Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

My heartfelt thanks goes to Dr Alistair Gratton for the gift of a sketch by Dr Helen Mayo, the namesake of my electorate. Mayo is one of the few electorates in the nation named after a woman, and Dr Mayo was an extraordinary woman. She was a reformer, a maternal and infant health educator and an activist. During the four decades of her influence on South Australia's medical profession, the infant mortality rate in my state fell by 60 per cent.

Born in 1878, Dr Mayo was described as a progressive woman with forceful views. In 1902, she became the second woman to graduate with a degree in medicine from the University of Adelaide, and she enjoyed a stellar medical career. Her focus on health education led to the formation of the Mothers and Babies Health Association in South Australia and she also supported the kindergarten movement. In 1914, Dr Mayo became the first woman university councillor in Australia and she was founder of political and professional associations for women.

As a South Australian, as a woman and as the federal member for Mayo, I am proud of the legacy of Dr Helen Mayo and what she has left our nation. I thank Dr Alistair Gratton for his treasured gift, and I thank the member for Indi for connecting me to Alistair Gratton. I will hang this sketch in my electorate office with pride.

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