Jean Battersby
Encyclopedia
Jean Battersby, AO
(28 March 1928 – 24 February 2009) was an Australia
n arts executive and adviser, and the founding chief executive officer
of the Australian Council for the Arts in 1968.
Born Jean Robinson in Drouin, Victoria
, she attended Geelong Church of England Grammar School and gained a PhD in French literature at the University of Melbourne
with a thesis on Charles Baudelaire
, and undertook postgraduate studies at the Sorbonne
. In 1950 she married Charles Battersby, whom she met as a university student. In 1968, she was invited by H. C. Coombs
, chairman of the Australian Council for the Arts, to become its first Executive Officer. Coombs became her mentor and friend.
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
in 1986.
In 1987 she began a new career as an arts advisory consultant for corporate buyers. She died in a Sydney nursing home after an 18-month battle with cancer of the oesophagus
. She died on what would have been Coombs's 103rd birthday.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(28 March 1928 – 24 February 2009) 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 arts executive and adviser, and the founding chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the Australian Council for the Arts in 1968.
Born Jean Robinson in Drouin, Victoria
Drouin, Victoria
Drouin is a major service town, located in West Gippsland, east of Melbourne. Its local government area is the Shire of Baw Baw. The town is supposedly named after a Frenchman who invented a chlorination process for the extraction of ore or an Aboriginal word meaning "north wind". New estate...
, she attended Geelong Church of England Grammar School and gained a PhD in French literature at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
with a thesis on Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
, and undertook postgraduate studies at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
. In 1950 she married Charles Battersby, whom she met as a university student. In 1968, she was invited by H. C. Coombs
H. C. Coombs
Herbert Cole H.C. "Nugget" Coombs was an Australian economist and public servant.-Early years:Coombs was born in Kalamunda, Western Australia, Australia, one of six children of a country railway station-master and a well-read mother.Coombs's political and economic views were formed by the Great...
, chairman of the Australian Council for the Arts, to become its first Executive Officer. Coombs became her mentor and friend.
She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
in 1986.
In 1987 she began a new career as an arts advisory consultant for corporate buyers. She died in a Sydney nursing home after an 18-month battle with cancer of the oesophagus
Esophageal cancer
Esophageal cancer is malignancy of the esophagus. There are various subtypes, primarily squamous cell cancer and adenocarcinoma . Squamous cell cancer arises from the cells that line the upper part of the esophagus...
. She died on what would have been Coombs's 103rd birthday.