Dame Mary V. Austin (née Hall-Thompson; 29 July 1900 – 10 September 1986)^[1] was an Australian community worker and political activist.^[2] The daughter of Admiral Percival Hall-Thompson and his wife, Helen (née Deacon), she was educated in New Zealand at Marsden College, Wellington.

Affiliations

• Red Cross Society (Superintendent Regional Commandant, Victorian Division)
• Australian Liberal Party, Vice President, and later National Vice-President (1947–76)
• Victoria League, honorary life membership^[3]

Damehood

She was appointed DBE on 16 June 1979 for community and welfare services.

Family

She married Ronald Albert Austin (1893–1965) on 9 June 1925. The couple had one child, Derrick Albert Austin, who was born in 1926. Little other information exists regarding her personal life in Mortlake, Victoria.

Sources

• Draper, W J (ed.), Who's who in Australia, 1983, 14th edn, The Herald and Weekly Times, Melbourne, 1983
• Draper, W J (ed.), Who's who in Australia, 1980, 23rd edn, The Herald and Weekly Times, Melbourne, 1980, vol 928, page 68