Journalist and writer Adam Cairns McCay was a friend of
Lionel Lindsay,
Christopher Brennan and
Kenneth Slessor (qq.v.). His letters written to Lionel Lindsay about his childhood in Castlemaine provided Norman Lindsay with background material for
Redheap. McCay was the fifth son of a Presbyterian minister and was educated at Castlemaine and at Melbourne University. He graduated in 1894 and began teaching at Castlemaine Grammar School, taking over from his eldest brother James Whiteside McCay. In 1903 he left teaching and worked as a journalist on the Melbourne
Argus and later the Sydney
Sun. He was appointed editor of the
Sun in 1916. In 1919 he became literary editor of
Smith's Weekly working for the paper until 1933, except for periods at the
Sunday Times 1920-1923 and
Daily Guardian 1924-1927. He continued to write feature articles, verse and reviews in the last years of his life.
