Edith Helen Barrett

Last updated

Edith Helen Barrett
Born29 October 1872
Died1 February 1939
NationalityAustralian
Education South Melbourne College
Alma mater University of Melbourne
Occupationmedical doctor

Edith Helen Barrett CBE (1872-1939) was an Australian medical doctor and a founder of the Bush Nursing Association of Victoria. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Barrett was born on 29 October 1872 in Emerald Hill, Victoria and was one of eight children of James and Catherine Barrett. She attended South Melbourne College and in 1897 began to study medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating M.B. in 1901 and M.D. in 1907. [1]

Career

Barrett worked at the Melbourne Hospital in 1901, and was a member of the honorary medical staff of the Queen Victoria Hospital from 1904 until she retired in 1934. [1]

Barrett worked as a general practitioner in Melbourne, and was also much involved in voluntary work. She was among the founders of the Victorian section of the National Council of Women of Australia in 1902, and served as its honorary secretary 1911-1915 and 1921–1926. She was involved in the founding of the Bush Nursing Association of Victoria, and sat on its council representing the Victorian Medical Women's Society. She took over the honorary secretaryships of the Bush Nursing Association of Victoria and the Australian branch of the British Red Cross Society from her brother James when he joined the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, and continued to serve both organisations until the late 1930s. [1] She was appointed both OBE and CBE in 1918 in recognition of her public service on many committees. [3] [4] [5] Barrett was also one of the founders of the National Council of Women of Australia in Victoria.

Death

She died on 1 February 1939, aged 66, in a nursing home in Malvern, Victoria. She died from a heart condition, but a "mental collapse" had "darkened the last years of her life". [1] She is buried in Brighton General Cemetery, Melbourne, where her gravestone also commemorates Grace Mary Barrett (died 21 July 1916), Marian Barrett (died 31 May 1939) and Cara Barrett (died 4 December 1969). [6] Her obituary in The Daily Advertiser described her as "one of the outstanding medical women of Victoria until illness compelled her to retire from active practice some years ago." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Murdoch (philanthropist)</span> Australian philanthropist and mother of international media proprietor Rupert Murdoch (1909-2012)

Dame Elisabeth Joy Murdoch, Lady Murdoch, also known as Elisabeth, Lady Murdoch, was an Australian philanthropist and matriarch of the Murdoch family. She was the widow of Australian newspaper publisher Sir Keith Murdoch and the mother of international media proprietor Rupert Murdoch. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1963 for her charity work in Australia and overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constance Ellis</span> Australian physician

Constance Ellis was an Australian medical doctor who specialised in obstetrics, gynaecology and pathology. In 1903 she became the first woman to graduate from the University of Melbourne as a Doctor of Medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Hammond</span>

Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer.

Dame Phyllis Irene Frost was an Australian welfare worker and philanthropist, known for her commitment to causes, such as helping prisoners. She chaired the Victorian Women's Prisons Council for many years, established the Keep Australia Beautiful movement, worked for Freedom from Hunger and raised millions of dollars for charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Herring</span> Australian doctor and community worker

Dame Mary Ranken Herring, was an Australian medical practitioner and community worker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Daly (Australian writer)</span> Australian writer and humanitarian (1896–1983)

Dame Mary Dora Daly, was an Australian writer, humanitarian and charity worker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Wilson</span> Australian nurse (1879–1957)

Grace Margaret Wilson was a high-ranked nurse in the Australian Army during World War I and the first years of World War II. Wilson was born in Brisbane, and completed her initial training as a nurse in 1908. After the outbreak of World War I she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) and subsequently transferred to the First Australian Imperial Force. From 1915 until 1919 she was the principal matron of the 3rd Australian General Hospital. She served as the temporary matron-in-chief in the AIF Headquarters, London from late 1917 until early 1918. Wilson returned to Australia in 1920 and left the AIF to work in civilian hospitals. She was appointed the matron-in-chief of the AANS in 1925, and in September 1940 joined the Second Australian Imperial Force. She served in the Middle East until August 1941, when she returned to Australia due to ill health. She left the Army the next month, but from September 1943 worked in the Department of Manpower Directorate (Victoria)'s nursing control section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Stocks Greig</span> Scottish-Australian medical doctor and public health specialist

Jane Stocks "Jean" Greig was a Scottish-Australian medical doctor and public health specialist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Gullett</span> Australian medical practitioner and philanthropist

Lucy Edith Gullett was an Australian medical practitioner and philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Peel Dunhill</span> Australian surgeon (1876–1957)

Sir Thomas Peel Dunhill was an Australian thyroid surgeon and honorary surgeon to the monarchs of the United Kingdom.

Lorna Lloyd-Green CBE was an Australian obstetrician-gynecologist and the president of the Medical Women's International Association from 1968 to 1972. She was the first woman to be elected a fellow of the Australian Medical Association. As one of the first women physicians in Melbourne, she advocated for women in medicine throughout her career, and is credited for playing the principal role in achieving equal pay for women physicians in Australia.

Lucy Meredith Bryce was an Australian haematologist and medical researcher, who worked with the Australian Red Cross Society to establish the first blood transfusion service in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phoebe Chapple</span>

Phoebe Chapple was a South Australian doctor, decorated for her heroic service in France during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ada Mary à Beckett</span> Australian educationist (1872-1948)

Ada Mary à Beckett MSc, née Lambert, was an Australian biologist, academic and leader of the kindergarten movement in Australia. She was the first woman appointed lecturer at Melbourne University.

The Victorian Medical Women's Society (VMWS) is the longest-running association of women medical practitioners and medical students. It was established in Melbourne, Australia in 1895/1896 and is one of the oldest active medical organisations in the world. The aim of the society was to set a benchmark in women's health around Victoria, and to advance the professional development of medical women, through education, research, and the improvement of professional opportunities. The state-run society became affiliated with the national body, Australian Federation of Medical Women, and thereby the Medical Women's International Association.

Thomas Francis Hyland was a businessman of Victoria, Australia, instrumental in turning Penfolds Wines from a cottage industry to an Australian icon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Graham (matron)</span> Australian nursing sister and army matron (1860–1942)

Margaret Graham was a nurse at the centre of a dispute dubbed the "Adelaide Hospital Row" at the Adelaide Hospital in 1894. She overcame this dubious distinction to become the highly regarded Matron of the hospital, then one of the first Australian nursing Matrons to serve at the front during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Kitchin</span> Australian nurse

Alice Elizabeth Barrett Kitchin was an Australian nurse who served in World War I with the Australian Army Nursing Service.

Margaret "Greta" Anne Lyons was an activist for nurses' rights, a private hospital owner, and a founding member of multiple nurses' associations...

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mavis Freeman (scientist)</span> Australian bacteriologist and biochemist

Mavis Louisa Freeman was an Australian bacteriologist and biochemist. She assisted Macfarlane Burnet in identifying the source of Q fever.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Gardiner, Lyndsay. Barrett, Edith Helen (1872–1939). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. "Barrett, Edith Helen (1872 - 1939)". Bright Sparcs. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. "Barrett, Edith Helen (1872 - 1939)". Australian Women's Register. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  4. "Order of the British Empire". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 25, 021. New South Wales, Australia. 16 March 1918. p. 13. Retrieved 2 October 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Order of the British Empire". The Mercury . Vol. CVIII, no. 15, 157. Tasmania, Australia. 25 May 1918. p. 7. Retrieved 2 October 2021 via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Edith Helen Barrett (1872-1939)". Brighton General Cemetery. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. "Obituary: Dr Edith Barrett". The Daily Advertiser. 4 February 1939. Retrieved 30 September 2021.