Deborah Jane Lawrie was born in Sydney on the 14th of May, 1953. Her family would later move to Melbourne, where she would graduate in 1974 with a degree in science from the University of Melbourne.

At age 18, Lawrie obtained her private pilot license in 1971. This was quickly followed by her commercial pilot license, which she achieved in 1973. By 1976, Lawrie had already swiftly logged 2600 flying hours and had become a charter pilot and flying instructor.

These years of experience and significant passion for aviation led her husband Peter Wardley to encourage her to apply to Ansett Airlines. However, after sending applications for another two years, Lawrie had still yet to receive any response. After finally reaching the interview stage of application in 1978, she was ultimately rejected. In the mean time, the Ansett pilot training program had continued to accept multiple fellow male flying instructors.

Sensing that there were inequal practices in play, Lawrie (or under her married name, Wardley) decided to take the case to the recently formed Victorian Equal Opportunity Board and dispute Ansett's rejection on the grounds of equal opportunity legislation.

Founder of Ansett Airlines, Reg Ansett denied that these allegations of discrimination were true. However, he nonetheless clarified his own view that women was unsuitable to work as airline pilots. The objections to the employment of women as pilots included 'lack of strength' despite a lack of a strength test for pilots.