Lyra Taylor
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Lyra Veronica Esmeralda Taylor (11 July 1894 – 1979) was a New Zealand
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
and
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
. She spent much of her career in Australia. Taylor was born on 11 July 1894 in Stratford,
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. She was one of four children of Robert Taylor, a farmer from England, and his New Zealand-born wife Mary, née Morrison. One of her siblings was Clara Taylor, who became a science teacher in England. Another sister, Portia, became a doctor in England, and Taylor's only brother became a barrister. Taylor studied
law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
at the
Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...
, and was "
called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...
" in 1918, the first woman to be a
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
. In 1919, Taylor was made partner at a law firm which duly renamed itself as Kirk, Wilson, and Taylor. In early 1940 Taylor was appointed general secretary of the Y.W.C.A. in New South Wales. In 1944 she started work with the Australian Department of Social Services. Taylor was sent on a 10 month study tour of England, Canada and the United States sponsored by the Carnegie Trust. Taylor was a founding member of the
Australian Association of Social Workers The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) is the professional representative body of social workers in Australia. It was formed in 1946 at the federal level, although a number of state branches had formed prior to this. The AASW created a ...
. In the
1959 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1959 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate ...
, Taylor 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 ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Lyra Australian public servants New Zealand public servants New Zealand women public servants Australian women public servants 1894 births 1979 deaths People from Stratford, New Zealand Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand social workers Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand emigrants to Australia