Dame Marie Bashir: Australia's First Female NSW Governor Dies at 95

When Marie Bashir became New South Wales' first female governor in 2001, she didn't let the historic title change who she was. "Just call me Marie, that's my name," she'd tell people, refusing to stand on ceremony despite being the first woman and first person of Lebanese descent to hold the role.

Born in 1930 in rural Narrandera to Lebanese immigrant Michael Bashir and Victoria Melick, Marie grew up in a home that valued education above all else. Her parents taught her and her three siblings that learning wasn't about material gain but about understanding humanity. She carried that lesson through her entire life.

After earning her medical degrees from the University of Sydney in 1956, Marie began working at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst. Her concern about high doses of tranquilizers being given to young people with mental health issues pushed her into psychiatry, where she'd spend decades making a difference.

Dr. Victor Storm, a fellow psychiatrist, remembers calling Marie in the 1980s about a seriously ill patient who had requested her help. Marie immediately remembered the woman from years earlier and provided critical insights that helped save her. "She was extremely generous, warm-spirited," Storm recalled. "She was always a very good listener."

By 1988, her groundbreaking work in juvenile mental health earned her the Officer of the Order of Australia. She also became a senior consultant for Aboriginal Medical Services, regularly visiting remote communities in Central Australia, the Kimberley, and Arnhem Land.

In 2014, she was appointed Dame of the Order of Australia for her public service and advocacy for mental health and marginalized communities. By then, she had accumulated over 70 awards and various titles, yet everyone who knew her described her as remarkably down to earth.

Why This Inspires

Dame Marie proved that you can achieve extraordinary things without losing your humanity. She treated prime ministers and patients from remote communities with the same warmth and respect. "She treated everybody the same," former NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said following her death.

Muslim Women Australia CEO Hajeh Maha Abdo noted how Dame Marie "was always so openly proud of her Lebanese heritage, carrying it with dignity, grace and a deep commitment to justice and compassion." Her ability to honor her roots while serving all Australians showed that diversity strengthens leadership.

Dame Marie's personal life was equally inspiring. She met Australian rugby captain Sir Nicholas Shehadie in 1957, bonding over shared political views rather than sports. They married three years later and stayed together for 61 years, raising three children until his death in 2018.

Throughout her career, Dame Marie's advice to young people never changed: "Enjoy learning for the sake of learning." She believed education's true purpose was to humanize people, not just advance careers. That philosophy guided her work as she visited urban centers, regional towns, and remote communities, always acting as "a catalyst to bring people together across all groups in society."

Dame Marie Bashir showed an entire nation what leadership with humanity looks like, and her legacy will inspire generations to come.