Marie Bashir.html



Her Excellency Professor  Marie Bashir, Lady Shehadie  AC CVO DStJ
38th Governor of New South Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office  1 March 2001
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Premier	Bob Carr (2001-05) Morris Iemma (2005-08) Nathan Rees (2008- )
Lieutenant	James Spigelman
Preceded by	Gordon Samuels
Nationality	Australian
Spouse	Sir Nicholas Shehadie
Alma mater	University of Sydney

Marie Roslyn, Lady Shehadie, AC, CVO, DStJ (born 1930), known as Marie Bashir, is the current Governor of New South Wales and Chancellor of the University of Sydney. She is the first female governor of New South Wales.

Biography

She was born in Narrandera, in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia to Lebanese-born parents ¹ and attended Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School.² She completed the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine (BM) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS) in 1956 at the University of Sydney (Syd).

Marie Bashir later taught at the University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales, and increased her work with children's services, psychiatry and mental health services, and indigenous health programs. She became Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney in 1993; Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney (1994); and Senior Consultant to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern (from 1996) and to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Kempsey.

Governor

In 2001, on the recommendation of the Premier, Bob Carr, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Professor Bashir Governor of New South Wales. She is the state's first female governor, and the first governor of any Australian state from a Lebanese background. It was announced on 15 October 2007 that The Queen had extended Marie Bashir's appointment for a further four years.

Professor Bashir commenced her four-year appointment as Chancellor of the University of Sydney on 1 June 2007.³

Marie Bashir is married to the former Lord Mayor of Sydney (and also the former Wallaby Captain), Sir Nicholas Shehadie, and is therefore formally Lady Shehadie. She is sometimes referred to as "Professor Marie Bashir, Lady Shehadie", however she does not use this title herself. The Shehadies have three children and six grandchildren.

Honours

In 1971 Marie Bashir was named the Australian Mother of the Year.

In 1988 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her work with young Australians in the area of mental health. In 2001 she was made a Companion of the order (AC).

In 2006, the Queen appointed her a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).

Marie Bashir is recognised as an Australian Living Treasure.

Marie Bashir is an honorary Colonel in the Royal New South Wales Regiment, a unit of the Australian Army Reserves.

See also

• Governors of New South Wales
• Governors of the Australian states

References

External links

• The Women's College - Marie Bashir
• The Whitlam Institute - Marie Bashir
• Lawlink NSW: Her Excellency Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales
• Parliament of NSW - Governor Marie Bashir