Lorna Byrne

Lorna Byrne CBE (27 December 1897 – 15 July 1989) was an Australian agricultural scientist, a Major in the Australian Women's Army Service and a radio broadcaster. After working with Australian Red Cross she had a weekly radio programme for over a decade before running the women's section of The Land newspaper for another ten years.

Life Byrne was born in Quirindi in New South Wales. She was the last of ten children and her elder sister Ethel became a notable physician and pathologist. Her parents were Margaret (born Crennan) and James Byrne and they had both been born in New South Wales. Her father was a teacher. She left what is now Maitland Grossmann High School with a scholarship to qualify as a teacher at the University of Sydney. She was one of the first two women to graduate in agricultural science from the University of Sydney in 1921. She had part of her practical training at the (all male) Hawkesbury Agricultural College.

In 1927, she became the first person in the Bureau of Agriculture appointed to organise for women's interests. She gave educational talks and later radio broadcasts. In 1939-40 she was presenting programmes on 2FC

In 1941 she joined the Australian Women's Army Service and in 1942 she became Major Lorna Byne in 1942 when she was an assistant controller and 2nd in command to Sybil Irving On 27 May 1943 she received the salute as she left headquarters in Melbourne to take up the command in Western Australia. and died in Mona Vale in 1989.