Barbara Denise MacLeod, AM (15 February 1929 – 9 January 2000)[1] was an Australian naval officer who served as director of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).[2]
Barbara MacLeod | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 February 1929 Bunbury, Western Australia |
| Died | 9 January 2000 (aged 70) Mollymook, New South Wales |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/ | Women's Royal Australian Naval Service |
| Years of service | 1953–1984 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Commands held | Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (1973–79) |
| Awards | Member of the Order of Australia |
Born in Bunbury, Western Australia, MacLeod graduated from the Western Australia Teachers College and taught primary school for two years.[1] She joined the WRANS as an officer candidate in 1953, and over her years of service "served in every establishment where the WRANS were posted".[3] She was the first woman to attend the Australian Administrative Staff College and, on appointment as Director of Navy Industrial Policy in 1979, became the first woman of captain's rank in the Royal Australian Navy to be appointed to a position typically reserved for a male captain.[1][4] In 1982 she also became the first Australian woman to serve as aide-de-camp, to Queen Elizabeth II.[1]
MacLeod was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1975, and received the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "MacLeod, Barbara Denise (1929–2000)". Australian Women's Register. National Foundation for Australian Women.
- ^ Libby Stewart (2014). "Australian Defence Force". The Encyclopedia of Women & Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Australian Women's Archives Project.
- ^ Andrea Argirides. "Women in the RAN: The Road to Command at Sea". Royal Australian Navy.
- ^ "The Age". 6 August 1992. p. 52 – via Newspapers.com.
.svg){kind=small}  | This biographical article related to the military of Australia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |