Known as Lillian or Lily. Born 3 August 1888 to Finlay Charles Mackay and Rebecca McKinley. Second eldest child of ten children.

Spent her early years at Netherby in north west Victoria. Excelled at athletics.

Our Letterbox

One Hundred Mice a Day.— Baker, July 25.— Dear Aunt Connie,— Father has made a new garden. The wheat is growing splendidly. We are milking two cows! We have seven sheep and only one pet, eight cats and two dear little calves. The mice are destructive. One man made a trap and caught over 100 a day. Butter is at a low price now, only 6d a pound. Our baby hurt his face; he fell down the cellar steps one day, and made a hole in his face. I can play draughts and I am going to play chess. There is a chess club started here. The horses and cattle are in good condition. With love to all, I remain, — F. Lillian Mackay. Weekly Times, 2 September 1899.

Around 1909 the family moved to Bayswater near Melbourne – 1909 ER lists Finlay as a farmer at the Basin.

By 1914 Finlay had purchased a property “Lochiel”, Nalinga Road near Violet Town in north east Victoria.

From the ODH House Committee report 8 August 1910 – The Secretary reported that for the vacancy among the probationer nurses, Miss F. L. Mackay, of Camperdown Hospital had been engaged ...

From the ODH House Committee report 12 December 1910 – Nurse Mackay has finished her 3 months on trial and being satisfactory her indentures are ready for signature.

From the minutes of the board 13 December 1910, the seal of the hospital was affixed to the indentures of Nurse Mackay …

From the ODH Inpatient Register 1 January 1906-28 April, 1925. Admitted as a patient with mumps on 23 December 1910. 7 January 1910 discharged to F.C. Mackay (orchardist).

From the ODH House Committee 9 July 1913 – It was decided to allow Nurse Mackay to continue at the hospital until the November examinations at 3rd year salary …

From the ODH House Committee 15 February 1915 – A letter was read from Nurse F.L. Mackay asking if the hospital would give her a certificate showing that she had trained here for 3 years although after several attempts she had been unable to pass her final exam. It is decided to inform her that we regret that owing to an arrangement with the RVTNA we cannot give a certificate until the final exam has been passed and that she had already received testimonials from the matron and medical officers.

The 1915 & 1916 electoral rolls list Frances as enrolled as a nurse at Corryong. From the entries in the Corryong Courier, she appears to be in a 'matron' type role.

Passed examinations held 21st and 22nd November, ... Nurse Mackay also trained here some time ago, but did not present herself for the examination until now ... Ovens and Murray Advertiser, 20 December 1916, page 2.

1916 December Una Journal, EXAMINATION RESULTS.

Following are the names of the successful candidates at the half-yearly examination held by the Royal Victorian Trained Nurses’ Association on 21st and 22nd November:… Beechworth Hospital (Ovens District).—Jessie Elizabeth Cameron, Mabel Helena Chapman, Frances Lillian Mackay.

1917 February Una Journal – General Register -Mackay, Francis L., Violet Town—Cert. Ovens District Hospital, 1913. Exam., November, 1916.

Date of qualification 19 December 1916.

18 June 1917 enlisted AANS reinforcements AIF for British India Service.

30 June 1917 embarked RMS Somali from Melbourne to via Bombay, via Colombo. 

30 July 1917 arrived Bombay and posted to Victoria War Hospital for duty.

14 January 1918 transferred to Station Hospital, Bangalore for duty.

28 November 1918 transferred to United Kingdom via Ceylon on HT Wiltshire.

11 December 1918 disembarks Suez.

20 January 1919 embarks at Port Said on the Kaiser-I-Hind for UK - sailed 21 January 1919

1 February 1919 disembarks Southampton from India to report to HQ AIF London.

2 February 1919 staff nurse attached to 3rd AAH Dartford for duty ex HQ AIF London.

17 February 1919 staff nurse rejoins 3rd AAH for duty ex furlough.

10 June 1919 staff nurse attached to 3rd AAH ex leave.

30 June 1919 promoted to sister

4 July 1919 embarks Wiltshire for return to Australia.

19 August 1919 disembarks Melbourne.

19 August to 28 November 1919 outpatient 11th AGH.

8 January 1920 discharged. Returns home to Violet Town.

From the RVTNA Register of Members Feb 1922 - Mackay, Francis Lillian, Bemboka, South Coast, N.S.W.—Reg. Feb., 1917. Cert Ovens District Hospital, 1913; Lady Bowen Hospital, Brisbane, Mid., Nov., 1920.

1925-1935 Lillian is the matron and owner of the Braidwood Private Hospital, Cohuna, Victoria.

A Mackay family history researcher believes that Lillian was nursing Western Australia in 1937. Can find no evidence to back this up.

MACKAY — On the 23rd January, at her son's residence, Humula, [between Tarcutta and Tumbarumba] New South Wales, Rebecca Mackay, dearly beloved wife of Finlay Charles Mackay, of Humula, New South Wales, and late of Victoria. The Age, 26 January 1933.

MACKAY – On the 24th February at his son’s residence, Tarcutta, New South Wales, F.C. Mackay aged 77 years. The Age, 3 March 1934.

Rebecca and Finlay were buried at Tarcutta Cemetery.

PROBATIONARY NURSES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

Sir,-Mr. Watman, chairman of the Grafton Hospital Board, has just emphasised the difficulty of obtaining probationer nurses. This question of the shortage of nurses is general throughout the Commonwealth. Should war come to our shores the seriousness of the situation would be greatly enhanced

At present the probationer nurse in hospitals other than training schools

receives no system of training. Some scheme with a definite period of training and curriculum of study with the reward of an efficiency badge and a distinctive uniform would help to make nursing more attractive to the probationary nurse. Examinations for these badges could be conducted by say, the St John Ambulance Association, as an advanced course of nursing for the Voluntary Aid Detachment

At the age of 17 years local girls who have attained the educational standard for nursing could enter country hospitals-not at present training schools-and under the direct supervision of the matron be trained in all the details of hospital work. After two years study she would be eligible for examinations. If the training schools for the profession of nursing would work in cooperation, what a great field would offer from which to draw the trainees and how much more coveted could be the position of probationary nurse.

I am etc

LILLIAN MACKAY. Adelong, Nov. 2. Sydney Morning Herald, 5 November 1938.

Homes For Nurses

SIR,— A report states that the board of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital plans to establish a college of nursing in the post-war years. Dr. Schlink, the chairman, said "the college will accommodate 1000 nurses and provide a cultural background in conjunction with a thorough nursing training." Why wait until after the war? Comfortable housing is essential to the welfare and happiness of any community, and nurses should have a suitable environment after their day's work is done. A home for nurses should be more than a number of bedrooms. It should include all facilities for comfort and recreation. Until women are offered the background of refined and cultured homes in which to live and their leisure time considered, the status of nursing will continue to suffer from lack of candidates from among the educated and intelligent women of today.

—LILLIAN MACKAY. District Hospital, Bulli. The Daily Telegraph, 30 November 1944.

STAFFING OUR HOSPITALS

COUNTRY MATRON ADVANCES PLAN

A plan to overcome the present staff shortage in country hospitals, has been advanced by Lillian MacKay, Matron of Peak Hill Hospital, and published in the women's section of 'The Land' recently. Joan Pilgrim, who conducts the women's page, voices praise of Matron MacKay's suggestion. NURSING TRAINEES.

It has always seemed to me that the metropolitan hospitals, that are registered training schools, have it all over the country hospitals that are not, and that this is one of the main causes for the shortage of nurses in suburban and country hospitals. As a matter of simple reasoning, a girl who is giving up four very important years of her life— from 18 to 22--during which time she could earn more money working in a pickle factory — learning to be a nurse, at least wants the assurance that when she is finished, she will have earned a certificate that is recognised in the profession. When one hears that even the metropolitan hospitals are short of nursing staff, how much more difficult are the problems of the matrons of smaller country hospitals which, while they probably turn out as good or better trained nurses, are not registered as training schools? Here is a letter received this week from the matron of the Peak Hill Hospital, which, while telling of the very real difficulties of obtaining staff, offers a most practical solution of a tremendous problem. She points out that the smaller country hospitals could be used as Preliminary Training Schools which girls could enter before the age of 18, which is the eligible age for entering the profession. Hundreds of girls, keen to be nurses when they leave school at 16 are lost to the profession by entering other occupations between 16 and 18— any of which earn them more money than nursing. By the time they have arrived at 18 they have become too accustomed to earning good money with lots of leisure, to voluntarily throw it away to become junior Florence Nightingales.

MATRON'S LETTER.

Here is Matron Mackay's letter:

'Trying to manage a hospital— and a busy hospital— with a skeleton staff, is certainly a problem.

'My interest lies in the small country hospitals, particularly those that are not registered as Training Schools for Nurses.

'A 44-hour week gives a nurse a lot of leisure time in the country— what is she to do with it? Her time off duty does not coincide with the leisure time of the other Youth of the town; so trained nurses are difficult to secure. A hospital fully staffed with trained nurses would be ideal. But the attractions of the city are too great.

'The only alternative that I can see is to offer some attraction to the young girls of the district to take up nursing— and to bridge the gap between 16-18 years.

'I would suggest that these small hospitals be registered as Preliminary Training Schools for trainee nurses. After spending one or two years in this school, according to her age on entering, and after passing an examination set by the authorities, a P.T.S. certificate be granted by the hospital. This would give her the privilege of entering a larger hospital should she wish to continue her training— and if she does' not, ' she would be a much more useful citizen because of her knowledge.

'Examination could include St John's ; Ambulance First Aid, home nursing, simple practical nursing procedures, ethics, cooking, etc.

'Being a paper interested in the problems of the country, 'The Land' may spread this idea to some purpose. Local Hospital Boards, Shire Councils, could discuss it. May the idea grow — and perhaps I may be the first to solve my problem with the first Preliminary Training School for Nurses— and a full staff. Yours etc., LILLIAN MACKAY, Matron.’ The Burrowa News, 26 April 1946

Memorial to Doctors Weedon and Martin

Sir, there is no doubt that everyone will subscribe to the memorial for Drs. Weedon and Martin. Soon the questions will be: What form should -this memorial take? What will best keep alive the memory of such men so highly regarded? My suggestion would be a staff of nurses for the maternity unit at the Wagga Base Hospital, to be known as the Weedon and Martin Memorial Special Nurses. There must have been many times in the career of these two doctors when they have wished in vain for some nurse who could devote her time to some special case and not have to share her duties with numbers of other patients not, needing such special care. I do not suggest that these nurses should replace the recognised number of nurses now employed on the hospital staff, but that they be an addition to the staff as specials — directly responsible to the doctor in charge of each case — by arrangement with the hospital authorities. These nurses could take precedence over the hospital staff, their title, 'Nurse,' to be a Weedon and Martin special— an ambition for all nurses. They could be used only on cases of midwifery, the nurse to be with the mother from her admission until both she and her baby are safely over their effort and all danger is passed. This would give the mother a sense of security. These nurses would be specially selected for their skill and understanding. Mothers could feel their sympathy, and the doctors could trust them. The nurses would realise their responsibility to the mother, and later to the family awaiting news, as well as assisting the doctor. To perpetuate the memorial, include the question in all examination papers, both for doctors and nurses, to be read at all annual meetings. To such a memorial I would lead the way with a donation of £5 Yours etc-, FRANCES LILLIAN MACKAY, Tarcutta, October 21. Daily Advertiser, 24 October 1947.

September 1960 – Applied for membership of the Dee Why RSL Club – her address being 52 Dee Why Parade, Dee Why.

According to Gaye Brannan (a great niece) Lillian, in 1963 aged seventy-five, along with her sisters, Maud and Eileen, purchased and ran the Kanowna Private hospital in Leura. However, within two years, they had to sell as Maud had become an invalid after a car accident and required full time nursing care. Lillian and Eileen cared for Maud until her death in 1976.

August 1966 – applied for repatriation benefits.

Thank you to Heather Lane and Gaye Brannan for their assistance in researching Lillian's life.

©Anne Hanson, 2023                                       E-mail:  Anne Hanson