Shirley Andrews
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Shirley Aldythea Marshall Seymour Andrews (5 November 1915 – 15 September 2001) was an Australian
biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
, dancer, researcher and Aboriginal rights activist.


Early life and education

Andrews was born on November 5, 1915, to Doris Andrews and Arthur Andrews. Andrews grew up in
Sandringham, Victoria Sandringham ( or sometimes ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Bayside local government area. Sandringham recorded a population of 10,926 at the 2021 c ...
, living with her mother, grandmother and uncle. She attended school at Miss Montford's school, in Sandringham, until the age of eleven. Later, she boarded at St Michael's grammar in
St Kilda, Victoria St Kilda is an inner seaside suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, southeast of the Melbourne central business district, located within the City of Port Phillip Local government areas of Victoria, local government area. St Kilda recorded a ...
. After graduating from St Michael's, Andrews enrolled in a science course at the
University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...
, from 1934 to 1937. In her first years at university she rented houses and apartments with her mother in the Melbourne area. Andrews also began to learn
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
during her time at university. She took lessons from
Edouard Borovansky Edouard Borovansky (24 February 1902 – 18 December 1959) was a Czechoslovakia, Czech-born Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife, Xenia Borovansky, Xenia, settled in Aus ...
and later became interested in Australian
folk dance A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, Ritual, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances ...
. Andrews helped establish the folk dance society and the Victorian
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
club, meanwhile continuing her studies at university. She wrote a book on traditional dancing in Australia. In 1994 she was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...
(OAM) for "service to folklore through the study of Australian traditional social dancing". After completing her
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree, Andrews was offered a Caroline Kay scholarship to the
veterinary school Veterinary education is the tertiary education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian, one must first complete a degree in veterinary medicine Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM, V.M.D., BVS, BVSc, BVMS, BVM etc.). In the United States and C ...
at Melbourne University. After accepting the scholarship offer, Andrews worked at the Veterinary School for six years, doing biochemical testing on animal tissue and fluids.


Career

Following her time at Melbourne University, Andrews joined the
CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...
(Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) in 1947, as a research officer. Later on, the organisation (CSIRO) became aware of a relationship that had developed between Andrews and Bill Bird, the secretary of the Seamen's Union. The
ASIO ''Asio'' is a genus of typical owls, or true owls, in the family Strigidae. This group has representatives over most of the planet, and the short-eared owl is one of the most widespread of all bird species, breeding in Europe, Asia, North Ameri ...
(Australian Security Intelligence Organisation) informed the CSIRO of the connection, causing Andrews to find it difficult to continue her works at the organisation. Andrews left the CSIRO in 1953. After leaving CSIRO, Andrews took a position as Senior
Biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
at the Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...
. She held this position for over twenty years, leaving in 1977. At Royal Park she worked to establish safe methods of using
lithium Lithium (from , , ) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard temperature and pressure, standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the ...
to treat symptoms of manic depressive illness (now
bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
). It was while working in this area that she discovered that bromureide (
bromide A bromide ion is the negatively charged form (Br−) of the element bromine, a member of the halogens group on the periodic table. Most bromides are colorless. Bromides have many practical roles, being found in anticonvulsants, flame-retard ...
) drugs — widely used as a
tranquilliser A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are central nervous system (CNS) depressants and interact with brain activity, causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives ca ...
at the time — instigated symptoms of mental illness. This led to significant reduction in the use of bromide.


Political activity

Andrews was active in a number of leftist social organizations over the course of her life. She was a member of the
Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian communist party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been ...
in the 1940s, though she left in 1951 due to dissatisfaction with the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In 1951, Andrews became a founding member and secretary of the Council for Aboriginal Rights (CAR). The CAR was a confederation striving for equal rights for Aborigines. The CAR also contributed to the establishment of the
1967 referendum Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...
, when Australia voted to count Aborigines in the census. Andrews worked tirelessly to provide a political focus on Aboriginal rights for the next 20 years.


Personal life

She never married and never had children. Although Andrews preferred to work in the backroom, she was a self-confident leader. She showed these qualities and many more while working throughout her life to make significant changes to Australian society. Andrews referred to herself as a liberated woman and believed strongly in women's rights.


See also

* Aboriginal land rights in Australia *
Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders The Federal Council for the Advancement of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI), founded in Adelaide, South Australia, as the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement (FCAA) on 16 February 1958, was a civil rights organisation whic ...


Further reading

* * * * * *


References


External links


Andrews, Shirley (-2001)
at the
National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Shirley 1915 births 2001 deaths Australian indigenous rights activists Australian women human rights activists Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia People from Sandringham, Victoria Activists from Melbourne Scientists from Melbourne 20th-century Australian women scientists Australian biochemists University of Melbourne alumni CSIRO people