Elise Hawthorne
Maria Finlay, qualified fitter and turner, doesn’t quite match up with Australia’s image of this remarkable lady, but that was indeed one of the many professions that Maria turned her hand to, over the years. She was alternatively a dancer, actress, communist owned factory worker, usherette, fashion buyer, fashion designer and business owner. Maria knew that the art of self-reinvention would come in handy as a survival tool, both in Hungary post WW2 and upon landing in Australia. Maria has led an undoubtedly fascinating life, beginning in Budapest before venturing to the other side of the world, literally.
In 1956, at the age of 24, Maria Finlay (born Marianna Fabritzky) arrived with her mother, Magdalena, Magda for short, in Sydney following the Hungarian Revolution or Uprising as it is commonly known. Joining her much-loved relatives who had already made the trek Down Under, Maria instantly fell in love with the Emerald City, instinctively knowing she’d found her forever home. Landing in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where many other Jewish refugees also called home, Maria set about establishing herself, financially and socially in order to survive in her adoptive city. She was never a lady afraid of hard work, far from it. Maria talked her way into working in the David Jones mail order department, which proved to be an invaluable learning opportunity given her future career in fashion. Maria auditioned and landed the lead role in the landmark ABC dramatized serial radio show Making Friends, teaching new Australian (as they were called) women who had limited knowledge of the English language, how to fit in, how to “make friends.”
Not long after arriving in Sydney, Maria met her future husband Peter Finlay, and a dynamic partnership in love and business was ignited. Peter was a director at Sekers Silk, one of Australia’s leading textile fashion houses, going on to become a well-respected businessman till his untimely death in the early 1970s. After their daughters Andrena and Marina began school, Maria opened her first Double Bay fashion boutique, and the much-loved Maria Finlay label was born. Australia’s doyen of fashion went on to dress and offer sage style advice to her many loyal customers over the ensuing fifty years. Maria has well and truly earned her recent retirement, relishing the opportunity to spend more time with her extended family and many loyal friends.
Maria recently said that she was very grateful for her long career. She credits having the ability to listen to others and her instincts, “they have guided me all my life – I’ve learnt to listen to it, to trust it, to act on it, and I honestly believe it has been a faithful ally and friend.”
I’ll leave you, dear reader, with a few other gems of wisdom that this beautiful lady reflects upon in her, hard to put down, autobiography – Fate, Family…Fashion & Friends. A story of resilience. Maria Finlay.
“It is most important to
know ourselves.”
“I urge everyone to listen and
to learn.”
“Do master the art of giving;
it’s more satisfying to be a giver than a receiver.”
“Life is a constant
challenge. To overcome these challengers always gives me satisfaction. I am so
glad I was here to live it.”
So are we Maria, so are we.
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