(1904-1997)
Ella
Macknight was a pioneer in several fields. When she graduated from the
University of Melbourne in 1928, she was one of only five women in her
year. During her University years, she represented both Janet Clarke
Hall and the University in hockey and golf. The latter was a lifelong
interest and she was an active member of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Macknight was the first woman to receive a pilot's licence in Victoria.
In 1930, she formed part of a six-woman escort for Amy Johnson when
Johnson landed in Melbourne after her solo flight from England. The
team met Johnson in Laverton and flew to Moonee Valley, performing a
tricky landing on the racecourse for the official reception before returning
to Essendon. Macknight's medical achievements were remarkable in many
areas. Her long association with the Queen Victoria Hospital began in
1935. She was directly responsible for establishing the Oncology Department,
which she headed for a decade, and she served as president of the hospital's
Board for six years in the 1970s. She spent nearly 40 years on the Committee
of the Victorian Red Cross and served on the Victorian Gynaecological
Cytology Service and the Victorian Anti-Cancer Council. During World
War II, she recalled working 'a 12-hour day during the week with frequent
night calls and weekend calls' for the Red Cross Blood Bank. Macknight
was Foundation Clinical Dean of the Monash Medical School at the Queen
Victoria Hospital and the first woman President of the Australian Council
of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She was instrumental
in the formation of the Australian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
and the first Australian representative of the Asian Federation of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology.
