Humans of the Uniting Church

What's your Uniting Church story?

I was born into the Uniting Church, so to speak, as my father, Rev AL (Les) McKay, was a long-serving patrol padre of the Australian Inland Mission, now Frontier Services, in western Queensland. Other family members also served in the mission: my mother and two aunts as nursing sisters, and my uncle, Rev. JF (Fred) McKay, succeeding John Flynn as superintendent.

You were recently recognised with an OAM in the Australia Day Honours List. Congratulations! What did it mean to you to be recognised?

My award is for services to the museums and galleries sector. As a museum curator I see this as recognition of the contribution of museums in preserving and promoting our cultural heritage. Museums are largely staffed by people who go above and beyond, often working in a voluntary capacity—I’m only one of many.

Can you share a bit about the work you do?

Museum curators are essentially custodians of collections, their duties ranging from acquiring and cataloguing collection items to researching and organising exhibitions. Since retiring from the Queensland Museum in 2008, I’ve assisted John Flynn Place, Cloncurry and Adelaide House, Alice Springs with documenting their collections and mounting new exhibits to attract wider audiences.

What gives you the most joy in your work? What's the most challenging part?

In my recent work, particularly in researching a touchscreen for Adelaide House, I’ve been inspired by the pioneering efforts of the Australian Inland Mission to improve the lot of people living in remote places, including First Nations people. I’ve spent many days at the National Library of Australia, Canberra searching the papers of John Flynn and the mission, constantly finding stories of compassion, courage, optimism and dedication.

However, installing exhibits in places like Cloncurry and Alice Springs is almost as challenging as building hospitals in the outback, but, as Flynn once said, "If you start something worthwhile – nothing can stop it."

Where do you see God at work?

I see God at work in the stories of people who simply want to make the world a better place. I see my work as a museum curator as bringing historical stories to life again for a new generation, to inspire and encourage them. It’s very easy to look back and judge people according to our contemporary standards, but they were often doing the best they could for others.

How can the rest of the church pray for you or your work?

Well, the church’s job is to tell stories of hope. I hope that the Uniting Church can commit to preserving and making accessible that which encourages us to make the world a better place.

Image below: a 1953 edition of The Frontier News, publication of the Australian Inland Mission, with Judith, her father and siblings on the cover.