Lyn Mitchell is a 76-year-old mother of three daughters who left studying until late in life. She left her Brisbane home in 1965 to join the Women’s Royal Australian Air Force, married and spent the next 20 years moving with the Air Force.
As a 16-year-old, of the Queensland system at the time meant that she was not allowed to study to a Year 11 level. Lyn never forgot that denial and pledged to get a mortar board one day, finally being accepted at Box Hill TAFE in 2012. Lyn never felt confident in grammar and wanted to write her father’s story of being a Barnardos Boy. In 2019 she finally achieved her Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and Editing.
Throughout her life, Lyn has experienced almost every facet of employment a woman of her era could. From a secretary, to retail staff, a governess out West, child care support worker, party plan operator, call centre staff, Avon representative, and even demonstrating products. For five years Lyn also owned and worked in her own florist shop.
Her hobbies include ikebana, painting, and bonsai.
Lyn has been published in The Age, Morning Bell, a book on Service Women called Our spirit: creative works of Australian Defence Force Women from 1960s onward, and in Dame Quentin Bryce’s book Dear Quentin Letters of a Governor-General. Lyn currently lives in Melbourne with her husband of 55 years and is studying Masters of Writing.