Christine's Story
Born in Edgecliff, Sydney, in 1934, Christine Davy became the first Australian woman to compete in alpine skiing at the Olympic Winter Games. Educated in Sydney and the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, she was 21 when she made her Olympic debut at Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956. Davy contested all three women’s alpine events, finishing 39th in the downhill, 37th in the giant slalom and 33rd in the slalom.
Davy returned to Olympic competition at Squaw Valley in 1960. She improved on her first Games in each discipline, placing 27th in the downhill, 32nd in the giant slalom and 29th in the slalom. Her two Olympic appearances established her as a pioneering figure in Australian winter sport at a time when the country had few opportunities or facilities for elite alpine skiers. 2Following her retirement from competitive skiing, Davy became a trailblazer in Australian aviation. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for her service to civil aviation and, in 1974, became the first Australian woman to obtain a first-class airline transport pilot licence and serve as an airline captain.
