Vasey, Jessie (1897-1966)

Also known as
Halbert, Jessie Mary (1897-1966)
Vasey, Jessie Mary (1897-1966)
Field of activity
Community worker; military welfare worker; welfare worker
Libraries Australia
http://nla.gov.au/anbd.aut-an35975216
NLA Persistent Identifier
http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-592303

Biographies

VASEY, JESSIE MARY (1897-1966), founder of the War Widows' Guild of Australia, was born on 19 October 1897 at Roma, Queensland, eldest of three daughters of Australian-born parents Joseph Halbert, farmer and grazier, and his wife Jessie, née Dobbin. Young Jessie attended Moreton Bay Girls' High School, Brisbane. After the family moved to Melbourne in 1911, she was sent to Lauriston Girls' School and Methodist Ladies' College. While studying at the University of Melbourne (B.A. Hons, 1921), she lived at Trinity College Hostel (later Janet Clarke Hall).

View the full record at Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

Jessie Vasey founded and became President of the War Widows' Guild of Australia. For her work in the field of social welfare she was the receipent of both the CBE (8 June 1963) and OBE (8 June 1950).

Jessie Vasey, the eldest of three daughters of Joseph and Jessie Halbert, attended Moreton Bay Girls' High School as a boarder, before the family moved to Victoria in 1911. She then attended Lauriston Girls' School before moving to Methodist Ladies' College, Kew.

In May 1921 Jessie Halbert married George Alan Vasey. In the same year she graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1928-1930 and 1934-1936 Jessie Vasey and her two children accompanied George Vasey when he was posted to India. The family returned to Australia in 1937 and settled at Wantirna at the foot of the Dandenongs.

During World War II, while her husband was posted in Europe, Jessie Vasey worked with the Australian Comforts Funds. In 1940 Jessie Vasey was a foundation member and secretary of the Australian Imperial Forces Women's Association. George Vasey drew the attention of his wife to the plight of war widows after visiting the widow of one of his men and was appalled at her living conditions. It was Major-General Vasey's wish that after he returned from the battlefields he, with the help of his wife, would look after the families of the men who were killed while serving with him. On 5 March 1945, aged 49 years, Major-General Vasey was himself killed in an aircraft accident.

In 1945 Jessie Vasey established the War Widows' Guild in Victoria, the following year in New South Wales and thereafter in every Australian State and the Australian Capital Territory. By the time of her death in 1966 the Guild had grown into an influential national lobby group.

View the full record at Australian Women's Register

Related people and organisations

Resources for Jessie Vasey

Selected resources (10)

Australian Dictionary of Biography Online

Australian Women's Register

  1. Vasey, Jessie Mary (1897-1966)Australian Dictionary of Biography Online 16 : Vasey, Jessie Mary (1897-1966)
    Damousi, Joy
    [2006]
    Published: Australian National University
    Series: http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A160533b.htm
  2. Jessie Mary Vasey (1897-1966)200 Australian women Radi, Heather 200 : Jessie Mary Vasey (1897-1966)
    Smith, Mary
    [1989]
    Published: Women's Redress Press Inc.
  3. 150 years, 150 stories : brief biographies of one hundred and fifty remarkable people associated with the University of Melbourne
    Flesch, Juliet and McPhee, Peter
    [2003]
    Published: Department of History, University of Melbourne
  4. Jessie Mary VaseyUniNews 12 12 4 : Jessie Mary Vasey
    Flesch, Juliet and McPhee, Peter
    [2003]
  5. No mean destiny : the story of the War Widows' Guild of Australia 1945-85
    Clark, Mavis Thorpe
    [1986]
    Published: Hyland House
  6. A Tour of the Lilydale Cemetery 1861-1994
    Lilydale and District Historical Society
    Series: http://www.art-technology.com.au/lilyhist/l4/cemtrya5.pdf
  7. Who's who in Australia 1962
    Alexander, Joseph A
    [1962]
    Published: Colorgravure Publications
  8. Australian women at war
    Adam-Smith, Patsy
    [1984]
    Published: Nelson
  9. 200 Australian Women: A Redress Anthology
    Radi, Heather
    [1988]
    Published: Women's Redress Press

Resources by Jessie Vasey (2)

  1. General Vaseyʼs war / David Horner
    Horner, D. M. (David Murray), 1948-
    [ Book : 1992 ]
    At 58 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 21.083)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 21.083)

  2. Papers
    Vasey, George Alan, 1895-1945
    [ Unpublished : 1912-1916 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.392)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.392)

Resources about Jessie Vasey (2)

  1. Papers
    Vasey, George Alan, 1895-1945
    [ Unpublished : 1912-1916 ]
    At National Library
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.197)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 11.197)

  2. General Vasey's war / David Horner
    Horner, D. M. (David Murray), 1948-
    [ Book : 1992 ]
    At 4 libraries
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.229)

    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 7.229)

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  1. Vasey, Jessie (1897-1966)
    ... VASEY, JESSIE MARY (1897-1966), founder of the War Widows' Guild of Australia ...
    This resource is very relevant to your query (score: 0.589)

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  2. War Widows' Guild of Australia (1947-)
    ... The War Widows' Guild Of Australia was esdtablished in Victoria by the late Mrs Jessie Mary Vasey ...
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  3. Mayo, Edith (1915-1995)
    ... President of the War Widows' Guild of Australia following the death of her predecessor, Jessie Vasey, in ...
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  1. Website: 200 Australian Women
    www.200australianwomen.com
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    • Jessie Mary Vasey - 5/11/2007
    • ... [Jessie Mary Vasey ]Jessie Vasey 1897 - 1966 social reformer Jessie Mary Vasey (1897-1966), social...
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  2. Website: Australian Women in War
    www.womenaustralia.info
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  3. Website: Australian Women's Archives Project
    www.womenaustralia.info
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    This resource is likely to be relevant to your query (score: 0.085)

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  1. War widows: the forgotten victims of war
    Smith, Mary
    Journal of the Australian War Memorial
    [ Article : 1984 ]
    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.249)

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  2. Barbie celebrates founder's birth - INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS - A special advertising report.(Features)
    The Australian (National, Australia)
    [ Article : 1999 ]
    View online (conditions apply)
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  3. Obituary notices.(Obituary)
    The Houston Chronicle (Houston, TX)
    [ Article : 2001 ]
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  4. Dairy inter-breed title goes to red and white
    Farmers Guardian
    [ Article : 2003 ]
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  1. No mean destiny : the story of the War Widow's Guild of Australia 1945-85 / Mavis Thorpe Clark
    Clark, Mavis Thorpe
    [ Book, Audio book : 1986-1988 ]
    At 57 libraries
    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.758)

    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.758)

  1. No mean destiny : the story of the War Widow's Guild of Australia 1945-85 / Mavis Thorpe Clark
    Clark, Mavis Thorpe
    [ Book, Audio book : 1986-1988 ]
    At 57 libraries
    This resource may have relevance to your query (score: 0.758)

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  2. Jessie Mary Vasey and the War Widow's Guild of Australia [photocopy]
    Smith, Mary
    [ Book : 1983 ]
    At RAHS Library
    This resource may be of limited relevance to your query (score: 0.188)

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  3. Jessie Vasey : the making of a conservative feminist / Richard L. Peterson
    Peterson, Richard L. Ph.D
    [ Thesis : 2009 ]
    At Monash Uni Library
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  4. The letters of D.H. Lawrence / edited and compiled by James T. Boulton
    Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert), 1885-1930
    [ Book : 1932-2002 ]
    At 42 libraries
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  1. MINISTER ACCUSED War Widow Alleges Stifling Of Speech
    The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) Tuesday 10 August 1948 p 2 Article
    ... Widow's Craft Guild (Mrs. Jessie Vasey) said tonight that the Minister for Repatriation (Mr Barnard) ... after wards," she said. Mrs. .Vasey said that Mr. Barnard had admitted that war widows with children ... their lost children and their dead husbands. [Mrs. Vasey is the widow of Major General G. A. Vasey, ... 144 words
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  2. MINISTER ACCUSED War Widow Alleges Stifling Of Speech
    The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) Tuesday 10 August 1948 p 3 Article
    ... Widow's Craft Guild (Mrs. Jessie Vasey) said tonight that the Minister for Repatriation (Mr. ... Mrs. Vasey said that Mr. Barnard had admitted that war widows with children needed more money. ... their dead husbands. [Mrs. Vasey is the widow of Major General G. A. Vasey, who was killed early in ... 159 words
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  3. MINISTER ACCUSED War Widow Alleges Stifling Of Speech
    The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) Wednesday 11 August 1948 Edition: 3rd EDITION p 10 Article
    ... War Widow's Craft Guild (Mrs. Jessie Vasey) said yesterday that the Minister for Repatriation (Mr. ... speech after wards," she said. Mrs. Vasey said that Mr. Barnard had admitted that war widows with ... for their lost children and their dead husbands. [Mrs. Vasey is the widow of Major General G. A. ... 145 words
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