User:Zhou Tong Māra/Valda Ošs-Lamonde

Valda Ošs-Lamonde, born on 6 February 1935 in Liepāja, Latvia; died on 24 October 1968 Coburg, Australia, was the first Latvian woman to become an Australian civil aviation pilot. She received her pilot's license from the Royal Victorian Aero Club in 1956. Valda worked for Southern Airlines until the company went bankrupt and liquidated. The job as a pilot could no longer continue, so she began taking office employment with another airline.

Biography
Valda Oss Lamonde (Valda Ošs-Lamonde) was born in the Oskar Brem’s (OskarsBrēms) clinic in Liepaja, a daughter of the housewife Marija Leontine Oss (MarijaLeontīne Ošs) and seller Zanis Kriss Oss (Žanis Krišs Ošs). She received baptism at the church of Saint Anne in Liepaja (Liepājas Svētās Annas Evaņģēliski luteriskādraudze) in 1938, where Vilis Ziemelis (Vilis Ziemelis) and Elvira Ziemelis (ElvīraZiemelis) were chosen as godparents for her, and her baptismal name was Valda Helga Oss (Valda Helga Ošs).

During the period of World War II, on July 4, 1949, the family was forced to emigrate from Latvia, and on July 28, 1949, they onboard the immigrant ship “Skaugum” left from the port of Naples, Italy and arrived in Victoria, Australia. Initially, everyone lived in Bonegilla Migrant Camp located Australia’s northwestern city West Sale, thenthey moved to Coburg - a suburb of Melbourne. She had been studied in Sale High School in Gippsland.

October 24th, 1968, Valda decided to take her own life, and she was buried in Fawkner Memorial Park on October 28th, 1968.

Private life
She was married with Byron Hugh Lamond (Baironu Hjū Lamondu)(1922–1995). They had a son named as Gregor (Gregors). Vald had brother Juris Andrei Oss (Juris Andrejs Ošs) (born in 20 December 1942, deceased in 1999). Her parents: are Mary Leontina Oss (Marija Leontīne Ošs)(born in Murnieks family) and Zanis Kriss Oss (Žanis Krišs Ošs), aunt Anna Alexander Murnieks-Gibietis (Anna Aleksandra Mūrnieks-Ģibietis).

Memorial events
In February 2015, the Central Scientific Library of Liepāja (Fish Street 7) held an exhibition dedicated to the commemoration of Valda Oss-Lamonde.

Reference
3. https://rvac.com.au/

4. (Author unknown) Week notes of Newspaper Latvian in Australia (Austrālijas Latvietis) on May 7th, 1960

5. Lasma.G – Latvian Woman in Australia’s sky: sad life story of Valda Oss-Lamonda (Latviete Austrālijas debesīs. Valdas Ošs skumjais dzīvesstāsts)

6. 100 Secrets of Latvia (100 Latvijas noslēpumi), November 2020.