Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2010

This is our challenge – to maintain a school which seeks to be at the cutting edge in the use of technology and educational delivery; a school which seeks to provide the best learning environment possible for its students; and a school which seeks to prepare our students for their future as adults in this changing world. CHERRELL HIRST MEDICAL DOCTOR, EDUCATIONALIST, BOARD MEMBER, FINANCIAL SERVICES MANAGER, BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVOCATE, PATRON OF THE ARTS, INNOVATOR, PUBLIC SPEAKER, MENTOR. ALL THESE DESCRIPTORS CAN BE APPLIED TO CHERRELL HIRST; A RENAISSANCE WOMAN IN SPIRIT, BUT ONE WHO LIVES IN AND CONTRIBUTES TO HER WORLD — IN THE WORDS OF THE BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL INTENT — WITH WISDOM, IMAGINATION AND INTEGRITY.

WOMEN’S FIRSTS

1868 1932

ANNIE MARGARET MACKAY First past student to become Headmistress of Brisbane Girls Grammar School (1915 – 1924) Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 1882 to 1887 DR ELEANOR CONSTANCE GREENHAM First Queensland born woman to graduate in medicine Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 1891 GRACE WILSON Matron in World War I, First gold medal awarded for nursing marks aggregate in 1909 Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School in 1897 DOROTHY BRENNAN First woman to qualify and practise as an architect, she worked for Queensland Public Service Works Department Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 1905 to 1910 PROFESSOR DOROTHY HILL AO, CBE, IAA First woman to graduate with a gold medal from the University of Queensland First woman Fellow of the Academy of Science First woman to be elected Emeritus Professor of the University of Queensland First woman professor at an Australian university First woman president and first woman fellow of the Royal Society Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 1920 to 1924 DR MARGARET MITTELHEUSER AO, AM First woman Stockbroker in Australia in 1964 First woman to hold a Chair on the Stock Exchange First woman university graduate to be employed directly from university to the Commonwealth Public Service in Queensland Attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School from 1945 to 1947

1874 1957

1879 1957

1891 1977

Dr Hirst attended this School from 1960 – 1963; a somewhat conservative time when women were encouraged to learn and articulate their ideas in an intelligent manner; but, were not really encouraged to hold worldly aspirations. Hirst achieved the former and wanted the latter. The medical world became the initial vehicle which allowed her to make a difference in society. After graduating as a doctor, Hirst worked and studied both overseas and in Australia before accepting an appointment to the Brisbane Wesley Breast Clinic where she worked tirelessly for nearly twenty years, garnering both a national and an international reputation for employing techniques aimed at the early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. In 1989, she was awarded an ESA Women’s Travelling Scholarship, sponsored by the Queensland Cancer Fund while simultaneously completing a Bachelor of Educational Studies at The University of Queensland. Her seminal year was 1990. Hirst was appointed as a Board Member to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Council and was elected to the Board of Trustees at her former school. For her outstanding contribution to civic life, Hirst was made Queenslander of the Year in 1995. While being publicly commended for this honour, she adopted a stance which was to become her trademark: generously applauding those who had acted as her mentors, and acknowledging the contribution of others who she believed should share the recognition and praise. In this significant year, Hirst became Chancellor of QUT, the first woman to hold this position at any Queensland university and only the sixth woman in Australia to hold such status. Dressed in the impressive black and gold robes of this august position, Hirst attended the School’s Speech Day the following year as Chair of

1907 1997

1931

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