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Creswick, Alice Ishbel Hay (1889 - 1973)

OBE, Dame OStJ
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Born: 21 September 1889  Aberdeen, Scotland.  Died: 24 October 1973  Armadale, Victoria, Australia.

Alice Creswick (née Reid) is best known for her work in the Free Kindergarten Union (FKU) although she was also an important figure in the Australian Red Cross Society (ARCS) during World War 2. A woman of considerable energy and acumen, she developed a life-long interest in the area of early childhood development. She was president of the committee of the Lady Northcote Free Kindergarten for ten years (1928-1938) and joined the executive of the Free Kindergarten Union (FKU), becoming president in 1939. In 1940, she was ‘headhunted’ by the Australian Red Cross Society, when they asked her to become its principal commandant. In this capacity, she travelled widely, both inspecting and establishing Red Cross services and activities. She resigned from this position in 1946 and immediately resumed her presidency of the FKU, picking up where she left off as an energetic leader who tirelessly lobbied the government for greater support for pre-school training. Ill health forced her to resign in 1949, but she maintained her interest and activism in the area of early childhood development. She died in 1973, leaving large bequests to the organisations she supported in her lifetime: the FKU, the Australian Red Cross and the Anglican Church.


Career Highlights
Alternative Names:
  • Reid, Alice (maiden name, 21 September 1889 - 30 November 1910)

Events
30 November 1910

Married Henry Forbes

1928 - 1938

President of the Lady Northcote Free Kindergarten

1939

Foundation vice-president of the Australian Association of Pre-School Child Development (later Australian Pre-School Association)

1939 - 1940

President of the Free Kindergarten Union

1940 - 1946

Principal Commandant of Women Personnel for the Australian Red Cross Society

1946 - April 1949

President of the Free Kindergarten Union

1946 - 1949

Junior Vice Chairman of the Australian Red Cross Society

1947

Gained State government help for the extension of buildings and facilities at the Kindergarten Training College, Kew

1947

Appointed a dame of grace of the Order of St John

1948

Represented the Australian Red Cross at the Stockholm conference

1949

Visited pre-schools in England, France and Sweden

April 1949

Appointed life vice-president of the Free Kindergarten Union

1953

Established the Colombo Plan pre-school standing committee of the Australian Pre-School Association

1954

Represented the Australian Red Cross at the Oslo conference

1955

Founded the Alice Creswick scholarship fund (later named the Alice Creswick and Sheila Kinpton scholarship)

1958

Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire

 
Sources used to compile this entry: Alexander, Joseph A (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1950, 14th edn, The Herald, Melbourne, 1950, p. 189 and Langmore, Diane, 'Creswick, Alice Ishbel Hay', in Ritchie (ed.), Australian Dictionary of biography, vol. 13, Melbourne University Press, Carton, Vic., 1993, pp. 533-534.
 
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Published Resources

Book Sections

  • Langmore, Diane, 'Creswick, Alice Ishbel Hay', in Ritchie (ed.), Australian Dictionary of biography, vol. 13, Melbourne University Press, Carton, Vic., 1993, pp. 533-534. [ Details... ]

See also

  • Alexander, Joseph A (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1950, 14th edn, The Herald, Melbourne, 1950, 816 pp. [ Details... ]

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Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.Prepared by: Anne Heywood
Created: 16 February 2004
Modified: 12 October 2006

Published by National Foundation for Australian Women on Australian Women's Archives Project Web Site
Comments, questions, corrections and additions: awap@womenaustralia.info
Prepared by: Acknowledgements
Updated: 4 September 2008
http://womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0748b.htm

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