Beatrix Waring McCay, Lady Reid (8 January 1901 – 14 June 1972) was one of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

's earliest women barristers and magistrates. She was the second woman to sign the Victorian Bar and the first female 'Reader' of the Bar (reading with

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

). Beatrix McCay was born at

Castlemaine, Victoria Castlemaine ( , Variation in Australian English, non-locally also ) is a town in west central Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria, Goldfields region about 123 kilometres (76 miles) northwest by road ...

, Australia, being the second daughter of Lieutenant-General Sir

James Whiteside McCay Lieutenant General Sir James Whiteside McCay, (21 December 1864 – 1 October 1930), who often spelt his surname M'Cay, was an Australian general and politician. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he earned Master of Arts an ...

and Julia Mary O'Meara. On 12 August 1930, aged 29, she married George Oswald Reid (later Sir George Oswald Reid), at

St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne The Cathedral Church and Minor Basilica of Saint Patrick (colloquially St Patrick's Cathedral) is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and seat of its archbishop, currently Peter Comensol ...

, and resided at Mont Albert, Victoria. She entered the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

studying law, and was a resident for four years at

Janet Clarke Hall Janet Clarke Hall (JCH) is a residential college of the University of Melbourne in Australia. The college is associated with the Anglican Province of Victoria. Founded in 1886 JCH was the first university college in Australia to admit women ...

, which was at the time the women's section of

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

. She was secretary of the University Debating Society for two years, and a vice president for one year, and she was the only woman for a number of years on the committee of the Law Students' Society of Victoria. In 1925, McCay became only the third woman to obtain a Master of Laws from

Melbourne Law School Melbourne Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of the University of Melbourne. Located in Carlton, Victoria, Melbourne Law School is Australia's oldest law school, and offers Juris Doctor, J.D., Master of Laws, LL.M, Doctor of P ...

. On 22 April, when residing at Brighton Road, St Kilda, she gave notice to sit at the Full Court to be Admitted to practise as a Barrister and Solicitor for the Board of Examiners for 1 June. She then became only the second woman—after Joan Rosanove—to sign the Victorian Bar Roll, doing so on 10 June 1925, and also becoming the first female 'Reader'. She was actively involved in society at an early age helping the disadvantaged, such as donating her time at Yooralla kindergarten for children. In 1936 due to ill health, Beatrix became less active but maintained a role as a Special Magistrate for the Children's Court and Legal Women's Association – Vice President from 1936 and onward.

External sources

A slideshow of the first women of the Victorian Bar including Beatrix McCay is available via the Victorian Bar, "Women Barristers in Victoria Then and Now ".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCay, Beatrix Waring 1901 births 1972 deaths People from Castlemaine, Victoria People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) Melbourne Law School alumni Australian barristers 20th-century Australian lawyers Lawyers from Melbourne