RUTH, FOR THE PURPOSE OF HER LIFE EXPERIENCES, HAS CHOSEN THE SKY AS HER PLAYGROUND… Ruth E Wilson, Australia’s first champion balloonist, was born during World War II as the illegitimate daughter of a mining family, from where she escaped the confinement of the two-room, fibro garage known as home when secretly she entered and won a local beauty contest aged 17. Married by age 20, she was initially content to follow her husband’s career, taking her from Sydney across to the American country clubs, to the enigmatic culture of Japan, where she fell afoul of the Japanese Yakuza. But conventional female roles proved too confining for the restless soul of this determined adventurer.

Years later, and after learning of a dark family secret, Ruth discovered the world of ballooning and a new passion fired within her soul. Challenges at each turn made those early days worth every small triumph as Ruth became known quickly as one of the early pioneers in Australian ballooning.

To this day, she is still one of the world’s elite female gas ballooning competitors.

Conquering Clouds is an inspirational journey of rising above a devastating loss while soaring upward to achievement. It is a reminder of our universal quest for freedom, love and fulfilment and the unique tale of adventure in which a young girl’s dream to leave darkness behind is achieved through her sheer, indomitable force of spirit.