Catherine Hay Thomson (c.1846 – 24 July 1928) was a Scottish-born Australian undercover journalist, literary agent and educator.

Early life and education

Catherine Hay Thomson was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, educated in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and was one of the early female graduates from

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

Career

Thomson was principal of Queen's College, Ballarat for some time. In 1881, she opened a boarding and day school for girls in Spring Street, Melbourne. Thomson began writing investigative articles, being referred to in The Bulletin in 1886 as "the female 'Vagabond' of Melbourne". Thomson worked as an

undercover journalist Undercover journalism is a form of journalism in which a reporter tries to infiltrate in a community by posing as somebody friendly to that community. Role The role of undercover journalism has become the topic of much debate as moral and ethical ...

, disguising herself as a man to visit brothels and taverns investigating corruption which was exposed in her newspaper articles. She investigated undercover as an attendant at the

Kew Asylum Kew Lunatic Asylum is a decommissioned heritage-listed psychiatric hospital located between Princess Street and Yarra Boulevard in Kew, Victoria, Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. Operational from 1871 to 1988, Kew Asylum was one of the lar ...

, a psychiatric hospital in Melbourne and also as an assistant nurse at the Melbourne Hospital. Thomson was one of the founders of the Austral Salon in 1890, a women’s club to foster literature, music and the arts. In 1899, Thomson and Evelyn Gough became joint proprietors of ''The Sun: An Australian Journal for the Home and Society''. After the magazine merged with ''Arena'' in 1903 Thomson became a literary agent. Thomson founded the

National Council of Women of Victoria The National Council of Women of Victoria (NCWVIC) was founded in Victoria, Australia, in 1902 with Janet Clarke as the founding president. The organisation is a branch of the National Council of Women of Australia, and the International Counci ...

in 1902.

Personal life

Thomson married Thomas Floyd Legge in Melbourne in 1918, aged 72. The wedding was held at the Women Writer’s Club. Thomson died in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

on 24 July 1928.

Works

* *Thomson, Catherine Hay (August 1906) The Austral Salon: women's clubs in Australia. ''Womanhood''. Vol.16 (93), p. 33

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Catherine Hay 1928 deaths Australian women journalists Australian educators University of Melbourne alumni 20th-century Australian journalists Australian women educators Year of birth unknown Literary agents 20th-century Australian women writers