Black and white photograph of a group of people on the pathway leading to the entrance of International House at the University of Melbourne — Mavis Jackson and other visitors arriving at International House for the opening of the Samuel Wadham Wing, 1963. UM 805/295, International House Archives

Who was Mavis Jackson?

Microbiologist Mavis Jackson (1913–2000) was a key figure in fundraising for International House and a chair of the International House Council. She was born in India and moved to Melbourne to attend boarding school. In 1935, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne (Kilpatrick, 2000).

In the early 1950s, Mavis Jackson became involved with fundraising for International House. She was President of the Women’s Auxiliaries and in 1955 joined the International House Council. In 1962, she established the cytology unit at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne (Kilpatrick, 2000). A member of the International House Council for twenty-four years, she served as chair from 1973 to 1979 (Larkins, 2018, 35). In 1968, Mavis Jackson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to fundraising for International House (“Awarded MBE”, 1968).

References

Awarded MBE (1968, January 1). The Age.

Kilpatrick, J. (2000). Jackson, Mavis (1913–2000). Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/jackson-mavis-27510/text34912

Larkins. F. (2018). International House Melbourne: Sixty years of fraternitas. Melbourne University Publishing.