Emily Martha Anning Day, known always as Lee, was born in Sydney, educated at the New England Girls School, Armidale and after graduating from Sydney University became the junior biochemist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. After four years she was appointed the senior biochemist, a position she retained for twenty-four years until joining Jean Armytage in a private pathology practice in Macquarie Street, Sydney.

During her term at RPAH she was known and loved by all the staff, not only for her kindness, wisdom and generosity, but also for her delightful sense of humour and ready wit. During the ten years before the last war down in the 'Old Path' which was a rambling old building at the very bottom of the PA grounds, Dr Edgar Thomson (qv), bacteriologist, Dr Geoffrey Davies (qv), histopathologist, and Dr Lee Day formed a delightful group whose 'elevenses' were famous for their amusing and scintillating conversation. Honoraries, registrars and residents made any excuse to join them for morning or afternoon tea and hear the latest scientific news, opinions on books or art reviews and hospital gossip, and to take part in the witty repartee. Lee was a greedy reader being familiar with everything literary from Beowulf to Elliot and would even devour the Australian Womens Weekly if nothing else was available.

The three departments were tiny and staff and equipment meagre but the results were prompt and accurate and comments always helpful. There were technical assistants only and a pathology registrar who did chores and night work for all three departments. As no College of Pathology existed at that time, the three staff heads became members of the RACP and therefore gave medically orientated reports. Both Dr Thomson and Dr Davies went to the war in 1940 and Lee was joined by Jean Armytage who did the bacteriology and haematology, and the two women shared the histopathology. As well, they did all the cross matching and, for the major part of the war, were responsible with the junior resident staff for giving all transfusions throughout the hospital - a very heavy commitment.

Lee was an indefatigable worker, coming early and leaving late, always cheerful and always amusing. Her lightly stooped small figure with short grey hair, almost running up the pathways to the wards, in a freshly starched white coat, carrying her little 'box of tricks' was a familiar sight. She had hosts of friends and many of the honoraries who were at the war will remember the endless flow of gifts and letters to them during those four years. In the late forties she acquired fourteen acres of lovely bushland on the southern hill of Avoca Beach. She spent most weekends there in her bush garden surrounded by her extensive library and later retired to this small paradise. She is remembered as a much loved gentle person of absolute integrity.