Woman War Doctor

One of the first generation of the women ‘medicals’ to graduate from Melbourne University, Mary De Garis was a pioneering doctor in the early 20th century. Of an established Mildura family, she practised in the Outback before serving in World War One as a doctor in Serbia.

After the War she settled in Geelong where, beloved by generations of women, she was the city’s first female obstetrician, providing safe childbirth before the advent of antibiotics and blood transfusions. Her life and loves and the struggles she faced as a leader in her field are the subject of this fascinating biography.