Mavis Taylor
Encyclopedia
Mavis Taylor was an Australian who was named an Australian Living Treasure
for her humanitarian work for the people of East Timor
in her later years.
in 1915.
At 16 she moved to Yarrawonga in Victoria
, Australia. In Yarrawonga, she married, raised 9 children, and established a clothesmaking and haberdasher
y business.
. By 2004 she had personally organised 21 shipping containers of practical aid, including stock from her own business and had set up 23 sewing centres providing employment for East Timorese with major funding she provided.
Australian Living Treasures
Australian Living Treasures are people who have been nominated by the National Trust of Australia. The first list of 100 Living Treasures was published in 1997....
for her humanitarian work for the people of East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
in her later years.
Life
Mrs Taylor was born in Richmond, TasmaniaRichmond, Tasmania
Richmond is a town in Tasmania about 25 km north-east of Hobart, in the Coal River region, between the Midland Highway and Tasman Highway. At the 2006 census, Richmond had a population of 880....
in 1915.
At 16 she moved to Yarrawonga in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia. In Yarrawonga, she married, raised 9 children, and established a clothesmaking and haberdasher
Haberdasher
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...
y business.
Humanitarian work for East Timor
She started collecting and sending household items to East Timor after seeing violence during the difficult period of move to independenceUnited Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
The United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor provided an interim civil administration and a peacekeeping mission in the territory of East Timor, from its establishment on October 25, 1999 until its independence on May 20, 2002 following the outcome of the East Timor Special...
. By 2004 she had personally organised 21 shipping containers of practical aid, including stock from her own business and had set up 23 sewing centres providing employment for East Timorese with major funding she provided.
External links
- Australia's Living National Treasures
- Mavis goes to Timor United Nations Conference on Ageing publication (in Spanish)