Page 20 - Luce 2013

Obituaries Book Reviews

Doreen Langley: an ordinary person,
an extraordinary life
By Rosemary Annable,
Brinkburn Publishing, 2013.

Born in 1920, Doreen Langley was among a generation
of pioneering women who helped to shape the
educational landscape, most notably as Principal
of Women’s College at the University of Sydney
Diane Adrienne Lemaire from 1957 to 1974 – but hers was a rich, complex
2.2.1923 – 27.10.2012 life which transcends any simple classification.
It is fortunate then that she has received careful,
In 1945, as the first woman to take out an nuanced biography, tracing her life in rural Victoria
Engineering degree from the University of up until her post-‘retirement’ role in Criminology
Melbourne, Diane Lemaire earned her place (whether her College headship has increased
in the history of women’s education. Born her interest in this area is left unsaid). In this, her biographer has
in Melbourne, she came into residence at benefited, alongside the public record, from personal correspondence including
Janet Clarke Hall during the war years from Doreen’s meticulously chronicled pocket diaries as an aide memoire of her daily
St Catherine’s, and studied in residence from routine. Dr Annable puts these documents to good use, producing a careful,
1943 as she completed the fourth year of her thoroughly readable and sensitive account of Doreen’s journey from Merton Hall
degree. The following year Diane began as a (MCEGGS) to the JCH of the late 1930s. The chapter on ‘Melbourne University and
Technical Officer at the research laboratory Janet Clarke Hall 1937-1940’ may be of particular interest to alumni as a commentary
of the Division of Aeronautics based at on the tone and daily life of the College under the watchful eye of Miss Joske. The
Fishermen’s Bend, an association she retained author skilfully places Doreen’s daily life within the wider social and academic
throughout her career. She ran the low speed currents of the College and its parent University. We are reminded that:
wind tunnel that had applications ranging
from missile testing to resistance modeling ‘Miss Joske had taken up the position of Principal of Janet Clarke Hall in 1928 at the
for university studies. At war’s end, Diane age of 38, fully cognisant of the fact that, although her College was an ‘integral part’
travelled to the United Kingdom to work at the of Trinity College, her own position, and that of her College committee, were entirely
National Physics Laboratory near London, and subordinate to the control of the Warden of Trinity College, Dr John Behan… It was
in 1963 she completed her M.Sc. at Cornell a situation that Miss Joske managed with diplomacy, and some useful tactics of her
University in the United States. Returning to own, in the face of consistent opposition from a Warden who viewed Janet Clarke
Melbourne in 1965, Diane enjoyed a long Hall as ‘at best an unwanted appendage’ and its residents as a real and present
career as a research scientist, retiring in 1986. danger to his students’.
A lifelong love of dogs continued with interest Doreen entered the generally upper middle class College of her day on a student
in breeding Lhasa Apsos, and gardening was bursary, and during her four years at JCH she secured a number of scholarships
another passion which interested her greatly including the Sarah Stock Scholarship and the Frances Colles Stanbridge Scholarship,
in retirement. As with many other alumnae, becoming Verdon Librarian in her third year in residence and receiving a resident
she was a regular at the Lyceum Club and scholarship and the Grace Maudsley Prize in 1940. A gifted all rounder, her
enjoyed the travel talks, garden excursions strong ability in science with a focus on dietetics was balanced by ‘good sense and
and social life offered by the Club. kindliness’ as noted by her fellow students, and she was elected Senior Student of the
College in her final year in residence.
At her passing, the College was the recipient
of a generous bequest from Diane towards College Fellow Olive Mence recalls that she, Doreen and other students gathered
our scholarship programme. No doubt Diane in the Common Room (now the Leeper Common Room) to listen to Prime Minister
would have appreciated the efforts of a fellow Menzies’ declaration of war on Germany on 3 September 1939. At a time when
JCH alumna from another generation, Young women were still being steered towards the domestic economy (including through
Australian of the Year Marita Cheng (2007), the infamous ‘cooking test’ explored by Dr Annable), the war opened up a wartime
in encouraging women to pursue Engineering career for Doreen as a scientific researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and
as a career. then the WAAF (and brought her back to ‘the Crescent’ to be housed at Queen’s
College). Following an extended period of post-war travel and work in the Pacific,
Doreen returned to collegiate life as the Principal of Women’s College at the relatively
young age of 37. Then, as now, the Principal’s role demanded business acumen on
a tight budget, face-to-face leadership to staff, and an empathy towards students in
some balance of mutual affection and proper respect. Dr Annable notes that while
there were myriad advantages to a single woman of this era serving in the role,
living ‘within sight and sound of all that went on, at all times of day and night, it was
virtually impossible not to be at work’.

This is an attractive and interesting publication, worthy of the life it explores.
Produced in limited print run, the College is grateful that the family have generously
donated a copy to our Library. It makes a valuable addition to our collection, and to
the biography of those remarkable women who have come through Janet Clarke Hall.

D.X. Powell

20 LUCE Number 12 2013