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Brookes, Mabel Balcombe (1890-1975)

Also known as
Brookes, Mabel (Dame) (1890-1975)
Brookes, Mabel Emmerton (1890-1975)
Brookes, Norman (Mrs) (1890-1975)
Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-461386

Biographies

Australian Women's Register

Mabel Balcombe Brookes, who worked for many charitable organisations, was acknowledged as a talented organiser and effective committee member. Her greatest contribution was as president of the Queen Victoria Hospital from 1923-1970. She was appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1933 and as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 9 June 1955 for charitable and social welfare services.

Daughter of Harry Emmerton, a solicitor who emigrated from England, and Alice Mabel Maude (née Balcombe), Mabel Balcombe Brookes was born in Victoria. She was educated mainly at home by her father and a series of governesses, after her mother withdrew her from kindergarten, worried that she was developing a bad accent. She spent a year at the family property, The Briars at Mt Martha, recovering from ill-health and while there developed an interest in Australian history and in Napoleon when he was exiled on St Helena. It was Mabel's maternal great-grandfather, William Balcombe, who had worked for the East India Company on the island of St. Helena and hosted Napoleon in his guest pavilion for two and a half months in 1815. In the later years of her life, Mabel would build on the family collection of Napoleonic memorabilia, eventually bequeathing the collection - comprising over 380 items - to the National Gallery of Victoria.

Mabel became engaged to Norman Brookes, a tennis player, who was the first Australian to win Wimbledon, at the age of eighteen, and married him in St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne, on 19 April 1911. In 1914, with a baby daughter, she accompanied Brookes on his tennis trips to Europe and the United States of America. During World War I, in 1915, she joined her husband in Cairo where he was working as commissioner for the Australian Branch of the British Red Cross. She assisted in the establishment of a rest home for nurses. On her husband's posting to Mesopotamia, she returned to Melbourne in 1917. At this point she wrote three novels and continued to write on a variety of topics during her life.

In 1918 she served on the committee of the Royal Children's Hospital, then became president of the Children's Frankston Orthopaedic Hospital, the Anglican Babies' Home and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She was also an original member and a divisional officer of the Girl Guides' Association executive committee, foundation president of the Institute of Almoners and of the Animal Welfare League. She was a member of the Australian Red Cross Society's federal executive and president of the Ladies' Swimming Association.

Mabel Brookes's major contribution was as president of the Queen Victoria Hospital from 1923-1970, where she presided over the addition of three new wings within ten years.

During World War II the Brookes's home became a Red Cross convalescent home. The Brookes family lived in Elm Tree House and entertained Australian and American officers, including Lyndon Baines Johnson, later to become president of the USA. In a more practical contribution to the war effort, Mabel Brookes was commandant of the Australian Women's Air Training Corps and worked at the Maribyrnong munitions factory. She also attempted a political career by standing twice for parliament but was unsuccessful. She stood for the federal seat of Flinders in 1943 as a Woman for Canberra candidate and in 1952 for the state seat of Toorak for the Electoral Reform League.

She was appointed CBE in 1933 and DBE in 1955 for services to hospitals and charity. The French Government appointed her as Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1960 in acknowledgement of her gift to the French nation of the pavilion which Napoleon had occupied on her great-grandfather's estate on St Helena. Monash University conferred on her an honorary LLD in 1967. A travelling scholarship for opera singers was established in her name. Both Sir William Dargie and Clifton Pugh painted her portrait.

Mabel Brookes published her Memoirs in 1974. She died at South Yarra on 30 April 1975, survived by her two daughters.

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

Related people and organisations

Resources

Selected resources (25)

Australian Women's Register

  1. Sale catalogue of Australiana from the library of Dame Mabel Brookes.
    Hince, Kenneth
    [1968]
    Published: Kenneth Hince, Melbourne
  2. Lady Mabel Balcombe Brookes
    Commonwealth of Australia, department of Prime Minister
    [2002]
    Published: Commonwealth of Australia
  3. Dame Mabel Brookes napoleonic collection
    The Briars Historic Park
    [2002]
  4. Brookes, Dame Mabel Balcombe (1890-1975)
    Poynter, J R
    [2006]
    Published: Australian National University
  5. Crowded galleries; with chapters on tennis by Sir Norman Brookes
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe (1890-1975)
    [1956]
    Published: Heinemann, Melbourne
  6. Broken Idols
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe
    [1917]
    Published: Melville and Mullen, Melbourne
  7. Old Desires
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe
    [1922]
    Published: Australasian Authors' Agency, Melbourne
  8. On the knees of the gods
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe
    [1918]
    Published: Melville and Mullen, Melbourne
  9. Memoirs
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe (1890-1975)
    [1974]
    Published: Macmillan, South Melbourne, Vic.
  10. St Helena story
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe
    [1960]
    Published: Heinemann, London
  11. Riders of time
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe
    [1967]
    Published: Macmillan, Melbourne
  12. An Examination and Assessment of the Dame Mabel Brookes Family Records of Napoleon
    Krautschneider, Astrid Britt
    [2004]
    Published: School of Art History, Cinema, Classics and Archaeology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
  13. In Her Gift: Activism and Altruism in Australian Women's Philanthropy, 1880-2005
    Lemon, Barbara
    [2008]
    Published: School of Historical Studies, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
  14. In Her Gift: Women Philanthropists in Australian History
    Australian Women's Archives Project
    [2009]
    Published: Australian Women's Archives Project
  15. Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989
    Australian Women's Archives Project
    [2003]
    Published: Australian Women's Archives Project
  16. Who's who in Australia 1950
    Alexander, Joseph A
    [1950]
    Published: The Herald, Melbourne
  17. Official Residences - House Guests - Dame Mabel BROOKES, July 1971
    [c. 15 July 1971 - c. 23 July 1971]
    6 folios
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    A2880/1
  18. Mabel B Brookes
    [1922]
    AUTHOR Mabel B Brookes : ADDRESS Melbourne : TITLE OF WORK Old Desires : TYPE OF WORK Literary Work : APPLICANT Mabel B Brookes : DATE OF APPLICATION 5 Oct 1922 : DATE COPYRIGHT REGISTERED 30 Oct 1922 : WORK ENCLOSED? Order as A1336/2
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    A1336/1
  19. Brookes, Mabel (Mrs) - correspondence regarding service with Red Cross
    [6 March 1931 - 1 April 1931]
    National Archives of Australia, Melbourne Office
    2001/00494397
  20. Applications for Literary and Dramatic Copyright (with exhibits) - Mabel B Brookes
    [1922]
    Author: Mabel B Brookes; Address: Melbourne; Title of work: Old Desires; Type of work: literary work; Applicant: Mabel B Brookes; Date of application: 5 Oct 1922; Date copyright registered: 30 October 1922; Work enclosed: Yes.
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    A1336/2
  21. Decorations & Awards - Dame Mabel Balcombe Brookes
    [1959 - 1960]
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    A1838/265
  22. Brookes, Dame Mabel
    [1958]
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    A10302/1
  23. Functions and Visits - Their Excellencies Sir Paul and Lady Hasluck in Victoria - Dinner in honour of Dame Mabel Brookes
    0.25 m
    National Archives of Australia, National Office
    2001/02932755
  24. Letter from Sir Arthur Crosfield, b. 1865
    [1931]
    Letter from Sir Arthur Crosfield to Mrs Norman Brookes, 31 May 1924.
    1 letter
    State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection
  25. Brookes, Norman, Sir, 1877-1968 [Papers]
    [1900 - 1914]
    5 volumes of newspapers cuttings dealing with Sir Norman's tennis career, 1900-1914. 3 illuminated invitations to Dame Mabel's parents, and a photograph (probably her father).
    5 volumes
    National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection
    MS 2979

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Australian Newspapers (1803-1954)

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  1. Website: Australian Women in War
    www.womenaustralia.info
    Matching pages:
    View 26 matching archived pages
  2. Website: Australian Women's Archives Project
    www.womenaustralia.info
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    View 28 matching archived pages
  3. Website: Putting skirts on the sacred benches : women candidates for the New South Wales Parliament
    www.womenaustralia.info
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Maps

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Music, Sound and Video

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  1. Card of thanks to Mrs. M. E. Benson
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe, 1890-1975
    [Unpublished : 1968]
  2. Riders of time : 1967
    Brookes, Mabel Balcombe, 1890-1975
    [Unpublished : 1967]
  1. Holt, Harold. 1908-1967
    liberal/conservative politician; Member of Lower House; prime minister; solicitor
    ... Brookes, Dame Mabel Balcombe (1890 - 1975) ...
  2. Australian Red Cross, Victoria.
    ... Brookes, Mabel Balcombe (1890 - 1975) ...
  3. Girl Guides Association of Australia.
    ... Brookes, Mabel Balcombe (1890 - 1975) ...