Helen Blaxland

Dame Helen Frances Blaxland, DBE (21 June 1907 – 1989) was an Australian charity fundraiser, heritage conservationist, skilful flower arranger and nonfiction writer.

Dame

Helen Blaxland

DBE
Helen Blaxland, c.1953
BornHelen Frances Anderson
(1907-06-21)21 June 1907
Neutral Bay, New South Wales
Died17 December 1989(1989-12-17) (aged 82)
Camden, New South Wales
OccupationRed Cross worker, heritage conservationist, flower arranger, writer
NationalityAustralian
EducationBedales, Hampshire; Frensham School, Mittagong, New South Wales
SpouseGregory Hamilton Blaxland (1896–1969)
ChildrenAntonia Blaxland (1929–1989)

Blaxland spent much of her life working for charitable institutions, particularly the Australian Red Cross Society, which she joined in 1939. Her efforts were recognised by the award of Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1967 New Year's Honours.[1]

She was also known for her creative flower arranging and published two books on the subject, Flower Pieces (1946)[2] and Collected Flower Pieces (1949).[3]

Blaxland joined the New South Wales branch of the National Trust of Australia in 1959, was elected to its council in 1962, vice-president from 1965 to 1971 and a member of the Parramatta Properties Committee from 1967 until her resignation in 1983.[4] She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 14 June 1975 for service to the community in recognition of her contribution to the Trust.[5]

Family

Helen Blaxland was the daughter of Brigadier General Sir Robert M. McCheyne Anderson and Jean Cairns, née Amos. She was educated at Bedales School in England and later at Frensham School in Mittagong, New South Wales.[4]

She married Gregory Blaxland on 8 November 1927.[6] They had one daughter, Antonia, who became a photographer. Predeceased by her daughter four months earlier, the grieving Blaxland died on 17 December 1989 at Camden and was cremated.[4]

gollark: We will also have an excellent position from which to orbitally bombard France.
gollark: Soon Britain will be launched into Earth orbit to escape the EU and this mockery.
gollark: Go *forward* and be a 2200s centrist.
gollark: Your political alignment is thus a line through N+1-dimensional political spacetime.
gollark: This is true, political alignment change over time is important.

References
  1. "Helen Frances Blaxland". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. Blaxland, Helen; Haxton, Elaine, 1909-1999 (1946), Flower pieces, Ure Smith, retrieved 9 May 2019CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Blaxland, Helen; Haxton, Elaine, 1909-; Dupain, Max, 1911-1992 (1940), Collected flower pieces, Ure Smith, retrieved 9 May 2019CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. Simpson, Caroline, "Blaxland, Dame Helen Frances (1907–1989)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 9 May 2019
  5. "Helen Frances Blaxland, OBE". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  6. "Knight's Daughter Weds". The Daily Telegraph (14, 950). New South Wales, Australia. 9 November 1927. p. 25. Retrieved 9 May 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
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