Rita Buxton
Encyclopedia
Dame
Rita Mary Buxton, DBE (21 November 1896 – 22 August 1982) was an Australia
n community worker, activist, racehorse owner and philanthropist.
. Her father was a civil servant turned entrepreneur, becoming the proprietor of Canada Cycle & Motor Co. (Victoria) Pty Ltd, motorcar importers.
she married Leonard Raymond Buxton (1896-1977).
auxiliary of St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy. By 1936 she was president of the central executive of the hospital's auxiliaries. She organised voluntary help for St Vincent's in World War II
, working in the laundry herself. In 1947 she became the first woman (apart from the mother rectress) on the hospital's advisory council. In 1958 she was named founding member of the council of St Vincent’s School of Medical Research, for which she engaged in fund-raising and donated large sums of money of her own for fellowships.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Rita Mary Buxton, DBE (21 November 1896 – 22 August 1982) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n community worker, activist, racehorse owner and philanthropist.
Background and family
Born at South Yarra, Melbourne, the only child of Charles James Neunhoeffer (or Neunhoffer) and Emma Alice O'Connor, she was educated at Sacré Coeur convent school, Glen IrisGlen Iris, Victoria
Glen Iris is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Boroondara and Stonnington...
. Her father was a civil servant turned entrepreneur, becoming the proprietor of Canada Cycle & Motor Co. (Victoria) Pty Ltd, motorcar importers.
Marriage
On the day after her 26th birthday (22 November 1922), at St Joseph's Catholic Church, MalvernMalvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...
she married Leonard Raymond Buxton (1896-1977).
St Vincent's
In 1927 Rita Buxton joined the ToorakToorak, Victoria
Toorak is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district located on a rise on the south side of a bend in the Yarra River. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington...
auxiliary of St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy. By 1936 she was president of the central executive of the hospital's auxiliaries. She organised voluntary help for St Vincent's in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, working in the laundry herself. In 1947 she became the first woman (apart from the mother rectress) on the hospital's advisory council. In 1958 she was named founding member of the council of St Vincent’s School of Medical Research, for which she engaged in fund-raising and donated large sums of money of her own for fellowships.
Racehorses
Rita Buxton owned several racehorses. One, High Syce, won the Caulfield Cup in 1929. St Razzle, another, was runner-up in 1949. The Victoria Golf Club instituted a cup in her name, awarded to the winner of an annual match-play tournament, in recognition of her contribution to the club as president (1937-49) of the associates.Last years
Following the death of her husband, Buxton retired from the bulk of her hospital work, although she remained a life councillor of St Vincent's and nominal president of the auxiliaries. Survived by her three daughters, she died on 22 August 1982, aged 85.Sources
- B. Egan, "Ways of a Hospital" (1993)
- The Age (Melbourne), 7 November 1934, page 13, 14 June 1969, page 15
- The Herald (Melbourne), 14 June 1969, page 2
- The Sun News-Pictorial (Melbourne), 1 October 1982, page 11
- The Advocate (Melbourne), 9 September 1982, page 4