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Miss Leonora Wray

The Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- )Aug 1935

Scope and contents

Miss Leonora “Leo” Wray MBE

Leonora “Leo” Wray (1886-1979) was a champion NSW golfer, regarded as the “mother” of Australian golf. She won state and national titles multiple times across three decades. The Leonora Wray Trophy is awarded to the No. 1 player in Australia in national stroke average. Regarding her golf game Leo remarked, “Never a chance thrown away, or a single shot played without a definite object.”

She was said to be commanding in “stature and mien” – a raconteur with a deep, booming voice who inspired in young players “a mixture of fear and awe, respect and affection”. In 1909 she contracted typhoid fever and was unable to play for 10 years. She was awarded an MBE in 1968 for her services to golf and inducted into the Sport Australian Hall of Fame in 1985.

Featured in "Newsworthy: Melbourne in photographs 1933-1936" exhibition at East Melbourne Library, October to December 2023. Exhibition caption by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer.

Record details

Title:

Miss Leonora Wray

Creator:

The Age (Melbourne, Vic.: 1854- )Bull, Hugh Jones, 1897-1993

Date of work:

Aug 1935

Reference number:

MCK142

Level of description:

Item from Collection: Heritage Collection (HC)

Type of materials:

Graphic materials

Part of:

Series: Australian Women's Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Aug-Sep 1935 (AuWoGolf1935)

Access restrictions:

UnrestrictedOpen access

Use restrictions:

Refer to individual item records for Use Restrictions.Please contact City of Melbourne Libraries about obtaining permission to reproduce images. High resolution files may be available on request. Users must acknowledge City of Melbourne Libraries when reproducing images.

General notes:

Photographer notations on slide: "Miss Wray. Vic Women's Ch'ship B98"Description: Golfer Leonora Wray swings her driver. She is wearing a tiepin and cufflinks..Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer:Leonora Wray AKA “Leo” was a champion NSW golfer who is regarded as the “Mother” of Australian women’s golf. She won the NSW State Championships (1906, 1907, 1908) and the Australian title (1907, 1908). In 1909 she contracted typhoid fever and was unable to play for 10 years..Leonora regained the national title in 1929 and the NSW Championship in 1930. She was the champion women’s player of the Australian club ten times between 1907 and 1938 and five times champion at the Royal Sydney Golf Club between 1924 and 1933. She competed in the Australian Women’s Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne against the British team in 1935..During WWII, Leonora worked for the ANZAC Buffet Ladies Auxiliary in Hyde Park, Sydney..Regarding her golf game, she remarked, “Never a chance thrown away, or a single shot played without a definite object.”.Leo was said to be commanding in “stature and mien” – a raconteur with a deep, booming voice who inspired in young players “a mixture of fear and awe, respect and affection.”.Her portrait by Henry Hanke is held by the Australian Golf Club. Women’s Golf NSW holds its annual Leonora Wray Scratch Teams event and the Leonora Wray Trophy is awarded to the No. 1 player in Australia in national stroke average..In 1968 she was awarded an MBE for her services to women’s golf. In 1985 Leo was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame..Sources:'Leonora Wray MBE, golf', Sport Australia Hall of Fame, https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/leonora-wray/'Victoria's Women Golfers Beaten', The Herald, 26 August 1935, p. 3, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244933520'Leonora Wray (1886-1979)', Gillian Fulloon, Australian Dictionary of Biography, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wray-leonora-9195

Topics:

GolfWomen golfersRoyal Melbourne Golf Club (Vic.)SportCompetitions1930-1939World War, 1939-1945

Form/Genre:

Glass negatives

Record types:

Images, maps and artefacts

Record number:

1528011

Bookmark link:

https://librarysearch.melbourne.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/OPAC/ARCENQ?SETLVL=&RNI=1528011