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.