Evelyn Maude "Eva" West (14 September 1888 – 20 June 1969) was an Australian

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...

and local government administrator.Hammett, Jenny (2002
West, Evelyn Maude (1888-1969)
''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'', Volume 16. Retrieved 14 November 2018.Lazzaro, Kellie (13 May 2018
Gippsland's accidental feminist Eva West 'just got on and did what needed to be done'
''

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''. Retrieved 14 November 2018. West is most notable for being one of the first female accountants to be admitted to the Incorporated Institute of Corporate Accountants. West passed the final exam to qualify for admission in December 1916. Passing the examination for municipal clerks in 1914 to become qualified, West embarked on a career in local government. She was appointed assistant shire secretary for the Shire of Jeetho-Poowong in

Korumburra Korumburra is a town in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located on the South Gippsland Highway, south-east of Melbourne, in the South Gippsland Shire local government area. At the Korumburra had an urban population of 3,639. Surroun ...

before moving to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to work with the Country Roads Board where she worked by day and studied at night for her accounting exams. Returning to Traralgon in 1921, West opened her own accounting practice before commencing work at Traralgon Shire Council in 1922, rising to become shire secretary in 1934. West was also later appointed as secretary of Traralgon Waterworks Trust and Traralgon Sewerage Authority. West's community work was extensive, holding honorary positions with more than twenty local community groups. She was considered a driving force behind the Traralgon Salvage Committee which raised funds during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. West had a special interest in the advancement of young girls, beginning a local branch of the

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, and serving on the council of St Anne's Girls Grammar School in Sale. West was appointed as an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in the 1958 New Year Honours. She died in Tralagon in 1969 and was buried in the Traralgon Cemetery.

Latrobe City Council The City of Latrobe is a local government area in the Gippsland region in eastern Victoria, Australia, located in the eastern part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 75,211. It is primarily urban with the v ...

currently offers a $3000

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

for Year 12 girls who wish to study business and accounting at university. In 2018, West was posthumously added to the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

. West's father was long-serving Traralgon Shire secretary and Victoria state MP Walter West, who served as the Member for Gippsland South from 1922 until 1929.(20 August 1934
In Town and Out: West of Traralgon
''The Herald''. Retrieved 14 November 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Eva 1888 births 1969 deaths Australian accountants People from Traralgon