Lady Zara Gowrie

Though from a privileged background and wife of the then Governor-General, Lady Gowrie was a woman ahead of her time. She stood by her philanthropic principles in order to achieve something that has endured since Gowrie NSW first opened at Erskineville in 1940 – one of Australia’s first model early childhood centres aimed at improving the wellbeing of children through quality education, child and health care.

The idea of giving disadvantaged children a good start in life, while universally accepted today, was radical for its time. Lady Gowrie’s speech, given at the opening of the Lady Gowrie Centre in Melbourne in 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II, gives an insight into her pioneering outlook:

‘Our children are our greatest hope, and anyone doing work for children these days is doing national work and giving splendid war service. Not only must we stand by our soldiers but we must also stand by our soldiers’ children . . . I am enchanted with this lovely building . . . just what is needed to bring up children healthy both in mind and body. Every thinking person must realise that when this bitter strife is over, we must build up a better world, and it is only through the children that this can be done.’

Though a very different organisation and much more diverse than it was in 1940, the continuing thread of standing by children, families and communities is the 70 year legacy Gowrie NSW carries into its operational philosophy today.

To meet the major social, economic and political changes of the last 70 years, Gowrie NSW has had to be flexible, strong and, on occasion, risk-taking. The organisation has had to change with the times and explore new areas of practice, spearheading work in equity and children’s rights, something Gowrie NSW continues to pursue with a passion.

It is these forward-thinking attributes that enable Gowrie NSW to be robust in its service delivery, to be adaptable and creative in its thinking, to be nimble and willing to meet the challenges and opportunities as they arise in the future.