Joan Mitchell Montgomery (born July 1925) is an Australian retired principal.

Early life

Montgomery was born in

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 ...

in 1925, the eldest of four daughters of Beryl and William Montgomery. She attended Presbyterian Ladies' College in East Melbourne, where she played tennis and baseball. In April 1942, when Montgomery was 16, her mother died and her father's cousin Anne Montgomery came to live with the family; 20 months later, in January 1944, Montgomery's father died and Anne Montgomery assumed responsibility for the four girls. Montgomery studied at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

and graduated in 1948 with a bachelor of arts degree and a diploma of education.

Career

Montgomery's first teaching position was at

Frensham School Frensham School is an independent non-denominational comprehensive single-sex preschool, primary, and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located at Mittagong, in the Southern Highlands region of New South Wales, Australia. Estab ...

at Mittagong in New South Wales, from 1949 to 1951. She then taught in London for two years (1952-54), at Tintern Church of England Girls Grammar School for two years (1955-57) and then in London again in 1958 and 1959. In 1960 Montgomery took up her first position as headmistress, at the private Melbourne girls' school Clyde School, a position she held until 1968 when she moved to the position of principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College. Montgomery retired from the college at the age of 60, in 1985, following a change in school governance due to the re-organisation of Presbyterian schools under the newly formed Uniting Church in Australia. Montgomery served the wider educational community as president of the Association of Independent Girls' School of Victoria and president of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools of Australia (AHIGSA). During her tenure with AHIGSA she advocated for a merge with the Headmasters' Conference of Independent Schools of Australia (HMCISA), a move which occurred in August 1985 with the formation of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA). She was also a member of the council of The University of Melbourne, Ormond College and Medley Hall. She was a board member of the

Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original site ...

Geelong College , motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars , established = , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school , denomination = in association with the Uniting ...

, Melbourne Grammar School, Woodleigh School and St Margaret's School. Montgomery was elected a Fellow of the Australian College of Education in 1977.

Recognition

Montgomery was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1976 for her services to education; in 1986 she became a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

. She was also named on 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 ...

in 2004 for her services to education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Joan 1925 births Living people Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni