Vignette 66: Fay Gale's legacy

Fay Gale (1932–2008) AO made significant contributions to social justice, women’s rights, and First Nations communities, leaving a legacy that lives on through the Fay Gale Centre for Research on Gender.

Gale was the University’s first Honours graduate in geography. Her 1960 PhD thesis, A Study of Assimilation: Part Aborigines in South Australia, explored the complex and often tragic lives of Aboriginal women who had been taken from their mothers as children. It was published as a book in 1964.

In 1978, Gale became the University’s first female professor, and in 1988, became the Pro Vice-Chancellor, the first woman in senior management in the University. She was honoured with the Order of Australia in 1989 for her contributions to the social sciences. Gale became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia in 1990, and in 1997, she was the first woman elected President of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Gale also headed the Institute of Australian Geographers and was the first woman elected to the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.

Gale’s leadership roles and commitment to social change, including her advocacy for justice and equality define her impactful work.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Leading for the future. p.95