Doris Irene Taylor
Doris Irene Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Doris Irene Taylor, from a 1951 newspaper. | |
| Born | 25 July 1901 Norwood, South Australia |
| Died | 23 May 1968 Adelaide |
| Occupation | Social activist |
| Known for | Founded Meals on Wheels in Australia (1953) |
Doris Irene Taylor MBE (25 July 1901 — 23 May 1968) was an Australian social services activist.
Early life and education
Doris Irene Taylor was born in Norwood, South Australia in 1901, the daughter of Thomas Simpkin Taylor and Angelina Williams Taylor. Her father was a bricklayer.[1] Twice in childhood, she survived falls that caused her a limp and paralysis.[2] In 1925 she was injured in a collision with a car, while her sister Ivy was pushing her wheelchair.[3][4]
Career
During the 1930s Taylor worked as a secretary and a fundraiser for a mothers' club, and for a soup kitchen.[1] She moved into political work with the Australian Labor Party by the mid-1940s, and directed a survey of housing conditions.[5] Taylor is credited with persuading Don Dunstan to run for the South Australian lower house seat of Norwood in 1952.[2]
Taylor founded Australian Meals on Wheels in South Australia in 1953,[6] and in 1954 the first meal was served from the Port Adelaide kitchen.[2][7] She worked to include other home-based services for seniors in the organization's offerings, including personal care and library access. Her work for healthier aging was praised by the World Health Organization.[2] She also campaigned for accessible recreation and "a wheelchair for every invalid".[8]
Taylor was appointed M.B.E. in 1959.[2]
Personal life
In addition to the spine and leg injuries that affected her mobility, Taylor had rheumatoid arthritis.[2][5] She enjoyed learning, and taught herself to speak Russian; she also read twice a week to a blind schoolmaster.[5] In 1951 she began using a motorized wheelchair, saying "Heaven help any bureaucrat who gets in my way now."[9] Taylor died in 1968, in Adelaide, aged 66 years. The South Australian Electoral district of Taylor is named after her.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Doris Taylor, MBE". Adelaidia. Retrieved 1 July 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f Greg Crafter (2002). "Taylor, Doris Irene (1901–1968)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
- ^ "A DOUBLE CLAIM". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931). 30 July 1925. p. 14. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "MOTOR CAR AND INVALID CHAIR". Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929). 29 July 1925. p. 7. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ a b c "Busy Worker, Invalid For 26 Years". News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954). 3 April 1944. p. 5. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ Burley, Cyril (7 October 1953). ""Let's change our approach to aged"". News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954). p. 12. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ Cudmore M., 1996, A Meal a Day, South Australia, Gillingham Printers
- ^ ""A WHEEL-CHAIR FOR EVERY INVALID"". Labor Call (Melbourne, Vic. : 1906 - 1953). 24 May 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "HER CHAIR HAS A MOTOR". Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954). 12 May 1951. p. 12. Retrieved 1 July 2020 – via Trove.
- ^ "ABC Election Coverage: 2006 South Australian Election". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 21 April 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
