Ida Gertrude Margaret Halley (1 August 1867 – 1 October 1939), generally known as Gertrude Halley, was an Australian

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

, noted for her work in

eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

and

ear surgery Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...

Early life and education

Gertrude was a daughter of Margaret Halley (c. 1838 – 24 December 1929) and the Rev. J. J. Halley. She was educated at the

Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne Presbyterian Ladies' College, Melbourne (PLC), is an independent, private, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for girls, located in Burwood, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1875 at East Melbourne, PLC was on ...

and

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

. She was engaged in medical research in London and

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, before returning to Melbourne, where she entered private practice in partnership with Dr. Kent Hughes.

Career

Halley was a founder and the first treasurer of the

Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne The Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) was a hospital in Melbourne Victoria which founded in 1896, and closed in 1987. It was the first women's hospital in Victoria created by women, for women. History Founded as the ''Victoria Hospital for Women ...

. In 1906 she helped found a medical inspection section for the Education Department in Tasmania, the first in Australia, and a similar organization in New South Wales, then in 1913 established the schools medical service in South Australia, where she started with a staff of two nurses. After twelve years she was appointed Principal Medical Officer with the Education Department with a staff of five medical inspectors, four nurses, three dentists and later, a psychologist. Halley was a prominent member of the Women's Non-Party Political Association, a South Australian organization founded in 1909, which later became the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

. Halley chaired the League from 1916 to 1922 and played an active role in motivating women in social and political spheres. In 1920 she was one of the founders of the South Australian branch of the National Council of Women, serving on its committee for the initial ten years. She was a regular worshipper at the

Clayton Congregational Church Clayton Wesley Uniting Church, formerly Clayton Congregational Church, is a Uniting church, located at 280 Portrush Road, Beulah Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The current building with its tall spire was built was built in 1883, a ...

and a member of the League of Loyal Women during the

Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and its chairman for many years.

Death and legacy

She died at her residence "Greenhey" or "Greenhays", 24 Wellington-road,

Maylands, South Australia Maylands is a suburb of Adelaide located within the City of Norwood Payneham St Peters, and bounded by the main roads Portrush Road and Magill Road. History Maylands was named by William Wadham (who married Jane Cooper circa 1852 in Adelaide ...

. She had two sisters: Enid Una Halley, who married George Coghill on 25 November 1896, and Ethel Halley, a longtime missionary in China. Halley Street, in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm, is named in her honour. She was posthumously inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. It was launched by The Hon. Joan Kirner AC as a joint initiative of the Centenary of Federation Victoria Comm ...

in 2007.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halley, Ida Australian surgeons Australian feminists 1867 births 1939 deaths 19th-century Australian women Australian women surgeons Australian women activists 20th-century Australian women medical doctors 20th-century Australian surgeons 19th-century Australian women medical doctors Australian women's rights activists