Barbara Maxwell
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Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Barbara Edweina Audrey Starrett ( Maxwell; 6 October 1932 – 17 May 1991) was an Australian military officer and instructor. She entered the service as a nurse and went on to attend officers' training. Serving as an instructor, she worked her way through the ranks becoming the chief instructor at the
Women's Royal Australian Army Corps The Women's Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) was formed as an all women's corps of the Australian Army in April 1951. Its Colonel-in-Chief was Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The purpose of the corps was to counter a personnel shorta ...
(WRAAC) School in
Georges Heights Georges Heights is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman, adjoining Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Georges Heights is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North ...
. Between 1977 and 1979, she served as the fourth and last director of the WRAAC, having the distinction of being the first director who had not served during wartime.


Early life

Barbara Edweina Audrey Maxwell was born on 6 October 1932 in
Rangoon Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
,
British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
to the district commissioner. Her childhood was spent traveling to various posts with her family, including
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
Mussoorie Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill st ...
and
Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
, in India, before they settled in
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia, in 1946, where she attended Girdlestone School.


Military career

After her graduation, Maxwell began work as a typist in an office, but found the work uninspiring. In 1952, she enlisted in the
Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps The Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) is a Corps of the Australian Army. It was formed in February 1951 from the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service. A Corps Badge was introduced in 1951 with the motto ''Pro Humanitate'' (for Humanity) ...
(RAANC), and was first posted in Melbourne. Sent to
Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...
, Japan, where she remained for a year, Maxwell served with the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952. At its peak, t ...
. Returning to
Healesville Healesville is a town in Victoria, Australia, 52 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Healesville recorded a population of 7,589 in the 2021 census. He ...
, Maxwell was made a warrant officer and assigned to the School of Army Health. She taught nursing assistants first aid, military law, and organisation for two years and then returned to Perth. Stationed in Karrakatta with the
Citizen Military Forces The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...
, she taught for two additional years, before being assigned to the
Women's Royal Australian Army Corps The Women's Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC) was formed as an all women's corps of the Australian Army in April 1951. Its Colonel-in-Chief was Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The purpose of the corps was to counter a personnel shorta ...
(WRAAC) School in
Georges Heights Georges Heights is an urban locality in the suburb of Mosman, adjoining Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Georges Heights is located in the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman and is part of the Lower North ...
to take an officer's training course. In the middle of her training, because she could not gain rank without nurse training, she transferred from the nursing service to the regular army. Graduating with the top academic prize for a cadet in 1960, Maxwell was made a platoon commander of the WRACC School's Recruit Training Wing with the rank of 1st lieutenant. After two years, she was posted in Melbourne as the Quartermaster at the WRAAC Barracks, where she remained until 1964, when she made captain. Her next post found her serving for a year as the only female staff officer of the
Royal Military College, Duntroon lit: Learning promotes strength , established = , type = Military college , chancellor = , head_label = Commandant , head = Brigadier Ana Duncan , principal = , city = Campbell , state = ...
. Maxwell was assigned to the
Russell Offices The Russell Offices, also referred to as Russell or RO, is a complex of office buildings located in Russell a suburb of Canberra, constituting the seat of the Australian Department of Defence and part of the administrative headquarters of t ...
of the
Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
in 1966 and worked as a liaison for families and their welfare. Two years later, she was sent as assistant director of the
Anglesea Barracks Anglesea Barracks is an Australian Defence Force barracks in central Hobart, Tasmania. The site was chosen in December 1811 by Lachlan Macquarie and construction began on the first buildings to occupy the site in 1814. It is the oldest Austral ...
in
Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
. She traveled throughout Tasmania as a recruiter for the next year. In 1969, Maxwell returned to Georges Heights, was promoted to major, and was assigned as the senior instructor of the WRAAC School. Over the next several years, she participated in programs liaising with
Austcare ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide. ActionAid is a federation of 45 country offices that works with communities, often via local partner organis ...
and the
Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cros ...
and was made chief instructor at the school. She taught seven basic training courses each year. In 1972, Maxwell married Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Starrett and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. With her new rank, she was posted at the Victoria Barracks in
Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...
, as assistant director of the WRAAC Headquarters, Eastern Command. She served in Paddington until 1974, when she returned to the WRAAC School as Commanding Officer and the following year, was appointed as Staff Officer in Canberra, serving in the Directorate of Service Conditions. In 1977, Maxwell became the fourth Director of the WRACC, a full colonel, and the first occupant of the post who had not seen service during wartime. She was honored with the National Medal and clasp in 1978, and retired from active duty the following year. After her retirement, Starrett and her husband engaged in business and remained in the Army Reserves.


Death and legacy

Starrett died suddenly on 17 May 1991 in
Collaroy, New South Wales Collaroy is a suburb in northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Collaroy is 22 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the ...
. She is remembered as the last director of the WRACC, as the post was discontinued when she retired.


References


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Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Barbara 1932 births 1991 deaths Military personnel from Sydney Military personnel from Yangon Women's Royal Army Corps officers