Bree O'Mara
Encyclopedia
Bridgid "Bree" O'Mara was an Irish-South African novelist, ballet dancer, TV producer and air hostess who was killed in the crash of Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
.
, Natal Province
, South Africa
of Irish parentage and carried an Irish passport. She attended the Maris Stella School
in Durban
during the early 1980s. After an early career in theater O'Mara worked as a flight attendant for Gulf Air
, before becoming a video producer in the Gulf States. After travelling through Canada and the United States, living briefly in Elkins, West Virginia
, she settled in London during the 1990s. After living in Northamptonshire
in the early 2000s. In 2003 she worked as a volunteer for Mondo Challenge in Tanzania. She returned to her childhood home of South Africa in 2005.
with her husband Chris Leach.
by the cancellation of flights to the UK resulting from the Eyjafjallajökull
eruption.
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771
Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 was a scheduled international passenger flight that crashed on 12 May 2010 at about 06:10 local time on approach to Tripoli International Airport...
.
Early life
O'Mara was born in DurbanDurban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, Natal Province
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
of Irish parentage and carried an Irish passport. She attended the Maris Stella School
Maris Stella School
Maris Stella School is a private Roman Catholic day school for girls from four to eighteen years old , located on the Berea in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa....
in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
during the early 1980s. After an early career in theater O'Mara worked as a flight attendant for Gulf Air
Gulf Air
Gulf Air is the principal flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Headquartered in Muharraq, adjacent to Bahrain International Airport, the airline operates scheduled services to 45 destinations in 28 countries across Africa, Asia and Europe. Its main base is Bahrain International Airport...
, before becoming a video producer in the Gulf States. After travelling through Canada and the United States, living briefly in Elkins, West Virginia
Elkins, West Virginia
Elkins is a city in Randolph County, West Virginia, United States. The community was incorporated in 1890 and named in honor of Stephen Benton Elkins , a U.S. Senator from West Virginia. The population was 7,032 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randolph County...
, she settled in London during the 1990s. After living in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
in the early 2000s. In 2003 she worked as a volunteer for Mondo Challenge in Tanzania. She returned to her childhood home of South Africa in 2005.
Personal life
At the time of her death, she lived in Kosmos, MadibengKosmos, North West
Kosmos is a village in the North West Province of South Africa. It is situated on the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam.-History:The first homes were built in the 1920s shortly after the Dam was constructed. It is thought that the name derives from the Kosmos which grows wild in great drifts in many...
with her husband Chris Leach.
Death
She was travelling in an aeroplane which crashed on her way to visit London for a meeting with publishers. She had previously been forced to abandon a scheduled appearance at the London Book FairLondon Book Fair
The London Book Fair is a large book-publishing trade fair held annually, usually in April, in London, England. The London Book Fair has grown in size and importance in recent years, and 23,000 publishers, booksellers, literary agents, librarians, media and industry suppliers from over 100...
by the cancellation of flights to the UK resulting from the Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull is one of the smaller ice caps of Iceland, situated to the north of Skógar and to the west of Mýrdalsjökull. The ice cap covers the caldera of a volcano with a summit elevation of . The volcano has erupted relatively frequently since the last glacial period, most recently in...
eruption.
Works
- Home Affairs (2007) (winner of the Citizen Book Prize)
- Nigel Watson, Superhero (scheduled for publication in 2010)