Melbourne local Dee Brooker isn’t joking when she tells us that her favourite way to survey the city’s surrounds is from 25,000 feet.
As a trained family law and children’s court barrister, Dee has spent her life embracing the challenges of the legal world. However it’s her personal passion for flying that allows her to step into a different role, where solving problems is all part of the appeal— even after a long day in court.
“If you’ve got things on your mind, flying is a great way to go out and relax—to have fun, be challenged and unwind.”
Dee first discovered her love for flying through her husband, Peter, a vascular surgeon who learned to fly before graduating from medicine. His hobby went on hold for several years while his career became his primary focus, but opening his own practice in the mid-1980’s gave the couple the opportunity to embrace their love of flying once more.
“I was flying with [my husband] for about 15 years before I did a course to get my partner’s license. That weekend, I went, “What am I doing? I can do this myself!”
Now, Dee combines her professional goals with her passion, choosing to step into the pilot’s seat of her Garmin 1000 to fly to regional areas of Victoria where specialist lawyers are sought-after. This allows her to maintain the aviation hours required to keep her pilot’s license, often with her two terriers, Yoric and Cleo as flight companions.
“Even if I’ve had a long day in court, I love the fact that I have been challenged all day and then I jump in the aircraft and I have a whole new set of challenges.”
Dee’s knack for fitting her favourite pastimes into her day stretches to her morning routine. Beginning with fresh coffee, orange juice and a walk around the block, she settles down to planning her next flight route with a hot latte crafted using her GS3—a machine that she fell in love with while owning a café when on a brief hiatus from the legal industry.
Returning to Moorabbin airfield at sunset on a Friday evening means that she can enjoy the weekend with her family, spend quality time with her four-legged friends, or plan a trip further afield. Whether exploring Australia’s skies in the pilot’s seat or jetting off to Europe as a passenger, there’s always somewhere to go.
