Born in Queensland, Australia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pioneer aviation

He fought in WWI, serving at the ill-fated landing at Gallipoli, in Turkey, before joining the British Royal Flying Corps. Post-war, he continued his love of aviation in UK and USA, before returning to Australia. In 1928, Kingsford-Smith, known as Smithy, was the first to fly across the Pacific Ocean. He set several other records, before he disappeared in the Andaman Sea, off the coast of Burma.

He has been honoured by having an electorate named after him, and the airport in Sydney is known as the Kingsford Smith International Airport. His plane, the Southern Cross, has pride of place at Brisbane Airport. Australia Post has issued stamps commemorating his life.

Answer: Sean Connery

Cilento (1932-2011) worked in UK, Hollywood and Australia. She scored an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the 1963 film 'Tom Jones', losing to Margaret Rutherford ('The V.I.P.s'). Her 34-year career ended when she retired to north Queensland, living there till her death from cancer.

Answer: Natalie Cook

She teamed with Kerri Pottharst (who does not qualify for this quiz, as she was born in Adelaide, South Australia) to win the gold at Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach. They also won bronze at Atlanta in 1996.

Hayley Lewis scooped the pool at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, with five golds, and garnered an Olympic silver, in her three appearances at the Games. Stephanie Rice won three gold medals, all in world record times, at Beijing in 2008. Giann Rooney also has an Olympic gold, when she was part of the world record beating relay team in 2004.

Answer: Mary Poppins

P L Travers (born in Maryborough in 1899) was an actress and dancer before she started writing the first of eight 'Mary Poppins' books; her last novel, 'Mary Poppins and the House Next Door' was published in 1988, over 50 years later! Walt Disney bought the rights to the books and released the famous movie in 1964. Travers did not like what Disney did to her book, considering it over-sweet, and the animation was totally wrong. She died in 1996.

'Skippy' was not adapted from a book, but was a very successful television series in the late 1960s.

Answer: Sailed around the world, solo

She sailed out of Sydney in October 2009, and returned to that city in May 2010. Under the rules of circumnavigation (set by the International Sailing Federation), she was not allowed to stop in any port or have any contact with another boat. She also had to cross the Equator at some stage, which she did, in the Pacific Ocean at the start (she sailed west to east).

She had several nasty moment with storms and big seas, but arrived home to a huge public reception. She was awarded the Order of Australia, and skippered a large yacht in the gruelling, but much shorter, Sydney-to-Hobart Yacht Race.

Her boat, the Ella's Pink Lady, is on display at Queensland Maritime Museum in Brisbane.

Answer: Christine Anu

All of the answers are indigenous Australian musicians.

Anu was born in Cairns, about 1700 kms north of the Queensland capital of Brisbane, in 1970. She reprised 'My Island Home' at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She has a shelfful of ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Awards, and several Deadly Awards, for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement.

Casey Donovan was born in Sydney, and won the second season of 'Australian Idol', in 2004. Deborah Cheetham is a soprano, educated at the prestigious New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, but she was born in NSW, not in Queensland. Georgina Chrisanthopoulos is a Melbourne-born rapper, who goes by the stage name of Little G.

Answer: First female Governor General

The Governor General is the representative of the British monarch in several Commonwealth countries, and while they do have some powers, the position is mainly ceremonial. They are recommended by the sitting Prime Minister, but still have to be approved (signed-off) by Buckingham Palace.

Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce served as the State Governor of Queensland from 2003 to 2008, before being promoted the top position, serving until 2014. She was born in Brisbane in 1942. She has never been in space, and I doubt that she is able to juggle.

Answer: Kevin Rudd

He had a very bumpy ride in his political life. He entered public life in 1998 and in only nine years, he was in the top job, winning the 2007 election easily, using the simple slogan 'Kevin 07'. His popularity did not last, however, and he was ousted in 2010 by Julia Gillard, who became the first female PM. Rudd defeated Gillard in yet another leadership spill in 2013, but the public was fed up with the internal fighting in the Labor Party, and the Liberals, led by Tony Abbott, won power.

A very interesting time in Australian politics, indeed! Whitlam, Hawke and Keating were all Labor Prime Ministers in the 20th century, but none of them were born in Queensland.

Answer: Rod Laver

All of these men were champions, with 21 majors between them. Rod Laver, known as the Rockhamptom Rocket, after the Queensland city he was born in, won 11 of the 21. He was ranked Number One for 7 years, as a professional, amateur and into the Open Era.

Not bad for a man that was only 175cm (5ft 8in) tall! The Centre Court at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open, was named in his honour and he has also been named a Legend Of Australian Sport, the highest sporting accolade available in Australia.

Answer: 400 metres

Who can forget that green and gold body suit or the look of relief on her face immediately after the race? Goose-bumpy stuff indeed!

Her Olympic Torch moment almost ended in disaster, although most of the audience did not realise it at the time. The cauldron was supposed to rise out of a pool of water, but after Cathy lit it, the mechanism jammed, and she was surrounded by a ring of fire until the technicians could get it restarted!

Those Olympics hold a special place to me. My daughter was one of the hundreds of school kids the took part in the closing ceremony.