Mavis Taylor (1914 – 17 March 2007) was an Australian who was named an Australian Living Treasure for her humanitarian work for the people of East Timor in her later years.
Life[edit]
Mrs Taylor was born in Richmond, Victoria in 1914[1] [2] At 16 she moved to Yarrawonga in Victoria, Australia. In Yarrawonga, she married Thomas William Lloyd Taylor (born Yarrawonga 1913), raised 9 children, and established a clothesmaking and haberdashery business.[2]
Humanitarian work for East Timor[edit]
She started collecting and sending household items to East Timor after seeing violence during the difficult period of move to independence.[3] By 2004 she had personally organised 21 shipping containers of practical aid, including stock from her own business[4] and had set up 23 sewing centres providing employment for East Timorese with major funding she provided.[2]
Awards[edit]
Taylor was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2003.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mavis Goes to Timor". 10 Days on the Island. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ a b c "Timor benevolent pioneer, feisty gran Mavis near end". The Age. 14 March 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ "Woman named 'National Living Treasure' dies at 92". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ "Feature Interview - Helping East Timor". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ "VICTORIAN HONOUR ROLL OF WOMEN List of Inductees 2001 to 2011" (PDF).
External links[edit]
- Australia's Living National Treasures
- Mavis goes to Timor United Nations Conference on Ageing publication (in Spanish)