About Bree O'Mara
*Bree O'Mara, 42, South African novelist.
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Full Biography
|Bridgid "Bree" O'Mara (4 July 1968 – 12 May 2010) was an Irish-South African novelist, ballet dancer, TV producer and air hostess who was killed in the crash of Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771.
Biography
Early life
O'Mara was born in Durban, 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. She was 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.[citation needed]
Personal life
At the time of her death, she lived in Kosmos, Madibeng, with her husband Christopher Leach. British mercenary Mike Hoare was her uncle. She wrote an unpublished account of his adventures as a mercenary in the Congo during the 1960s and the Seychelles in the 1970s.
Death
She was travelling on Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771, which crashed in Libya, 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 Fair by the cancellation of flights to the UK resulting from the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
Works
- Home Affairs (2007) (winner of the Citizen Book Prize)
- Nigel Watson, Superhero (scheduled for publication in 2010)
Awards
- 2007 Citizen Book Prize
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
16 Verified Trivia Questions About Bree O'Mara
Every question below is stored in the archive and checked against Bree O'Mara's record and biography. The correct answer and the reasoning behind it are given with each question.
1.In which city was Bree O'Mara born?
- A.London
- B.DurbanCorrect
- C.Elkins
- D.Northamptonshire
Bree O'Mara was born in Durban, Natal Province, South Africa.
Source: Early life section
2.What was the date of Bree O'Mara's birth?
- A.12 May 2010
- B.4 July 1968Correct
- C.12 May 1968
- D.4 July 2010
Bree O'Mara was born on 4 July 1968.
Source: Biography introduction
3.What school did Bree O'Mara attend during the early 1980s?
- A.Gulf State Academy
- B.Maris Stella SchoolCorrect
- C.Mondo Challenge School
- D.Durban Ballet College
Bree O'Mara attended the Maris Stella School in Durban during the early 1980s.
Source: Early life section
4.Which airline employed Bree O'Mara as a flight attendant?
- A.Afriqiyah Airways
- B.Gulf AirCorrect
- C.British Airways
- D.South African Airways
Bree O'Mara worked as a flight attendant for Gulf Air.
Source: Early life section
5.In which US city did Bree O'Mara live briefly?
- A.Chicago
- B.New York City
- C.Los Angeles
- D.ElkinsCorrect
Bree O'Mara lived briefly in Elkins, West Virginia.
Source: Early life section
6.For which organization did Bree O'Mara work as a volunteer in 2003?
- A.Afriqiyah Charity
- B.Citizen Book Prize
- C.Mondo ChallengeCorrect
- D.Maris Stella Foundation
In 2003, Bree O'Mara worked as a volunteer for Mondo Challenge in Tanzania.
Source: Early life section
7.What was the name of Bree O'Mara's husband?
- A.Afriqiyah Airways
- B.Nigel Watson
- C.Mike Hoare
- D.Christopher LeachCorrect
At the time of her death, Bree O'Mara lived in Kosmos with her husband Christopher Leach.
Source: Personal life section
8.Who was the famous relative of Bree O'Mara?
- A.Nigel Watson
- B.Mike HoareCorrect
- C.The President of Tanzania
- D.Christopher Leach
British mercenary Mike Hoare was the uncle of Bree O'Mara.
Source: Personal life section
9.Which book written by Bree O'Mara won the 2007 Citizen Book Prize?
- A.Nigel Watson, Superhero
- B.Durban Memories
- C.Home AffairsCorrect
- D.The Congo Adventures
Home Affairs, published in 2007, was the winner of the Citizen Book Prize.
Source: Works section
10.What was the name of the novel Bree O'Mara had scheduled for publication in 2010?
- A.Flight to Libya
- B.Nigel Watson, SuperheroCorrect
- C.Home Affairs
- D.The Mercenary of Congo
Nigel Watson, Superhero was scheduled for publication in 2010.
Source: Works section
11.In what country did the flight carrying Bree O'Mara crash?
- A.United Kingdom
- B.South Africa
- C.LibyaCorrect
- D.Tanzania
Bree O'Mara was travelling on Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771, which crashed in Libya.
Source: Death section
12.What caused the cancellation of flights that prevented Bree O'Mara from attending the London Book Fair?
- A.An airline strike
- B.The Eyjafjallajökull eruptionCorrect
- C.The bankruptcy of Gulf Air
- D.A political uprising in Libya
Bree O'Mara was forced to abandon a London Book Fair appearance due to the Eyjafjallajökull eruption.
Source: Death section
13.What was the nationality of the passport carried by Bree O'Mara?
- A.IrishCorrect
- B.South African
- C.Tanzanian
- D.British
Bree O'Mara was of Irish parentage and carried an Irish passport.
Source: Early life section
14.What was Bree O'Mara's professional role in the Gulf States?
- A.Publishing agent
- B.Mercenary researcher
- C.Video producerCorrect
- D.Ballet dancer
After working as a flight attendant, Bree O'Mara became a video producer in the Gulf States.
Source: Early life section
15.Where was Bree O'Mara residing in the early 2000s?
- A.Kosmos
- B.Durban
- C.NorthamptonshireCorrect
- D.Elkins
Bree O'Mara was living in Northamptonshire in the early 2000s.
Source: Early life section
16.What was the subject of the unpublished account Bree O'Mara wrote?
- A.Her childhood in Durban
- B.The adventures of Mike HoareCorrect
- C.The history of Gulf Air
- D.Her work for Mondo Challenge
Bree O'Mara wrote an unpublished account of the adventures of her uncle Mike Hoare.
Source: Personal life section
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Articles & News
- "Irish author Bree O'Mara among 103 dead in Libya jet crash"irishtimes.com
- "BBC News - South Africa author Bree O'Mara dies in Libya crash"news.bbc.co.uk
- "Irish author Bree O'Mara killed in Libya plane crash"theguardian.com
Reported coverage of Bree O'Mara; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bree_O'Mara
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
People who died on May 12
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