The recent Governor of NSW, Professor the Hon. Dame Marie Bashir AD CVO, has a proud family history of fine Australians with origins in Lebanon who migrated at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Her father, Michael, on a visit to Sydney from Beirut, had met and fallen in love with her mother, Victoria, whose older family members had migrated to Australia in the late 1870s. Following their marriage, the happy couple settled in Narrandera, NSW, where Marie and her three siblings were raised.
She cherishes the happiness of their family life and also recalls the very special harmony which existed in that beautiful region in relationships between the local Aboriginal people and non-indigenous settlers. This was indeed quite distinctive, at a time when such relationships in other parts of the country were less obvious. This environment engendered in her a lifelong respect for Australia’s Aboriginal people, and her later concerns for aspects of misunderstanding which she observed in other areas of our society.
Several relatives were members of the medical profession, including her grandfather and his brother who had studied at the American University of Beirut. Marie and her sister Helen followed that medical heritage in their medical studies. Some of the family were members of the Antiochian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, and others were of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.
While being firmly committed to the notion of “one people, one destiny”, as expounded in the latter part of the 19th century by Sir Henry Parkes, Marie Bashir is aware of the positive impact on Australian lives of the cultural riches of people of varying origins. She is grateful to have had friends at school of European origin, whose families had experienced the terrible scourge of Nazism in their home countries of Europe.
In reference to the different qualities of the Australian states, she recalled the unique Australian sense of humour, exemplified by one of Western Australia’s fine wines which had been labelled “Secession”, a humorous reminder of Western Australia’s teasing threat of secession from the Commonwealth.
In her 13 years as Governor of NSW Marie Bashir has had the positive experience of observing and participating in Australia’s growing relationship with the countries of Asia. She believes that Australia has been blessed “by the tyranny of distance”, which has encouraged the development of a unique national identity. And she applauds the positive relationships which our nation is building in the Asia Pacific region.
She is grateful that Australia places a high priority on quality education, which is also a part of valuable collaboration with the nations of the region. She herself has travelled widely in many Asian countries over the years, often participating in medical aid programs for various groups, including citizens of Vietnam and Cambodia. More recently a visit to Myanmar, accompanied by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Sydney, assisted Australians to work with Myanmar colleagues in significant health programs. These visits of learning and shared experience, she believes, will enhance the trust and collaboration between our nations in the region.
Marie Bashir also has a special attachment to Redfern and its people, especially the Aboriginal community. She rejoices that increasing numbers of Aboriginal students are undertaking higher education at the University of Sydney, the University of NSW and other tertiary institutions. Those of us who have seen her walking in places like Redfern Park have seen a person who, in spite of her position as a community leader and one who has received many significant awards over the years, never ceases to be a part of the community, friendly and approachable.
She holds an appointment of Honorary Commodore in the Royal Australian Navy, for life, and this is strongly related to her deep respect for our Australian Defence Force. Indeed, she is deeply committed to the support and health care of those servicemen and women who return traumatised from experiences of conflict. She also holds the appointment of Honorary Governor of the NSW Police Force.
Professor Bashir believes that much enlightenment and enrichment can derive from Australia’s culturally diverse population beyond the delights of international cuisine, through an awareness of the art, literature and music of our immigrant communities. This will contribute, she believes, towards an even finer world where people respect and support one another.
The SSH celebrates the gracious and generous life of Professor the Hon. Dame Marie Bashir and gives thanks for all she has offered and continues to offer the community around her and beyond. We believe that the people of NSW, and especially of the Redfern and Waterloo community, join us in that gratitude and applaud her life, which was and is still lived in a way which should inspire all our leaders.
