Marie Bashir

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Her Excellency Professor
 Marie Bashir AC CVO
Marie Bashir
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 March 2001
Monarch Queen Elizabeth II
Premier Morris Iemma
Preceded by Gordon Samuels
Nationality Flag of Australia Australian
Spouse Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE
Alma mater University of Sydney

Marie Roslyn, Lady Shehadie, AC, CVO, DStJ (born 1930), known as Marie Bashir, is the current Governor of New South Wales and Chancellor of the University of Sydney. She is the first female governor of New South Wales.

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[edit] Biography

She was born in Narrandera, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia, and attended Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School.[1] She completed the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 1956 at the University of Sydney.

Marie Bashir later taught at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, and increased her work with children's services, psychiatry and mental health services, and indigenous health programs. She became Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney in 1993; Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney (1994); and Senior Consultant to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern (from 1996) and to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Kempsey.

Her interests included:

  • juvenile justice
  • research on adolescent depression
  • health issues in developing countries
  • education for health professionals
  • telemedicine and new technologies for health service delivery.

In 2001, on the recommendation of the Premier, Bob Carr, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Professor Bashir Governor of New South Wales. She is the state's first female governor, and the first governor of any Australian state from a Lebanese background. It was announced on 15 October 2007 that The Queen had extended Marie Bashir's appointment for a further four years.

Professor Bashir commenced her four-year appointment as Chancellor of the University of Sydney on 1 June 2007.[2]

Marie Bashir is married to the former Lord Mayor of Sydney (and also the former Wallaby Captain), Sir Nicholas Shehadie, and is therefore formally Lady Shehadie. She is sometimes referred to as "Professor Marie Bashir, Lady Shehadie", however she does not use this title herself. The Shehadies have three children and six grandchildren.

[edit] Honours

In 1971 Marie Bashir was named the Australian Mother of the Year.

In 1988 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her work with young Australians in the area of mental health. In 2001 she was made a Companion of the order (AC).

In 2006, the Queen appointed her a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).

Marie Bashir is recognised as an Australian Living Treasure.

Marie Bashir is an honorary Colonel in the Royal New South Wales Regiment, a unit of the Australian Army Reserves.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Distinguished Old Girls. The History of Sydney Girls High School. Sydney Girls High School. Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
  2. ^ Bashir named Uni of Sydney chancellor

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Gordon Samuels		 Governor of New South Wales
2001–		 Succeeded by
(incumbent)
v • d • e
Current Governors and Administrators of the States and territories of Australia
ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA
Michael Jeffery Marie Bashir Tom Pauling Quentin Bryce Kevin Scarce Peter Underwood David de Kretser Ken Michael