Elinor Caroline Wray

Elinor Caroline Wray MBE (30 October 1899 – 4 February 1992) was an Australian speech therapist.

Life Wray was born in Chatswood in 1899. She was the last child of Annie Charlotte (born McDonald) and Arthur Gore Wray. Her father who was a draftsman did not approve of his only daughter having a minds of her own, but that is who she was.

Wray saved up enough money to go and study speech therapy The first speech therapy clinic opened in 1931 at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children with Wray in charge.

She was a founding member of Australia's association for speech therapists in 1944. This was the same year as the Australian College of Speech Therapists was established.

In 1958, she founded a "Lost Chord Club" as a self-help group for people who had had laryngectomees.

On 13 June 1981, Wray became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her contribution to speech therapy in the 1981 Birthday Honours.

Wray died in St Leonards in 1992.

Personal life

Wray never married. She was a vegetarian and enjoyed gardening, swimming and walking.