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Page 2
It was the worst blow for Jean- and she told everyone that she would not leave her mother, even in death, and bought an apartment in Puerto de la Cruz.
But Jean still had a surprise under that hat. In 1969 she made a comeback on the international circuit. A miniskirted, black haired Jean flew back to London wanting to take up her place in aviation once more. Most people had presumed she was dead, and she didn’t get as much attention as she might have wanted. So she returned to New Zealand, and despite using an assumed name she was discovered by the media. She showed how fit she still was by doing high kicks for them. However Jean still couldn’t leave Ellen forever, she went back to Tenerife. As unconventional as always, Jean still had marriage proposals and an affair in her 60s. But when she returned once more to New Zealand, this time with blonde hair, people began to suspect her finances were troubling her. The prime minister Robert Muldoon got her a state pension. But Jean had almost completely dissolved into eccentricity. She left Tenerife in 1982, briefly returned to England to stay with her publisher, and then moved to Majorca. On 8 November 1982 she wrote to her publisher, and that was the last anyone heard. For five whole years no one knew what had happened to her. Her bank account was untouched, and her mail was piling up for her, but in 1987 the truth was finally discovered. Jean Batten died 22 November 1982 from a dog bite she’d received on her daily walk. The wound had become septic, and the infection had gone to her lungs. Jean however wouldn’t let any of the staff at her hotel call for the doctor. She died quite needlessly, and her relatives were not informed due to a bureaucratic bungle. Jean Batten who had been feted around the world was buried in Palma cemetery in a paupers’ mass grave. Although she’d stipulated in her will that she should be interred at Auckland International Airport, this was impossible now, but her name is remembered there in the new terminal. Jean Batten was a real character, whose drive, and an amazing ability with aircraft were unique. She belonged to that golden age of aviatrixes, but set herself apart from the others by her ruthless determination. She was not only beautiful, she was also unique. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Jean Batten- Part Two - Page 2 in New Zealand History is owned by Philippa Jane Ballantine. Permission to republish Jean Batten- Part Two - Page 2 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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