Radio Girl
I
n 2020, the now late Gary Johnston, owner of Jaycar Electronics, sent me this book along with a letter that reads, in part:
I really loved the book and read it in one sitting.
It really touches the history of hobby electronics and Amateur Radio in Australia. Mrs Mac as she was known was not
only a technical person, she was an entrepreneur. She opened
a hobby electronics shop and started Wireless Weekly – the
precursor of “Radio & Hobbies” and [its later manifestations].
That’s a pretty resounding endorsement from Mr Johnston.
His ex-Boss, Dick Smith, also clearly enjoyed it very much,
based on his published comments. I regret not having time to
read the book until recently.
It is essentially a biography of Violet McKenzie, née Wallace,
pieced together from historical documentation and interviews
with her friends. David Dufty has done a good job of that.
One aspect of this book that surprised me is that I thought
it would concentrate more on the story surrounding how Violet became Australia’s first female engineer. I also wanted to
read about how she started Wireless Weekly (along with three
others), ran probably the first ‘hobbyist’ electronics store in
Sydney and so on.
It does describe those events, but it concentrates more on her
role in the formation of the WRENS, among the first women
allowed to serve in Australia’s armed forces. That is certainly
interesting in its own right. In retrospect, it makes sense that
there would be far more information available on that aspect
of her life than her earlier (and less ‘official’) activities.
Besides telling the story of this remarkable woman’s life, the
book also contains lots of fascinating history. I was amazed by
the contortions that went on in the first half of last century trying to justify why women should not be engineers, serve in the
armed forces or (one gets the impression) even leave the kitchen.
That is all in the past now, especially given the drive to get
more women to take up “STEM” subjects (science, technology,
engineering & mathematics) – coincidentally, a movement that
Gary Johnston was part of. In Australia, this can arguably all
be traced back to Violet, and her fascination with radios and
electricity in general.
I was a little disappointed to reach the end of the main part
of the book after about 250 pages. Still, that’s understandable
given that a limited amount of information is available, especially regarding the early years of Violet’s life, up to the 1930s.
Perhaps a technical person perusing some very early copies of Wireless Weekly could have dug up some technical facts
that would have spiced up the book for the more switched-on
(ahem) readers. But while that would be interesting to me, I
suppose it might turn casual readers off.
Of the 250 pages in the main part of the book, about 150 are
dedicated to the wartime period of 1940-1945 or so. That isn’t
surprising given the momentous events that occurred. Still, I
wish enough information were available for Mr Dufty to have
written a bit more about those fascinating early years.
I also note that the book doesn’t really contain any criticisms
of Mrs McKenzie. I suppose you would not expect to hear many
negatives in interviewing her friends and family, and perhaps
there was very little about her not to like. But it does seem a
little one-sided as surely, nobody is perfect. Having said that, I
don’t want to cast any aspersions on anyone as I prefer to look
at things on the bright side myself.
siliconchip.com.au
Book Review by Nicholas Vinen
“The story of the extraordinary Mrs
Mac, pioneering engineer and wartime
legend” written by David Dufty.
The book has extensive information regarding the sources
used to piece Mrs Mac’s life story together. That undoubtedly
makes it an excellent resource for anyone who wants to investigate further.
So the bottom line is: should you read this book? It is
well-written and well-researched. If you are into Amateur
Radio, Vintage Radio or are interested in the history of electronics, I would say yes. Or perhaps you want to read a story
about how one very clever woman overcame much resistance
to live a life that we would take for granted these days. In that
case, you would also enjoy it.
In fact, if all you are looking for is an interesting but true
story about a unique individual who became a pioneer, you
could do far worse than to read this book. Most readers, young
and old, would get something out of it.
Radio Girl is published by Allen & Unwin with an RRP of
$29.99 (softcover/paperback). It is sold by most book
retailers, in-store and online, and is also available as an
eBook.
SC
Australia's electronics magazine
February 2022 11
