Edith McKay
Australian author and WWI nurse (1891-1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gladys Edith McKay (20 February 1891 – 30 January 1963) was an Australian writer and nurse who served in Serbia during World War I.[1] McKay is best known for her 1947 novel "The House of Winston Blaker".
20 February 1891
Edith McKay | |
|---|---|
| Born | Gladys Edith McKay 20 February 1891 |
| Died | 30 January 1963 (aged 71) |
| 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 |
Biography
McKay was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. She worked as a solicitor's clerk in Bundaberg before settling in the Boonah district.[2][3]
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.[4][5]
Her 1947 novel The House of Winston Blaker received mostly positive reviews nationally and was later adapted by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio serial.[6][7][8][9]
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.[10] In 1949, McKay won the ABC's short story competition in 1949 for Faith.[3]
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.[11]
She died in 1963.