Irene Florence Fairbairn (30 March 1899 – 14 March 1974) served as the Chief Commissioner of

Guides Australia Girl Guides Australia (GGA) is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. Its mission is to empower girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women fro ...

. She was a 1947 recipient of the

Silver Fish Award The Silver Fish Award is the highest adult award in Girlguiding. It is awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding combined with service to world Guiding. The award has changed greatly since it first appeared in 1911, initially being awarde ...

, the highest adult award in

Girlguiding Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association, previously named The Girl Guides Association and is the national guiding organisation of the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest girl-only youth organisation. Girlguiding is a char ...

, awarded for outstanding service to Girlguiding combined with service to world Guiding. Fairbairn née Ridley was born in 1899 in London. During

WW I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she served as a volunteer aide at Hospital for Wounded Officers and received a service medal from the

British Red Cross Society The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

. In 1922 she married Charles Osborn Fairbairn. The same year she joined the Beaufort-Skipton Association of the

Girl Guides Australia Girl Guides Australia (GGA) is the national Guiding organisation in Australia. Its mission is to empower girls and young women to grow into confident, self-respecting members of the community. Membership is open to all girls and young women fro ...

in Victoria. In 1947 Fairbairn became the first Federal Commissioner of the Girl Guides Association of Australia. In 1952 the title changed to Chief Commissioner and Fairbairn continued in that post until 1955. After she left that post she became the State Commissioner for Girl Guides Victoria, serving until 1963. In 1969 Fairbairn became life Vice-President of Girl Guides Australia. She died on 14 March 1974 in East Melbourne. In 1955 the ''Irene Fairbairn Fund'' was established to provide Guides and Leaders to attend Australian and International Events.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn, Irene Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting Scouting and Guiding in Australia Recipients of the Silver Fish Award 1899 births 1974 deaths English emigrants to Australia People from Stamford Hill