Marie Bashir
Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir was an Australian psychiatrist and administrator who served as the 37th Governor of New South Wales from 2001 to 2014 and concurrently as the 17th chancellor of the University of Sydney from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular emphasis in psychiatry. In 1993 Bashir was appointed the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area Health Service, a position she held until her appointment to the governorship.
Bashir retired after holding the office for over 13 years, being the second-longest serving Governor of New South Wales, stating she did not want to surpass the length of service of war hero Sir Roden Cutler. She was succeeded by General David Hurley.
Early life and education
Marie Roslyn Bashir was born in 1930 in Narrandera, New South Wales, to Lebanese Christian parents Michael Bashir and Victoria Melick. Her father and her paternal uncle were both medical graduates from the American University of Beirut. Her maternal family had come to Australia in the 19th century.Bashir attended Narrandera Public School and in 1943 enrolled at Sydney Girls High School, which her mother had also attended. Bashir lived in Sydney with her grandmother during this time. Upon graduating in 1947, Bashir studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, becoming a proficient violinist.
Bashir completed the dual degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1956 at the Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney, residing at The Women's College from 1950 to 1955. In 1959, she was elected to the college council, became the honorary secretary in 1960 and chair from 1982 to 1990. She took up life membership for the college union in 1969.
While at university, she met rising rugby player Nicholas Shehadie, to whom she was married on 23 February 1957 at St Philip's Church, Sydney, by Felix Arnott, then the warden of St Paul's College, University of Sydney.
Medical career
Upon her graduation in medicine, Bashir took up a posting as a junior resident medical officer at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney and then to the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children. After first living in Elizabeth Bay, Bashir and Shehadie moved their family to Pendle Hill in Western Sydney where Bashir worked as a general practitioner. However, wanting to assist people suffering from mental illnesses, Bashir eventually decided to take up postgraduate studies in psychiatry. To make this easier, in 1968 Bashir and her family moved to the inner suburb of Mosman on Sydney's North Shore, purchasing a Middle Harbour-waterfront house at 7 Shellbank Avenue for $57,000 from yachtsman Gordon Reynolds. This would be their primary residence until its sale in May 2020.When Shehadie was made Lord Mayor of Sydney, Bashir became the Lady Mayoress of Sydney from 1973 to 1975. In 1974 she was named as "Mother of the Year" by the New South Wales Child Care Committee and the National Council of Women in the state, with Bashir noting "the fact that I, as a professional woman, was chosen as Mother of the Year points to the growing social acceptance of a working mother". When Shehadie was knighted in 1976, Bashir acquired the courtesy title "Lady Shehadie"; however, she chose not to use it, retaining her own name, "Marie Bashir", in professional life. After completion of postgraduate studies in psychiatry, she was made a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 1971, becoming a fellow in 1980. From 1972, Bashir was a teacher, lecturer and mentor to medical students at The University of Sydney.
In 1972, Bashir was appointed founding director of the Rivendell Child, Adolescent and Family Service, which provides consultative services for young people with emotional and psychiatric issues. In 1977 she oversaw the unit's move to the former Thomas Walker Convalescent Hospital in Concord West, following its acquisition by the New South Wales Health Commission in 1976. In 1987 she was appointed director of the community health services in the Central Sydney Area Health Service, which put emphasis on early childhood services, migrant and Indigenous health as well as the elderly. On 13 June 1988 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia "In recognition of service to medicine, particularly in the field of adolescent mental health."File:ThomasWalker8.JPG|thumb|225px|right|The Rivendell Unit in Concord West, where Bashir served as founding Director, 1972–1988
From 1990 to 1992, Bashir served on the New South Wales Women's Advisory Council. In 1993, she was appointed Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, and in 1994 as the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area Health Service. This was a time of major reform in mental health service delivery, which contributed to substantial change in the provision of public sector mental health services. She served until 2001. In her university role, Bashir was instrumental in developing collaborative teaching programs between colleagues in Vietnam and Thailand with Australian psychiatrists, chairing the University of New South Wales' Third World Health Group and supporting various financial and social support programs for international students.
In 1995, in a partnership with the Aboriginal Medical Service in Redfern, she established the Aboriginal Mental Health Unit, which provides regular clinics and counselling at both the Aboriginal Medical Service in Sydney and mainstream centres. From 1996, Bashir also took up the consultative role of senior psychiatrist to the Aboriginal Medical Service. Whilst championing the health of Indigenous Australians, Bashir continued her focus on youth and juvenile issues, particularly through her terms chairing the New South Wales Juvenile Justice Advisory Council and as a consultative psychiatrist to Juvenile Justice Facilities. On 1 January 2001, Bashir was awarded the Centenary Medal.
Governor of New South Wales
In early 2001, on the recommendation of the Premier of New South Wales, Bob Carr, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia appointed Bashir as Governor of New South Wales, making her the state's first female governor and also the first person of Lebanese descent to be appointed as governor of any Australian state. She was sworn in on 1 March 2001 and on 30 March was made a Companion of the Order of Australia. Upon her appointment, Sydney Morning Herald journalist David Marr noted, "what could be more valuable behind the scenes in Macquarie Street than this woman's unique expertise with troubled adolescents?" Bashir's appointment was welcomed by both sides of politics and commended in a Sydney Morning Herald editorial as "an inspired choice" as well as noting that Bashir would be "a powerful advocate for the powerless".In the governor's role, Bashir departed from past practice. For Indigenous Australians, she launched a health initiative to support Indigenous medicine and nursing students as well as supporting the progress of reconciliation. On the very day of her inauguration, Bashir agreed to become Patron of the Gay and Lesbian Counselling Service, which addresses mental and social issues in the LGBT community. This was the first time a NSW governor had supported a gay organisation. In 2005 Bashir opened the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival in a concert in Hyde Park and credited the event with fostering "that sense of freedom which springs from the considerable diversity within our society – diversity of race, religion, culture and also sexual orientation
On 14 September 2011, Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell announced that he had recommended to the Queen that Bashir's term be extended for another two years to 2014, which had been accepted: "Over the past 10 years the Governor's caring nature, her genuine interest in local communities and her extraordinary work rate have endeared her to people everywhere...Because of her diverse background, career and interests, Professor Bashir has given a historic and important post a contemporary relevance and resonance."
From the time of her commencement as governor, Bashir, like her immediate predecessor, did not reside in Government House, Sydney, retaining it for reception and official purposes. However, in October 2011, the new Premier Barry O'Farrell announced that Bashir had agreed with O'Farrell's offer to move back into Government House: "A lot of people believe the Governor should live at Government House. That's what it was built for... t some stage a rural or regional governor will be appointed and we will need to provide accommodation at Government House so it makes sense to provide appropriate living areas". However, because Government House had not been a residence for fifteen years, O'Farrell also announced that Bashir would initially move into a smaller adjacent building, called the chalet, while refurbishments of the main wing occurred, with a proposed move into the main house later in the year.
As the longest-serving incumbent state governor, Bashir held a dormant commission to act as the Administrator of the Commonwealth when the Governor-General of Australia was absent from Australia. She held the position of Administrator many times: from 10 to 17 July 2007, 30 September to 12 October 2007, and 20 April to 4 May 2008 in the absence of Michael Jeffery, and from 30 July to 6 August 2008, 5 to 19 November 2008, 17 March to 2 April 2009, and 7 to 12 June 2010, in the absence of Quentin Bryce.