Historical information

Mrs T S McKay, née Odette Lefebvre

“Killara Amazon who drives like a man, smiles like a school girl and dresses like a picture” – Smiths Weekly 22 July 1933

In 1934, the Ladies Golf Union of NSW introduced a rule forbidding women not wearing stockings from competing in games under their control. Rather than wear stockings, Odette Lefebvre (1910-1991) withdrew from her team causing a media stir. She subsequently agreed to wear stockings for any NSW game she wished to play in. She said that a player had every right to dress as she wished, providing it did not offend modesty. She found it more comfortable to play without stockings.

Photographer notations on slide: "Golf Ch'ship Mrs McKay B98"
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Description: Female golfer teeing off with 3 wood, wearing beret, cardigan, straight skirt, ankle socks, sensible shoes. Blurred spectators are visible in the background.
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Research by project volunteer, Fiona Collyer:
Mrs T S McKay, née Odette Lefebvre (1910-1991), was a NSW champion golfer. She won the NSW Women’s Championship 1931, 1933. Odette competed in the Australian Women’s Golf Championship at Royal Melbourne against the British Women’s Team in 1935. She was defeated by Mrs Sloan Morpeth nee Susie Tolhurst in the semifinals.
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A tall, willowy, beautiful brunette with a winning smile and sparkly blue eyes and exotically of French origin, the press reported the outdoor sports loving young woman’s social and golf activities closely.
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In 1933 (27/7/1933), the Smith’s Weekly headline ran “Drives like a man but is a real girl – always”. The article called her the “Killara Amazon who drives like a man, smiles like a school girl and dresses like a picture”.
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In 1934, the Ladies Golf Union of NSW introduced a rule forbidding women without stockings to compete in games within their control. Rather than wear stockings, Odette withdrew from her team, causing a media stir. She subsequently agreed to wear stockings for any game she was keen to play in. She said that a player had every right to dress as she wished, providing it did not offend modesty. She found it more comfortable to play without stockings.
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Fellow women golfers were sympathetic to the non-stocking brigade. Mrs J J Hollywood, president of the Maitland Golf Club Associates said, “What a storm in a teacup over nothing! As if a pair of stockings could possibly make all the difference to a person’s game. However, I think the mosquitoes settle that question for the L.G.V. in the North”, she added with a laugh. (Newcastle Sun 5/5/1934)
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Acting president of the Victorian Women’s Golf Union, Mrs J B Bellair, said, “It is much warmer in Sydney than here and must be more comfortable without stockings. Miss Lefebvre too, has such beautiful legs and they are so brown, that she can afford to dispense with stockings. Women in Victoria are not likely to play without stockings, however, it is much too cold here. I have never seen any of them on the links in bare legs.” (Newcastle Sun 5/5/1934)
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Mrs L Griffiths, president of the Steelworks Associate Club in Newcastle said, “It appears to be an unnecessary rule that the L.G.V. has enforced. Why, if they started laying down laws like that, where would we end? What about ties etc being compulsory for men?” (Newcastle Sun 5/5/1934)
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The L.G.V. insisted that the dignity of the game should not be impaired by players who dared to show any originality in clothes, even if they did add comfort. (The Sun, Sydney 5/5/1934)
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Even in 1941, despite wartime shortages, the L.G.V. NSW was insisting that – “no player may play in open L.G.V. competitions without stockings.” (Yass Tribune-Courier 6/11/1941)
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In 1934, Odette married champion golfer and barrister Thomas McKay who later became a NSW Liberal Party politician. They had two children before divorcing in 1946.

Physical description

Glass slide