Judy Henderson (born 1945) is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

natural resource manager,

environmentalist An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

and

paediatrician Pediatrics (American and British English differences, also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United King ...

who was awarded an Order of Australia in 1988 for service to "developing countries, particularly as chairman of community Aid Abroad and

Oxfam International Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

, and to the community through the promotion of environmental issues".

Early life

Henderson grew up near Bellingen, NSW, on a dairy farm. Her father passed away when she was aged eight, yet she had extended family. Henderson attended high school at Coffs Harbour High School, between 1957 and 1961, and studied medicine at

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...

. Henderson spent much time exploring the natural environment. She spent much time throughout her career working with disadvantaged communities, including with

indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

as well as in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. She was a volunteer at the Redfern Aboriginal Medical Centre, and also worked with Aboriginal youth and children while training as a paediatrician within Perth, Australia. Henderson worked in

, for three months in a hospital in Tansen, and then in Toronto, Canada, at the Hospital for Sick Children. She then returned to Nepal after one year in Canada, where she worked for the United Mission to Nepal at the Shanta Bhawan Hospital, Kathmandu, as a Paediatrician. She lived and worked in Nepal for 10 years, and for the last 4 years was posted to the Karnali Technical School in Jumla where she developed a training program for medical and health workers within remote areas of Nepal.

Career

Henderson moved to Tasmania in 1985 and joined the environmental and conservation communities within Tasmania. She was the Chair of Community Aid Abroad (which became

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

) and later was the inaugural Chair of Oxfam International. She assisted in the establishment of the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, where both she and

Bob Brown Robert James Brown (born 27 December 1944) is a former Australian politician, medical doctor and environmentalist. He was a senator and the parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens. Brown was elected to the Australian Senate on the Tasman ...

became founding Directors. Henderson was an NGO adviser at the

Rio Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. Earth Su ...

, in 1992, for the Australian Delegation. She was chair of Oxfam International, the

Global Reporting Initiative The Global Reporting Initiative (known as GRI) is an international independent standards organization that helps businesses, governments and other organizations understand and communicate their impacts on issues such as climate change, human righ ...

, and Australian Ethical Investments, a Commissioner on the World Commission on Dams. Henderson was also on the board of Greenpeace International, the Australian Landcare Council and the NSW Environment Protection Authority. Between 2004 and 2011, Henderson was the Chair of the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority. Henderson was a candidate for the Tasmanian senate, as part of the conservation movement.

Recognition and awards

• 1998 – Order of Australia

References

External links

Women Australia Info

NLA

Australia Day Honors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Judy Isabel 1945 births Living people Australian paediatricians Australian women in politics Australian women environmentalists Women in medicine University of Sydney alumni Officers of the Order of Australia