née known mac australia female electrical engineer founder lifelong promoter technical education women campaigned successfully female accepted male navy originating servicemen passed signal instruction school sydney acquiring skill code visual signalling flag international code signals set electrical contracting business order meet requirements diploma electrical engineering australian woman amateur radio operator license 1920s 1930s wireless shop sydney renowned sydney radio founded established wrote electric corresponded postwar years family education born september melbourne marriage age known violet wallace sources cite birth year wallace stepfather george surname commercial traveller violet infant family moved south sydney young age violet independent interest electricity invention recalled oral history interview play bells things house mother come help find dark didn good battery hook switch opened door light come started sort playing things school won study passed approached march won diploma december graduated later gave diploma kind awarded australia woman collection cecil young electrical engineer employed radio violet customers shop married auburn new years eve built house complete wireless room attic house remains extensively renovated lived daughter took sons violet sibling melbourne according sands boys later operated radio shop melbourne early employment interests violet taught mathematics deciding course electrical engineering studies miss wallace worked electrical contractor installing electricity private houses politician factories commercial premises including street self success sunday guardian october enthusiastic radio operator licensed woman country sign later changed miss wallace opened wireless shop purchasing entire stock wireless preceded billing oldest radio shop town ran george street street replaced 1970s hotel later said visiting shop introduced code australia weekly radio magazine conceived shop miss wallace founders wireless weekly monthly magazine finally remained circulation female member year travelled united_states business reasons san_francisco welcomed radio miss wallace electrical engineer australia talk studio reportedly time air comment difference systems san_francisco sydney notes experimented improving science television use chemistry pronounced television work devote spare time experimenting branch science deep rooted conviction chemistry going provide solution working lines mutual interest tropical fish enormous fish pond yard spoke heating water electrically house tropical fish home early 1920s having given talks radio tropical fish days electrical contracting work january american journal published article written concerning interesting inhabitants sydney recommended keeping sea horses salt water tank women technical education 1930s turned attention increasingly teaching women electricity radio observed need years working field told lot women customers like form told sunday sun reporter wanted course lectures domestic radio electricity established girls schools technical colleges following year took matters hands opening street persuaded employers later recalled depression joined electrical school time girls involved electrical circuits making radio sets later mac decided time use skills industry persuaded trial radio section soon followed school started component parts section absorbed sections believed electricity save women domestic writing woman heavy work household aid electricity worthy object end founded educational initiative king street centre sydney later moving blocks away street concerned safety electrical doubt drawing experience receiving accidental electric shock knocked hour delivered talk advising conventional proceed thee quarters hour following knew case recovery took hours sold busy gave electric cooking demonstrations kitchen fitted electrical compiled australia electric book ran seven editions remained print wrote illustrated book children electrical safety called electric july women attendance inaugural meeting later known held king street appointed treasurer instructor code organisation women emergency signalling corps established street rooms known original idea train women replace men working civilian communications freeing skilled men serve war time war broke women trained standard women campaigned female accepted air_force navy encountered great deal official resistance wrote minister navy prime minister billy hughes saying like offer services acceptable instructors despite suggestion dismissed time later provided class train tickets melbourne meet testing early january commander newman navy director visited headquarters street test finding highly proficient recommended navy admit hughes took convincing threatened offer air_force instead urgent need trained prevailed april letter authorised entry women navy beginning minister condition publicity accorded break tradition april accompanied domestic medical test april arrived canberra april women dressed green uniform designed months female navy uniform ready number initial intake ranks expanded end war representing cent entire force time told trained women went services remained street school instructors air_force appointed honorary flight officer women auxiliary australian air force legitimately air_force personnel official recognition received war efforts postwar wireless training helped rehabilitation war keeping school open long need instruction wireless signalling postwar years trained men merchant navy pilots commercial aviation needing trade qualification known ticket reporter visit school described scene diversity students table corner recently elementary chinese half americans aircraft new_guinea wireless ticket ship officer objective corner commander preparing word minute exam english ship wireless officer raf wing commander man groups airline types job told journalist war airmen came wanted join needed build speed learn use modern equipment fitted room school receivers radio compass pilots train wireless ticket school held class flight radio raaf airmen civilian career wrote unemployed spent weekday school tuition fee applicable earned sum money course way things required payment training provided suspect pocket affair true great number pilots finally fulfilled australia owe deal school operating sydney time providing training potential airline pilots school giving training completely free charge famous trained wireless ticket school include cecil trained later commissioner police new south wales melbourne according people magazine profile written january received notice owners street quit premises sands indicates moved operation briefly wharf retiring home point wrote closed school established school government added signals training section continued help occasional pupil special difficulties home later life correspondence early started writing letter wished recovery recent illness letters held archives jerusalem clear second letter wrote accounts claim corresponded regularly long years death documentary record suggests reports extent correspondence sent gifts years including shells daughter airmen collect pacific request brought airline pilot wrote mathematical friends like plot flight reports sent recording music replied couldn work play instrument awards honours june appointed officer order british empire work elected fellow patron member royal naval amateur radio society plaque celebrating skills character unveiled flying angel house church relocated plaque seen garden final years years older husband cecil years death shared house time cecil sister jean primary school teacher stroke right confined wheelchair moved nearby died peacefully sleep funeral service held serving formed guard honour cremated northern suburbs june edition newsletter devoted teacher patron memories recorded statement days died finished proved women good better men
Florence Violet McKenzie