This biographical study explores the life and career of a woman, Doris McRae, who, although virtually unknown today, played a significant role in a number of areas of public life. She taught in government schools for over thirty years ending her career as headmistress of Flemington Girls’ School. She was an active unionist and at one time was vice president of the Victorian Teachers’ Union. She was a social and peace activist. She was a passionate advocate of equal pay and cared deeply about the welfare of the children she worked with, her fellow teachers and society in general. She travelled in England and Russia and in 1937 represented Australian women teacher unionists at the Pan Pacific Women’s Conference in Vancouver. She joined the Communist Party in 1938, teaching for them at Marx House in Melbourne and writing articles in their publication the Guardian. At the peak of her career, her activities were monitored by conservative politicians and the Catholic Church. She first came under the notice of the Commonwealth Investigation Service (later ASIO) in 1939 and was the subject of heated debate in the Victorian Parliament in 1946. Forced out of teaching as a result of a Royal Commission into Communism in 1950, Doris McRae then put all her energies into the activities of the Union of Australian Women, her active involvement lasting until the 1980s. In 1952 she travelled as an Australian delegate to the Defence of Children Conference in Vienna. Her last trip overseas was in 1960 when she spent most of the year in Europe. When Doris McRae died in 1988 aged 95, a memorial service was held for her at Coburg High School. Joan Kirner, then Minister of Education, gave the eulogy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/245455 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Griffin, Cheryl |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Terms and Conditions: Copyright in works deposited in the University of Melbourne Eprints Repository (UMER) is retained by the copyright owner. The work may not be altered without permission from the copyright owner. Readers may only, download, print, and save electronic copies of whole works for their own personal non-commercial use. Any use that exceeds these limits requires permission from the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from these works., Open Access |
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