Dame Mary Dora Daly, ( MacMahon; 24 August 189611 June 1983) was an Australian writer, humanitarian and charity worker.

Biography

Mary Dora MacMahon was born in

Cootamundra, New South Wales Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

, 24 August 1896. Her parents were Thomas Patrick MacMahon, a solicitor, and his wife Mary Ellen (née O'Donnell). She was educated at Loreto convent schools in

Normanhurst, New South Wales Normanhurst is a suburb in the Upper North Shore region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Hornsby Shire. History Normanhurst ...

and

Ballarat, Victoria Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Australian census, 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australi ...

. On 3 January 1923, at St Canice's Church,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...

, she married John Joseph Daly (died 1953), a physician and a nephew of the founder of St Vincent's Hospital, Mother Berchmans Daly. The Dalys had two children, John and Marie. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Daly was the only woman on the executive of the Catholic Welfare Organisation, founded in Melbourne in 1939 by

Archbishop Mannix Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 – 6 November 1963) was an Irish-born Australian Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th-century Australia. Early lif ...

. She became the CWO's president two years later, in 1941. She was also affiliated with: * Member, National Council, Australian Red Cross Society (ARCS) * Executive Member, Council of the Victorian Division, ARCS * Fund-raiser, Caritas Christi Hospice * First woman president (1966–75), Australian Catholic Relief * Foundation member (president 1975–77), Ryder-Cheshire Foundation (Australia).

Writings

*''Cinty and the laughing jackasses and other children's stories'' (1961) *''Timmy's Christmas surprise'' (1967) *''Holidays at Hillydale: a story for children about a family's holiday spent on an Australian sheep station'' (1973) *''Catholic Welfare Organisation: its work for the men and women of the Services during World War II, September 1939 - June 1948''

Death

Dame Mary Daly died at

Fitzroy, Victoria Fitzroy is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, northeast of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Yarra Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. Fitzroy recorded a population ...

, aged 86, on 11 June 1983. She was buried at

Melbourne General Cemetery The Melbourne General Cemetery is a large (43 hectare) necropolis located north of the city of Melbourne in the suburb of Carlton North. The cemetery is notably the resting place of five Prime Ministers of Australia, more than any other ...

Honours and awards

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

- 1935. *

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) - 1937 *

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) - 1949 *

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE) - 1951 * The Roman Catholic Church awarded Mary Daly the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in 1951, in honour of her work as president of the Catholic Welfare Organization of Victoria. * Long service medal from the Australian Red Cross Society in 1940 and honorary life membership in 1971.

References

Sources

* Lofthouse, Andrea (ed.), ''Who's Who of Australian Women'', Methuen Australia, North Ryde (NSW), 1982 {{DEFAULTSORT:Daly, Mary 1896 births 1983 deaths Australian Roman Catholics Australian people of Irish descent Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Writers from New South Wales Writers from Melbourne Australian children's writers Australian women children's writers Burials at Melbourne General Cemetery