Lucy Edith Gullett (28 September 1876 – 12 November 1949) was an Australian medical practitioner and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Lucy Edith Gullett was born in

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

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 journalist

Henry Gullett Sir Henry Somer Gullett KCMG CB (26 March 1878 – 13 August 1940), known as Harry Gullett, was an Australian journalist, military historian and politician. He was a war correspondent during World War I and co-authored the official history of ...

and Lucy, ''née'' Willie. She was educated at

Sydney Girls' High School , motto_translation = Work Conquers All , location = Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Sydney#New South Wales#Australia , established = , type = Governmen ...

and the

University of Sydney 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 si ...

, taking her degree in 1902.

Career

Gullett was the first resident medical officer at the Crown Street Women's Hospital from 1901 to 1902 and resident surgeon at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

's Hospital for Sick Children from 1902 to 1903. She was a GP at Bathurst from 1906 to 1911, when she returned to

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb in the North Shore (Sydney)#Upper North Shore, Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia ...

to live with her sister Minnie. The sisters campaigned together for mental health reform, but Lucy's medical practice declined as she had less need for income. During

World War 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 travelled to Europe at her own expense to serve the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

at a military hospital in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

. She was a medical officer in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

during the

influenza epidemic Flu season is an annually recurring time period characterized by the prevalence of an outbreak of influenza (flu). The season occurs during the cold half of the year in each hemisphere. It takes approximately two days to show symptoms. Influen ...

in 1919. From 1918 to 1932 she was an honorary outpatients physician with the Renwick Hospital for Infants, and she was a councillor of the Sydney District Nursing Association from 1934 to 1949. In 1921, Gullett founded the New South Wales Association of Registered Medical Women, serving as secretary. Together with the president, Harriet Biffen, she took a leading role in establishing the New Hospital for Women and Children, which was renamed the Rachel Forster Hospital for Women and Children in 1925. Gullett resigned as secretary in 1926 but remained involved in the movement, serving as vice-president from 1932 to 1949. She opened the Lucy Gullett Convalescent Home in 1946. In 1932 she ran unsuccessfully as an independent women's candidate for the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

, contesting the seat of North Sydney Gullett was elected to the United Associations of Women executive committee in 1935 and served as vice-president from 1936 to 1938 and in 1943.

Personal life

In 1943, her sister Minnie died and Gullett lived with the cellist June Holland. A long-time sufferer from

nephritis Nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys and may involve the glomeruli, tubules, or interstitial tissue surrounding the glomeruli and tubules. It is one of several different types of nephropathy. Types * Glomerulonephritis is inflammation of th ...

, Gullett died in 1949, some months after suffering a stroke. Her will included a bequest of 2,000 books to the Newcastle Public Library, including many reference books.

Awards and honours

* In 1978, a street in the Canberra suburb of Chisholm was named Lucy Gullett Circuit in her honour.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gullett, Lucy 1876 births 1949 deaths Australian women medical doctors Australian medical doctors 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women People educated at Sydney Girls High School University of Sydney alumni Australian book and manuscript collectors People from Hawthorn, Victoria Medical doctors from Sydney Australian people of English descent