Gladys Edith McKay (20 February 1891 – 30 January 1963) was an Australian writer. [1]
Edith McKay | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gladys Edith McKay 20 February 1891 |
| Died | 30 January 1963 |
| Other names | Edith Dithmack |
| Known for | writer and nurse at Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service |
| Notable work | The House of Winston Blaker (1947) |
| Awards | Radio short story award 1949 |
During World War I, McKay volunteered as a nurse and was sent overseas to Gallipoli and Serbia with the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service. [2] [3]
McKay is best known for her 1947 novel "The House of Winston Blaker". [4]
"The House of Winston Blaker" received mostly positive reviews nationally and was later adapted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio serial. [5] [6] [7]
McKay was also known for her short stories, written under the name of Edith Dithmack. [1] More than 120 of McKay's short stories were broadcast on ABC Radio in the 1940s. [8]
In 1949, McKay won the ABC's short story competition in 1949 for Faith. [9]
ABC Radio adapted another of McKay's works into a serial format in 1952. Unborn Tomorrow, inspired by the history of Kanaka labour on the Queensland sugarcane fields, was aired from Monday to Friday at 8:45am. [10]
McKay was born in Rockhampton, and worked as a solicitor's clerk in Bundaberg before settling in the Boonah district. [11] [9]
See also
- Other notable women volunteers in the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service
- Women in World War I
- Australian women in World War I
- The Serbian campaign (1914-1915)
References
- ^ a b Author: Edith McKay, AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource. Accessed 20 August 2018.
- ^ "Serbia, 1919. Portrait of nursing sisters Sterling (?Stirling) and Edith Mackay (on right)". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Mackay, Edith Jane (Nurse, Scottish Women's Hospital b.1875 - d.1961)". Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ Miller, Simon (26 July 2013) The House of Winston Blaker: Business Front and Centre in a 1947 Novel, State Library of Queensland website. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
- ^ (25 November 1947) Queensland novel tells good tale, Maryborough Chronicle. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ (17 January 1948) Novel of the Week: The House of Winston Blaker Archived 22 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ (3 January 1948) Four books of fiction Archived 22 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Age. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ (12 July 1949) Story winner, The Courier-Mail. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ a b (12 July 1949) Boonah woman wins competition Archived 22 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Queensland Times. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ (23 April 1952) New radio serial by Queensland writer Archived 22 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Weekly Times. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.
- ^ (13 June 1946) Our Contributors: E. Dithmack, Western Mail. Retrieved from National Library of Australia 20 August 2018.