Marie Bashir

Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, CVO
37th Governor of New South Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 March 2001
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant	James Spigelman
Preceded by	Gordon Samuels
17th Chancellor of the University of Sydney
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2007
Preceded by	Kim Santow
Personal details
Born	(1930-12-01) 1 December 1930 (age 93)[1] Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse	Sir Nicholas Shehadie
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Profession	Medicine and Psychiatry

Marie Roslyn Bashir AC, CVO (born. 1 December 1930^[1] ) is the present Governor of New South Wales since 2001 and also the Chancellor of the University of Sydney since 2007. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular emphasis in psychiatry. In 1993 Bashir was appointed as the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area, which she held until she was appointed as Governor in March 2001. She was further appointed in June 2007 as Chancellor of the University of Sydney.^[2]

Marie Roslyn Bashir was born in 1930 in Narrandera, New South Wales, to Lebanese-born parents^[3] and attended Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School.^[4] She completed the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in 1956 at the University of Sydney, residing at The Women's College from 1950 to 1955. In 1959 she was elected to the College Council, became Honorary Secretary in 1960 and was Chair from 1982 to 1990. She took up life membership of the College Union in 1969.^[5]

In February 1957, Bashir married the Australian Rugby player, Nicholas Shehadie, with whom she had three children. Bashir was named Mother of the Year in 1971. When Shehadie was made Lord Mayor of Sydney, Bashir became the Lady Mayoress of Sydney from 1971 to 1973. When Shehadie was Knighted in 1976, Bashir acquired the title 'Lady Shehadie', but seldom uses it, preferring to use her maiden name. After completion of postgraduate studies in psychiatry, she was made a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 1971. From 1972, Bashir was a teacher, lecturer and mentor to medical students at The University of Sydney.^[2]

In 1982 Bashir was appointed to establish the Rivendell Child, Adolescent and Family Service to provide consultative services for young people with emotional and psychiatric problems. Bashir also worked as the medical resident officer of St Vincent's Hospital and of the Children's Hospital. In 1987, she was appointed director of the Community Health Services in the Central Sydney Area, which put emphasis on early childhood services, migrant and Indigenous health as well as the elderly. On 13 June 1988 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "In recognition of service to medicine, particularly in the field of adolescent mental health".^[6]

From 1990 to 1992, she served on the New South Wales Women's Advisory Council. In 1993, she was appointed as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney, and in 1994 as the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area. This was a time of major reform in mental health service delivery, which contributed to substantial change in the provision of public sector mental health services and she served until 2001.^[2] In her university role, Bashir instrumental in developing collaborative teaching programs between colleagues in Vietnam and Thailand with Australian psychiatrists. In 1995, in a partnership with the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern, she established the Aboriginal Mental Health Unit, which provides regular clinics and counselling at both the Aboriginal Medical Service in Sydney and mainstream centres. She was appointed to chair the Implementation Group on Mental Health to oversee the development of further mental health services in New South Wales as part of the overall health reform process.^[2] On 1 January 2001, Bashir was awarded the Centenary Medal.^[7]

In 2001, on the recommendation of Premier Bob Carr, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, appointed Bashir as the Governor of New South Wales, thus becoming the state's first female governor, and the first governor of any Australian state from a Lebanese background. She was sworn in on 1 March 2001 and on 30 March she was appointed as a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC).^[8] On 17 May 2001, the Governor-General, Sir William Deane, invested Bashir as a Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem (DStJ).^[9] Having previously studied violin at the Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, in 2002 Bashir was asked to become the Patron of the Sydney University Graduate Choir. She is also a Patron of Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

In 2003 Bashir received the Mental Health Princess Award, awarded by Princess Galyani Vadhana of Thailand, for contribution to collaborative mental health programs between Australia and Thailand and in 2004 she was recognised as an Australian Living Treasure.^[10][11] In 2004 she was made an Honorary Member of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).^[10] In March 2004, Bashir was appointed Commander of the National Order of the Cedar by His Excellency General Emile Lahoud, President of the Republic of Lebanon.^[10] On 14 September, Premier Carr announced that he would recommend to the Queen that Bashir's term be extended for another three years. Buckingham Palace confirmed his recommendation on 1 October saying that: "The Queen is content for Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, to remain in her current position until February 2008 as recommended."^[12]

On 31 March 2006, Her Majesty The Queen appointed her a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO).^[13] In April 2007 Bashir was elected by the University Senate to take up a four-year appointment as Chancellor of the University of Sydney on 1 June 2007.^[14] It was announced on 15 October 2007 that the Queen, on the recommendation of Premier Morris Iemma, had extended Bashir's appointment as Governor for a further four years to February 2012.^[15] On 4 November 2009, she was invested as a Chevalier of the Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur by His Excellency Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, and presented by His Excellency Mr Michel Filhol, Ambassador of France in Australia.^[16]

As the longest serving State Governor, Bashir holds a dormant commission to act as the Administrator of the Commonwealth when the Governor-General of Australia is absent from Australia.^[17] She has held the position of Administrator many times from 10 July to 17 July 2007, 30 September to 12 October 2007, 20 April to 4 May 2008 in the absence of Michael Jeffery, and from 30 July to 6 August 2008, 5 November to 19 November 2008, 17 March to 2 April 2009, 7 June to 12 June 2010, in the absence of Quentin Bryce. In May–June 2010, the New South Wales Government experienced a series of resignations: Karyn Paluzzano over expenses abuse, David Campell over a personal scandal amid ministerial incompetence, Ian Macdonald over expenses abuse and Graham West's retirement. These were widely seen as highlighting the NSW Government's inability to govern effectively and in response to this there were various calls for Bashir to take action as Governor and dismiss the government.^[18] She played down these calls in a 10 June Radio interview saying that: "The only way that they [the NSW Government] can disappear, so to speak, is if there's a vote of no confidence...Elections do come round from time to time so it's back in the hands of the people."^[19]

Viceregal styles of Marie Bashir
Reference style	Her Excellency
Spoken style	Your Excellency

• 1930–1956: Miss Marie Bashir
• 1956–1971: Doctor Marie Bashir
• 1971–1973: Doctor Marie Bashir, Lady Mayoress of Sydney
• 1973–1976: Doctor Marie Bashir
• 1976–1988: Doctor Marie Bashir, Lady Shehadie
• 1988–1993: Doctor Marie Bashir AO, Lady Shehadie
• 1993–2001: Professor Marie Bashir AO, Lady Shehadie
• 2001–2006: Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales
• 2006–present: Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of New South Wales
  • As Administrator: Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Administrator of the Commonwealth of Australia.^[20]
  • As Chancellor: Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO, Chancellor of the University of Sydney

	Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)	2001[8]
	Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)	1988[6]
	Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)	2006[13]
	Dame of Grace of the Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (DStJ)	2001[9]
	Centenary Medal	2001[7]
	Commander of the National Order of the Cedar	2004[10]
	Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur	2009[16]

• In 1971 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (FRANZCP).

• On 11 October 2002, she was appointed a Doctor of Medicine (honoris causa) by the University of Sydney.^[21]

• 1 March 2001–: Honorary and Regimental Colonel in the Royal New South Wales Regiment.^[22]
• 1 March 2001–: Honorary Air Commodore of No. 22 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force.^[23]
• 9 October 2008–: Honorary Commodore, Navy Warfare Training, Royal Australian Navy. This was the first ever appointment of an Honorary Commodore in the Royal Australian Navy.^[24]

• Parliament of NSW – Marie Bashir
• University of Sydney – Chancellor Marie Bashir
• Photo: Bashir with RADM Nigel Coates, Commander Australian Fleet, at 2009 RAN Fleet Review.
• Bashir in Mess Dress as Honorary Air Commodore
• Photo: Bashir as Honorary Colonel
• Photo: Bashir with ADCs at ANZAC Day 2008.

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