After a series of health-related setbacks, Wollongong-born pilot Tori Nikolaou has achieved her childhood dream of becoming one of the first and youngest Indigenous female commercial pilots in Australia.
Ask a young child what they want to be when they grow up and often the answer is astronaut, firefighter or pilot.
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While many change their minds in their teens, that was never the case for 23-year-old Indigenous pilot Tori Nikolaou, who had always wanted to follow in her father's aviation footsteps.
Born in Wollongong Hospital, she spent the first few years of her life in the Illawarra before moving to the Kimberley, Darwin and Mount Isa as her father, Tony Nikolaou, worked as a charter pilot.
She then moved to Greece as a six-year-old when his career took him to commercial aviation with Aegean Airlines for six years.
"I used to fly to some of the islands off Greece with him sometimes. And just to see the whole aviation environment was exciting for me," Ms Nikolaou said.
"It is like a family and they all get to go and do this fun thing called flying. I always wanted to be part of that and kept asking 'What are you doing, Dad?'"
During many visits to Illawarra Regional Airport she would tell anyone who would listen that she was going to be a pilot and "fly big jets" - just like her dad.
"Illawarra airport was where it began for him and me. I remember running on the tarmac and up to the little offices to see what everyone was doing," she said.
The family returned to Australia in 2004 - first to Shellharbour, then Brisbane - and it was not long until Ms Nikolaou started looking at how she was going to accomplish her dream.
However, a number of health battles stood in the way of Tori realising her long-held dream to fly.
"I was 16 when I first flew with an instructor; I did that for a while until I broke my hand and had to stop," she said.
Staying with cousins in Greece while she recovered from her hand injury, Ms Nikolaou felt a pain in her back, then a lump.
She returned home and managed to finish school and start flying again before her illness finally caught up with her.
She was 17 when she discovered two more lumps on her back - an ultrasound revealing non-cancerous cysts on her lower spine. She was in hospital having surgery within days.
"When I came out of surgery I was bawling my eyes out because I was in so much pain," she said.
"Having stitches in my lower back was really restrictive. It was uncomfortable to lay down or sit".
Complications and an infection resulted in two more surgeries. Suddenly her dream of becoming one of the first and youngest Indigenous female commercial pilots in Australia began to fade.
"With all that happening, my mindset was bad. I was completely sinking. I felt destroyed because I did not think I was going to be able to fly. And I started thinking, 'What else am I going to do?'
"It was like my dream was happening and then it was being yanked away from me for health reasons.
"I was torn and upset that everything had come to a halt and I could not live out what I wanted to do.
"It was all downhill from there. I gained 20 kilos because I couldn't move - I am only slowly able to get back into exercise now."
Though her movement was painful and restricted, she showed her resilience by resuming her flying lessons as soon as she could.
"As soon as I got the all-clear from my doctor I was straight in the car with dad and we went to the Gold Coast where there was a couple of flying schools," she said.
"At the first one we came to they were so nice so I enrolled that day."
She would go on to obtain her commercial pilots licence, realising her childhood dream.
"That was my second chance and there was no way anything or anyone was going to stop me. It was my dream and that was what I was going to."
The next step was to gain her intense multi-engine instrument rating but soon after she started her mother, Tamara Nikolaou, was diagnosed with cancer.
"My focus just switched to her. I was torn because I didn't want to give up but I wanted to be there for her.
"I found a way to do both. I kept myself calm and level-headed. It helped that we had everyone around us.
"My family were there so supportive of mum and helping her get back on track."
Mrs Nikolaou says seeing her daughters Tori and Teisha succeed has helped motivate her.
"I am so proud of Tori. She is just a beautiful soul and she reminds me a lot of my older sister Trudy Davis.
"She has a giving soul like Trudy had and would do anything for anyone. She is such a inspiring person especially with her friends and her community.
"She is so goal driven but takes time out of her own studies to help other young people indigenous or not. And other young women".
Mrs Nikolaou was born in Shellharbour and gave up work when her sister Trudy Davis died in December 2013 after a long battle that started at 16 with a brain tumour diagnosis.
She had been working with Queensland Health delivering cultural practice program to over 22,000 staff at the time. Mrs Nikolaou was then asked to develop a cultural practice program for another organisation but was unable to continue for health reasons.
Harry Mitchell is among those who have followed the family's journey from the beginning. He recalled how determined Ms Nikolaou was as a very young child and is not surprised by her achievements.
Mr Mitchell was keen to catch up with her at the Novotel recently when The Illawarra Connection (TIC) invited the young woman on the cusp of finally realising her lifelong dream to tell her story at its first networking dinner of 2019.
TIC member Janine Cullen was aware of how Ms Nikolaou has become an inspirational role model for other youth and many young Indigenous women and men.
Last year she was invited to speak at an International Women's Day event in Brisbane and was interviewed on NITV for Naidoc Week.
"My earliest memory of wanting to fly was at the Aerial Patrol with Harry Mitchell when it all started with dad and him. That is my fondest memory because that is exactly when I knew what I wanted to do," she said.
Her advice to other young people is when you are going through a tough time things may seem bad at the time. But eventually most things do get better. So just keep trying to push through. She is it was so rewarding and worthwhile when you do make it.
"If my story can help just one person do something they want to do in their life I will be so happy. It doesn't matter what age you are. I always say there is always a second chance for everyone. You can start off bad but you can always end good".
Ms Nikolaou also acknowledged her parents for being so supportive and strong in helping her get where she is today.
"I cannot thank them enough. I love them to bits. I was 22 when I got my commercial licence. I want the view from my office to be the clouds and blue skies. I want to be in the airlines and I am ticking off that list of everything required".
When Ms Nikolaou does fly for a commercial airline soon she will be one of a few indigenous female airline pilots in Australia.
"I am really, really close. I'm and finishing my airline transport licence at the moment. That is to get into the airlines. So I am nearly there," she said.
"I should be finished all the theory exams in March. I will feel honoured and privileged to have all that responsibility when I wear that shirt, hat and epaulettes and am following in my dad's footsteps. He really inspired me as a kid. He always has so much fun going to work. You will never meet a man who loves his job so much".
Mr Nikolaou is presently a training caption for Virgin Australia and helps the airline check and train other pilots in its fleet.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
