Reta Mildred Findlay

Reta Mildred Findlay
Born	Reta Mildred Carrad 1893 (1893) Waterloo, Sydney
Died	14 June 1954(1954-06-14) (aged 60–61)
Occupation	Businesswoman in fashion

Reta Mildred Findlay (1893–1954) was an Australian-born businesswoman who influenced fashion in Australia and became one of the first businesswomen in the country. She also aided many charity events throughout her lifetime like the Australian Red Cross Society.

Biography

Reta Mildred Findlay was born in 1893 in Waterloo, Sydney. She studied at Fort Street Model School and developed a passion for fashion and theatre.[1]

As a child, she spent considerable amount of her free time painting, reading books, and sketching clothes.[2]

On 19 May 1923, she married George Lanark Findlay. They both moved to Melbourne around 1930. She started working for a publicity firm as a commercial artist.[3]

In 1937, she became an advertising manager, which allowed her to travel to Europe, to attend fashion reviews in both Paris and London. There she found numerous ideas, and returned to Australia to fulfil them.[1]

Charity work

Reta Mildred aided numerous charity events, mainly organized by the Australian Red Cross Society. She was also a life governor of the Queen Victoria hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital.[1]

Death

She died on 14 June 1954 from atherosclerotic cardio-renal failure.[4]

References

1. Leong, Roger, "Findlay, Reta Mildred (1893–1954)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 27 December 2021
2. Dickenson, Jacqueline (2016). Australian women in advertising in the twentieth century. Basingstoke, Hampshire. ISBN 978-1-137-51434-9. OCLC 950428680.
3. Dunstan, Keith (1979). The store on the hill. Melbourne: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-25246-2. OCLC 28992130.
4. "Australian Dictionary of Biography" (PDF). Adb.anu.Edu.