Decie Aileen Denholm (née Guy)

Decie Denholm (née Guy) was born in Tasmania in 1927.  An early interest in history was evident in articles she published in Launceston’s Saturday Evening Express and involvement in ABC radio programming during the 1950s.[1][2][3]  She studied at the University of Tasmania and was conferred a Bachelor of Arts with honours in history in 1964.[4]  In 1966 Denholm commenced as a master’s student at the University of Adelaide and in 1968 her thesis, ‘The administration of Port Arthur Penal Settlement, 1830-1944’, was accepted.[5]  During the 1960s she also assisted with the compilation of the first volumes of the Australian Dictionary of Biography.[6]

In 1967 she was employed by the University of Adelaide’s Department of History where she tutored and lectured until the late 1980s.[7]  Her specialties were Australian and modern European history.  A former colleague recalls Denholm as 'a significant presence, being one of only two female academics in the department through the 1970s and 1980s.  Quietly spoken, generally cheerful and well turned-out (unlike some of her male colleagues), Decie was entirely capable of presenting her views clearly and firmly; she was also a popular mentor, responsible for supervising the theses of many higher degree students.'[8]

While teaching in the Department of History, she compiled book reviews, conference and seminar papers, published a substantial article derived from her master's thesis in the premier journal Historical Studies of Australia and New Zealand, and edited two significant texts compiled by South Australian women resident in Germany during the first and second world wars: Behind the Lines: One Woman's War 1914-1918 (1982) and Full Circle: An Australian in Berlin 1930-46 (1986).[9]

Upon retirement in 1997 Denholm was awarded the title of Visiting Research Fellow.[10]  She remained actively involved in local history, including in the production of the radio series A Very Remarkable Woman: Dr Helen Mayo 1878-1967 (1992) and contributions to publications including S.A.'s greats: the men and women of the North Terrace plaques (2002).  She was also a significant cultural philanthropist, supporting the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.[11]

On her death in 2018, Decie Denholm bequeathed over two million dollars to the University of Adelaide.[12]  The sum was used to endow scholarships including the Decie Denholm Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship in History and the Decie Denholm Scholarship in Music.[13][14]

1. Denholm, D 1954, ‘An auction mart is rich in history and human interest’, Saturday Evening Express, 7 August, p. 12. Viewed 5 August 2024, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265142487?searchTerm=decie%20denholm>

2. Denholm, D 1954, ‘The Shop of the Violin Maker’, Saturday Evening Express, 27 November, p. 33. Viewed 5 August 2024, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/265147005?searchTerm=decie%20denholm>

3. ABC Weekly, vol. 18 no. 47 (24 November 1956) p 37. Viewed 5 August 2024, <https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1245438627/view?sectionId=nla.obj-1321553488&partId=nla.obj-1245517902#page/n36/mode/1up>

4. Pike, D (ed) 1966, Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 1, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.

5. Registrar’s Department, Index cards to students – 1900-1985. The University of Adelaide Archives, Series 1117, ‘Denholm, Decie Aileen’.

6. Registrar’s Department, Index cards to students – 1900-1985. The University of Adelaide Archives, Series 1117, ‘Denholm, Decie Aileen’.

7. Registrar’s Department, Register of employees, alphabetical by surname – 1885-1985. The University of Adelaide Archives, Series 587, ‘Denholm, Decie Aileen’.

8. Prest, W 2024, Email to Andrew Cook, August 28.

9. Denholm, D 1977, ‘Survey of Modern European History Courses in Australasian Universities’. The University of Adelaide, Australasian Association of European History Papers from Biennial Conference 1977, MSS 940.06 A938bi, Series 8.

10. Registrar’s Department, correspondence regarding appointment of Mrs Decie Denholm to the Department of History. The University of Adelaide, file 1967/338.

11. Prest, W 2024, Email to Andrew Cook, August 28.

12.  University of Adelaide, Legal and Risk, 2024, ‘Women Who Left a Legacy: Decie Denholm’. Viewed 5 August 2024, <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/legalandrisk/trusts-bequests/historical-records/women-who-left-a-legacy>

13. University of Adelaide, 2024. Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, ‘Decie Denholm Postgraduate Coursework Scholarship in History’. Viewed 5 August 2024. <https://able.adelaide.edu.au/student-support/scholarships-and-prizes/decie-denholm-postgraduate-coursework-scholarship-in>

14. University of Adelaide, 2024. Faculty of Arts, Business, Law and Economics, ‘Decie Denholm Scholarship in Music’. Viewed 5 August 2024, <https://scholarships.adelaide.edu.au/Scholarships/undergraduate/faculty-of-arts-business-law-and-economics-able/decie-denholm>