Radio Girl: The Story of the Extraordinary Mrs Mac, Pioneering Engineer and Wartime Legend

As you climbed the rickety stairs of an old woolshed at Sydney harbour in 1944, the sound of beeping would become almost deafening. Rows of men and women in uniforms and headsets would be tapping away vigorously at small machines, under the careful watch of their young female trainers. Presiding over the cacophony was a tiny woman, known to everyone as 'Mrs Mac', one of Australia's wartime legends. Violet McKenzie was the first Australian woman to study electrical engineering, and she was a pioneer in the early days of radio. As the clouds of war gathered in the 1930s, she defied conventions and trained young women in Morse code, foreseeing that their services would soon be sorely needed. Always a champion of women, she even persuaded the navy to set up a new defence force for women, the WRANS. Mrs Mac was adored by the thousands of young women and men she trained, and she came to be respected by the defence forces and the public too for her vision and contribution to the war effort. David Dufty brings her inspiring story back to life for readers today. '[An] incredible and inspiring life ... Duffy's new biography captures her unwavering dedication in the face of adversity.' - Professor Genevieve Bell, Australian National University 'A cracking story about the famous Australian radio engineer you've never heard of.' - Dick Smith, entrepreneur and philanthropist.