Florence Violet McKenzie
Australia's first female electrical engineer, she trained a generation in wartime signals and fought to open the Navy to women.
1890–1982 (age 92)·Australian electrical engineer·Birthday: September 28·The Lost Generation
Biography
Florence Violet McKenzie, known universally as 'Mrs Mac,' was a force of nature who wired Australia for the future. In the 1920s, with a fierce passion for technology, she bulldozed through gender barriers to become the country's first female electrical engineer. She didn't stop there, founding a radio shop and school in Sydney where she taught countless women about electricity and wireless communication. When war loomed, her expertise became vital. She established the Women's Emergency Signalling Corps, drilling thousands of women in Morse code and visual signalling with relentless precision. Her most significant victory was a persistent campaign to convince the Royal Australian Navy to accept her top female trainees, directly leading to the creation of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS). Throughout the conflict, over 12,000 servicemen also passed through her school, their signalling skills sharpened by her exacting standards. Mrs. Mac spent her life throwing switches—on radios, on careers, and on the very idea of what women were capable of in a technical world.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Florence was born in 1890, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Florence Was Born
The biggest hits of 1890
Florence's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1890Born
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Started school
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Became a teenager
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1906Could drive
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Could vote
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 21
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1920Turned 30
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1930Turned 40
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1940Turned 50
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1950Turned 60
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 70
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 80
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1982Died at 92
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
Key Achievements
- Founded the Women's Emergency Signalling Corps, which trained over 12,000 personnel in Morse and visual signalling during WWII.
- Successfully petitioned the Royal Australian Navy to accept women, leading to the establishment of the WRANS in 1941.
- Became Australia's first female electrical engineer after qualifying in 1923.
Did You Know?
She taught herself Morse code as a teenager from a magazine article.
Her Sydney signal school operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the war.
She was awarded the British Empire Medal for her wartime service.
“I taught thousands of women Morse code so they could serve their country.”
