Person
McKenzie, Florence Violet (1890 - 1982)
OBE
- Born
- 28 September 1890
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia - Died
- 23 May 1982
Greenwich, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Electrical engineer
- Alternative Names
- Granville, Florence Violet (maiden name)
- Wallace, Florence Violet (Also known as)
Summary
Florence McKenzie was Australia's first female electrical engineer. She owned an electrical contracting business and "The Wireless Shop" in the centre of Sydney. Her interest in radio prompted her to obtain an amateur radio operator's license in 1922, the first woman in Australia to do so, and co-found the magazine The Wireless Weekly. McKenzie was particularly interested in technical education for women: her concerns ranged from emancipating women from domestic drudgery to electrical safety. In 1932 she founded the Women's Radio College and in 1934 the Electrical Association for Women, to provide training to women and encourage them to become involved in the industry. A further step was to establish the Women's Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC) in 1939, which trained women in morse code and semaphore. The intention was that they could take the place of men in communications positions, thereby freeing them for war service. In 1941, as a direct result of McKenzie's efforts, the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service was inaugurated with the enlistment of 14 women trained at the WESC. She continued to train both women and men throughout WWII, and in the post-war period. McKenzie received a number of honours, including that of Patron of the Ex-WRANS Association. In 2017 the Florence Violet McKenzie Chair was established at the Australian National University.
Details
Chronology
- 1918
- Career event - Established her own electrical contracting business
- 1922
- Career event - First Australian woman to take out an amateur radio operator's license
- 1922 - 1926
- Career position - Proprietor, "The Wireless Shop", Royal Arcade, Sydney
- 1923
- Education - Diploma in Electrical Engineering, Sydney Technical College
- 1923
- Career event - became a Member of the Wireless Institute of Australia
- 1932
- Career event - Opened Women's Radio College, Phillip Street, Sydney
- 1934
- Career event - Established the Electrical Association for Women
- 1939
- Career event - Founded Women's Emergency Signalling Corps (WESC)
- 1950
- Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- 1957
- Award - Elected Fellow, Australian Institute of Navigation
- 1964 - 1982?
- Award - Patron, Ex-WRANS Association
- 1979
- Career event - Elected Member, Royal Naval Amateur Radio Society
- 2017
- Award (posthumous) - Florence Violet McKenzie Chair established, Australian National University
Related entries
Published resources
Books
- Dufty, David, Radio girl: the extraordinary story of Mrs Mac, pioneering engineer and wartime legend (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2020), 302 pp. Details
Book Sections
- Nelmes, Michael, 'Florence Violet McKenzie (1890 - 1982)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 18, Nolan, Melanie, ed. (Carlton South, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, 2012), https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mckenzie-florence-violet-15485. Details
Edited Books
- Radi, H. ed., 200 Australian Women: a Redress Anthology (Sydney: Women's Redress Press Inc, 1988), 268 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- 'Mrs Florence Violet McKenzie (nee Wallace) OBE ASTC (Elec Eng) FAIN, "Mrs Mac" died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday evening, 23 May 1982, aged 90', Ex-Wrans ditty box (1982), 1-11. Details
Resource Sections
- Freyne, Catherine, 'McKenzie,(Florence) Violet', in The dictionary of Sydney, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, 2010. https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/mckenzie_violet. Details
See also
- Engineers Australia ed., Anything is possible: 100 Australian engineering leaders (Barton, A.C.T.: Institution of Engineers Australia, 2019), 136 pp. 'A career of firsts - Florence McKenzie' p.86. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 16 July 2024