Lois Katrine Pitman, ( 1919 – 30 October 2014) was an Australian military officer and social worker. She served as director of the

Women's Royal Australian Air Force The Women's Royal Australian Air Force (WRAAF) was formed in 1950, after the success of women serving in the Air Forces had been demonstrated by the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was ...

(WRAAF) from 1960 to 1972. 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 ...

, Pitman joined the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force in 1942 and later served with the

Department of Post-War Reconstruction The Department of Post-War Reconstruction was an Australian Government department responsible for planning and coordinating Australia's transition to a peacetime economy after World War II. The department was established in December 1942 an ...

. She qualified as a social worker and worked with the

Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital The Austin Hospital is a public teaching hospital in Melbourne's north-eastern suburb of Heidelberg, and is administered by Austin Health, along with the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital and the Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre. History The Au ...

and the

St Thomas' Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foun ...

. After joining the WRAAF she studied psychology at

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

. Pitman was appointed an

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 1968.

References

External links

National Library of Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitman, Lois 1910s births 2014 deaths 20th-century Australian public servants Australian National University alumni Australian military personnel of World War II Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian social workers Australian women in World War II Military personnel from Melbourne University of Melbourne alumni Women in the Australian military