The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Camilla Wedgwood, the fifth of seven children of Josiah and Ethel (née Bowen) Wedgwood, came to Australia in 1928 to lecture in anthropology at the University of Sydney. She then lectured at the University of Capetown, South Africa and at the London School of Economics and Political Science before being granted a fellowship to study the lives of women and children on Manam Island, New Guinea by the Australian National Research Council. Later Wedgwood became principal of Women’s College at the University of Sydney and held this position until her appointment in the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service, at the express wish of General Sir Thomas Blamey. She developed policies for postwar educational reconstruction in Papua New Guinea. Following her discharge Wedgwood returned to lecturing. A member of the Australian Student Christian Movement she was also involved with the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children, the Anthropological Society of New South Wales, the Australian Federation of University Women and the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

Events

• 1924

  Passed anthropology tripos

• 1923

  Held the Arthur Hugh Clough scholarship

• 1924

  Held the Bathurst scholarship

• 1927

  Qualified as Master of Arts (MA)

• 1925

  Joined the Society of Friends

• 1935 - 1944

  Principal of the Women’s College at the University of Sydney

• 1936 - 1944

  Honorary lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Sydney

• 2044 - 2046

  Lieutenant-colonel, in the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service, attached to the Army Directorate of Research and Land Headquarters School of Civil Affairs

• 1944 - 1945

  Service in New Guinea

• 1947 - 1948

  Taught at the Institute of Education at the University of London

• 1949

  Senior lecturer in native administration at the Australian School of Pacific Administration (now ITI, International Training Institute)

• 1924

  Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland

• 1920

  Studied anthropology at Newnham College, Cambridge, under W E Armstrong and A C Haddon

• 1922

  Passed with first-class honours the English tripos

• 1926 - 1927

  Assistant lecturer in the Department of Social Studies at Bedford College, London

• 1928 - 1929

  Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology with the University of Sydney

• 1930

  Temporary lecturer in the Department of African Life and Languages with the University of Cape Town

• 1931 - 1932

  Council member of the Royal Anthropological Institute

• 1931 - 1932

  Member of the British Social Hygiene Council

• 1932 - 1934

  Granted a fellowship by the Australian National Research Council for research work in Manam Island, New Guinea

• 1935

  Carried out research work in Nauru Island

• 1931 - 1932

  Assistant lecturer with the London School of Economics