Honorary awards

Dame Maria Ogilvie Gordon

The honorary degree of Doctor of Laws was conferred upon Dame Maria Ogilvie Gordon by the Chancellor Mr Justice Halse Rogers at the ceremony held in the Great Hall on 2 February 1938 in the presence of a distinguished gathering which included Ladie Gowrie and Lady Huntingfield. Dame Maria was visiting Sydney to deliver an address, "International Aspects of Women's Work," at the Women's Conference arranged in connection with the 150th Anniversary celebrations of the Foundation of Australia.

The Vice-Chancellor Dr R S Wallace said: "In Australia we have a great appreciation of those who break records. Dame Maria established a record when she became a Doctor of Philosophy at Munich, and she has established another record in Sydney today". (She was the first woman to receive an honorary degree from a university).

In her reply, Dame Maria said that the honour conferred upon her had been conferred upon all women. She recollected that when she first studied for entrance to a University, the only University which would enter her for her degree was the London University; her own University in Scotland would not hear of women students, and although in Germany she earned her degree, it was not conferred till 13 years later.

She referred to Dr Wallace (whose schoolmaster in Aberdeen had been Dr Alexander Ogilvie, Dame Maria's father) as one of her father's "most promising boys".

After the ceremony, Sir Josiah Stamp who was also admitted as LLD, took cinematograph pictures in the Quadrangle of his colleagues.

(From the 'Sydney Morning Herald', 3 February 1938)