- Entry type: Person
- Entry ID: IMP0135
O’Brien, May Lorna
- BEM
- Born 20 May 1932, Laverton, Western Australia, Australia
- Died 1 March 2020, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Occupation Author, Educator
Summary
Born in Laverton, Western Australia, May O’Brien survived her removal to Mount Margaret Aboriginal Mission as a child, eventually taking up her first appointment as a teacher at Mount Margaret. After teaching for 25 years she moved into education policy, working for the Western Australia Ministry of Education and the Aboriginal Education Branch.
O’Brien was awarded the British Empire Medal on 31 December 1977 for work in Aboriginal education. For this she was also awarded the John Curtin medal. O’Brien was a delegate for Australia at the United Nations conference on Women in Denmark, 1980. She has written several children’s books.
Horton (ed) (1994), Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia; WCTU (1980), Some Aboriginal Women Pathfinders.
Archival resources
Published resources
- Book Section
- Newspaper Article
- Report
- Edited Book
- Book
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Resource
- Trove: O'Brien, May (1933-), http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-591434
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Site Exhibition
- Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2003, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/honours.html