People Australia

Mary McLagan, 1934

Newcastle Morning Herald (NSW), 17 February 1934, p 12

Mary McLagan, née Clark (1888-1971), Labor and community activist and mayoress

Birth: 8 April 1888 at Dundee, Scotland, daughter of Henry Clark (1860-1915), mill hoist later elevator attendant, and his first wife Mary Mahady (1864-1901), mill spinner. Marriage: 3 June 1912 at Cowdenbeath, Fife, Scotland, to Alexander Buik McLagan (1888-1970). They had four daughters and five sons, one of whom died in infancy. Death: 28 August 1971 at Mayfield, Newcastle NSW. Religion: Presbyterian. 

• Followed her husband to Australia, departing London with her eldest daughter aboard the Demosthenes on 17 April 1915. Settled at Carrington, in Newcastle, where her husband worked as a coal trimmer (wharf labourer) and she gave birth to seven more children.
• Was an active lady mayoress of Carrington in 1928-1930 and 1933-1934.
• Prior to the birth of her last baby she was a keen tennis player.
• An enthusiastic worker for the Australian Labor Party. Member of the Carrington branch of the Labor Women’s Central Organising Committee and was active in dealing with the housing question.
• President of the Carrington branch of the Hospital women’s committee.
• From 1937 she was president of the Newcastle Housewives Association (NHA) until she retired in March 1950 to become the NHA’s first patroness. Remained active in the NHA during the 1950s. Supporter of International Women’s Day.
• Cause of death: congestive cardiac failure, myocardial infarction 5 years, myocardial infarction 3 years, myocardial infarction 1 month and myocardial infarction 5 days.