Rita May Wilson Harris | |
---|---|
Born | 24 January 1888
Brighton, Victoria, Australia |
Died | 21 July 1975 Brighton, Melbourne | (aged 87)
Occupation | Community worker |
Spouse |
Norman Charles Harris
(
m. 1912; died 1963) |
Rita May Wilson Harris OBE (1888–1975) was an Australian community worker . [1] [2] [3] [4]
She was born at Brighton Beach, Melbourne, on 24 January 1888, the elder daughter of Victorian-born Alice Frances Mabel, née Wilson and Isidore Henry Moss.
The May Wilson family had to experience a seven-year drought at Dubbo, New South Wales, and as a result, the entire family moved to Melbourne. [1] [2] Harris went to Presbyterian Ladies’ College and worked at Carlton Free Kindergarten as a voluntary helper. [1] [2] [3] Rita May married Norman Charles Harris on 10 April 1912 at the Presbyterian Church, Armadale. [1] [2] [3] During World War II, Harrises kept open house on weekends, and numerous serviceman were entertained there with large tennis parties. [1] [2]
Harris was a committee member and the secretary of Collingwood Crèche-Kindergarten, a life governor and a president of Keele Street Kindergarten. [1] [2] [3] [5] In 1955, Keele Street Kindergarten became Rita May Harris Free Kindergarten. [1] [2] Harris was the executive member, chairman of Finance committee and Vice President of the Free Kindergarten Union. [1] [2] To recycle and save waste materials, Harris started the Silver Door auxiliary in her leadership at 1939. [1] [5]
As a result of Harris work at Victoria towards Kindergarten Union, she became the Honorary Vice President of F.K.U. (Free Kindergarten Union) in 1950. [1] [2] [6] Harris was also the President, Vice President, and received O.B.E at Melbourne Women's Hospital; and the outpatient's department of Royal Women's Hospital became Rita Harris Wing in 1958. [1] [2] [3] [7] [8]
After Harris's retirement in 1950, she was involved with the Melbourne Legacy Club and raised money for the Legacy club and Red Cross. [1] [2] [3] Predeceased by the death of Norman Charles Harris on 1963, Rita May Harries died at Middle Brighton on 21 July 1975. [1] [2] [3] [4]