian nurse and pilot, etched her name in aviation history as the first Australian woman to qualify as a pilot. In 1919, she received her pilot’s certificate from the Royal Aero Club in England after just one month of flight training. McMaugh’s courage and determination paved the way for women in aviation, and her legacy continues to inspire.
After her aviation achievements, McMaugh returned to her hometown of Uralla, New South Wales, where she established St Elmo’s Private Hospital and served as its matron for nearly three decades. Her pioneering spirit and dedication left an indelible mark on both aviation and healthcare.
The Hopeful Hildas
Fast forward to today, and we find the Hopeful Hildas flying team—a tribute to Hilda Hope McMaugh. Comprising Sam Cottingham of Better Bookkeeping Management and Linda Beilharz ?????, the team competes in the Royal Flying Doctors Air Race. Their mission extends beyond the race itself; they raise awareness and funds for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS), which provides critical medical services to remote areas of Australia.
The Hopeful Hildas honor McMaugh’s legacy by soaring through the skies, celebrating her groundbreaking achievement, and supporting a cause close to her heart. As they prepare for the upcoming race, they carry forward the spirit of adventure and resilience that McMaugh embodied.
The most recent race in 2023 saw the duo raise $35,000 a fabulous achievement, however with your help they hope to surpass this in 2025.
Linda Beilharz
Community Health, the Regions, Adventure
Linda Beilharz earned the nickname ‘the Icy Pole Lady’, after becoming the first Australian woman to successfully ski to both the North and South poles as part of a larger challenge to cross the world’s four icecaps (including Greenland and Patagonia). Care services and the Regions.
Linda and Rob have lived in the Bendigo area since 1981, having settled there with their young son, and their daughter being born there soon after.
Linda has worked in health and community services in roles that covered the entire Loddon-Mallee region in Victoria. This brought her into contact with health services, local governments, and communities throughout the region.
As a volunteer Linda chaired the Regional Development Australia Loddon Campaspe Committee, co-founded the Bendigo Sustainability Group, chaired the Community Reference Group for the Bendigo Ground-Water Project, and participated in the Alpine Search and Rescue team.
Adventure
In 2004, Linda became the first Australian woman to ski 1100 kilometres from the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole. This trip was the catalyst for a series of expeditions known as the IceCap Journeys (a goal of crossing the world’s 4 largest icecaps).
This included traversing the Greenland Icecap in 2007 and, in 2009, a first attempt to cross Patagonia’s southern icecap.
On the North Pole journey in 2010, Linda, Rob and teammate Sarah trekked for 56 days over cracking, drifting ice. Large open leads required swimming in survival suits, a long circumnavigation, and sometimes a courageous leap with a following sled. Skiing a total of 780 kilometres, the route was always challenging. The final days involved a relentless push to the Pole, comprising 17 hour shifts on skis pulling a sled, separated by short breaks to eat and sleep.
In 2013, Linda and Rob, with friend Kerryn, returned to Patagonia, this time successfully crossing the Southern Patagonian Icecap.
Linda formed Journeys for Learning, a not-for-profit organisation to link the journeys of adventurers with the lives of ordinary people in schools, communities and workplaces. In 2010 she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for her North Pole trek and was named Australian Geographic Society’s Adventurer of the Year.
Aviation
Linda earned her first pilot’s licence in 2000 and in the last decade has worked as a flying instructor. She is now the Chief Flying Instructor at the Bendigo Flying Club. Linda says the joy of flight is best experienced in journeys across the immense, varied and striking Australian continent.
Rob Rigato
Outdoors, Natural and social places, Exploring
Rob is passionate about the outdoors, and an explorer of the world around him. He enjoys discovering the history, geography and culture and the places he visits.
His working life was focused on Outdoor Education. His five years with the Australian Outward Bound School was spent in the mountains and forests around Canberra, and in wilderness settings in NSW, Queensland, and Victoria.
For many years he led a school Outdoor Education program which, in addition to building outdoor skills, had a strong focus on teamwork and leadership. For many years Rob made a yearly visit to the USA to instruct on a month-long backpacking course in Wyoming or Alaska for the National Outdoor Leadership School.
Rob joined his wife Linda on three icecap journeys. These were remote, months long expeditions in Greenland, the Arctic (to the North Pole) and on the South Patagonia icecap.
Rob’s work and interests draw on his Arts degree and Diploma of Education, together with his interest in geology and love of the outdoors. He is now brushing up on his Italian language skills with ongoing learning. Rob often has a camera in his hand and has a great interest in recording the story of an expedition in pictures.
As a member of the Hopeful Hildas team Rob captures the experience on camera and in detailed posts about each days’ beauty, challenges, and escapades, along with insights into the history and character of locations visited.