Margaret Theadora Allan (1889–1968) was a

Community Worker Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

and organizing secretary for the Travellers' Aid Society of New South Wales. Allan was the third child of a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister, the Rev. Alexander McWatt Allan, and his wife, Margaret Jane Allan, and was born in a

manse A manse () is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin ''mansus'', "dwelling", from '' ...

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

on 2 June, 1889. Her father was transferred to

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

where, after ministering to several

pastorate A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

s, he settled in

Tweed Heads Tweed Heads is a town in New South Wales. It is located on the Tweed River in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in Tweed Shire, next to the border with Queensland and adjacent to its "twin town" of Coolangatta, which is a suburb of the ...

in 1908 before he was killed in an accident. Allan was first employed as a secretary for the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

(YWCA) and in 1940, after the Sydney branch of the YWCA separated into the Travellers' Aid Society of New South Wales (T.A.S.) and relocated to a room in Central railway station, became its organizing secretary. The T.A.S. initially gave aid and protection to women and children, but later encompassed all travelers irrespective of gender or age. She was an enthusiastic and energetic organizer of the T.A.S. and according to the ''

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

'' " y1966 the T.A.S. provided accommodation for a total of 1762 women and children at the Lodge in Elizabeth Street (which it had purchased in 1952) nd by 1968the society had a staff of ten to assist 33,073 travellers". She was awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown. The current honour was created in 1922 to ...

in January 1968 for services to the community. Allan later lived in North Sydney and was a member of the Daughters of the Manse Association, which was setup in 1926 by the Presbyterian church as an auxiliary body to assist with community work. She died on 14 December, 1968 at St Vincent's Hospital,

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. I ...

and was cremated.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Margaret Theadora 1889 births 1968 deaths Australian Presbyterians Australian recipients of the British Empire Medal 19th-century Australian women 20th-century Australian women