Dame Ruby Beatrice Litchfield DBE ( Skinner; 5 September 1912 – 14 August 2001) was an Australian theatre director, board member and community worker.

Early life and education

Litchfield was born Ruby Beatrice Skinner in

Subiaco, Western Australia Subiaco (known colloquially as Subi) is an inner-Western suburbs (Perth), western suburb of Perth, the capital of Western Australia. It is approximately west of Perth's central business district, in the City of Subiaco local government area. H ...

on 5 September 1912. She moved to

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

with her family where she was educated at North Adelaide Primary School and Presbyterian Girls' College (now Seymour College). In the 1920s she was successful at dancing competitions and was trained in elocution by Thelma Baulderstone.

Career

As a young woman, Litchfield was a successful tennis player, winning a number of hard court championships in South Australia between 1932 and 1935. In 1936, she was "Miss Tennis" in the quest held in Adelaide for "Miss Centenary", chosen by popular vote. While teaching elocution, she also performed with the Adelaide Repertory Theatre from 1930. She was a board member of the Repertory Theatre from the 1940s and in the 1940s and 50s raised funds for the Red Cross by organising tennis tournaments and producing concerts and plays. On 27 August 1940, she married Kenneth Litchfield. She continued playing competitive tennis and performing in amateur dramatics. In 1967 she was made a life member of the Adelaide Repertory Theatre. She was the first woman to be appointed to the board of both the South Australia Housing Trust and, in 1971, the Adelaide Festival and Centre Trust. J150W-Litchfield

Awards and recognition

Litchfield 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

1959 New Year Honours The New Year 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. They were announced on 30 December 1958 to cele ...

for her work in social welfare. In the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours she was promoted to

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

for "service to the performing arts and the community". In 1986 she was honoured with a plaque in the Adelaide's

Jubilee 150 Walkway The Jubilee 150 Walkway, also variously known as the Jubilee 150 Commemorative Walk, the Jubilee 150 Walk, Jubilee 150 Plaques, the Jubilee Walk, or simply J150, is a series of (initially) 150 bronze plaques set into the pavement of North ...

, which was sponsored by two of her grandchildren.

Death and legacy

Litchfield died in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, South Australia on 14 August 2001. In 1993, the

Dame Ruby Litchfield Scholarship for Performing Arts Carclew is an Australian youth arts centre based in Adelaide, South Australia. It was founded in 1971 as the South Australian Performing Arts Centre, with its name changed on several occasions to variations of Carclew Youth Performing Arts Cent ...

was inaugurated by the SA State Government. It was administered by Carclew and discontinued in 2016. Since 2006, the Ruby Awards have been presented annually by the

Government of South Australia The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...

to honour Litchfield and recognise achievement in arts and culture. In 2019, she was inducted onto the Suffrage 125 City of Adelaide Honour Roll in recognition of her life's work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield, Ruby 1912 births 2001 deaths 20th-century Australian actresses Australian theatre directors Australian women theatre directors Australian Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire