SACRED LEGACY ARCHIVES™

Marie Bashir

1930-12-01 – 2026-01-20

Life & Legacy

Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (1 December 1930 – 20 January 2026) was an Australian psychiatrist and administrator who served as the 37th Governor of New South Wales from 2001 to 2014 and concurrently as the 17th chancellor of the University of Sydney from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positions, with a particular emphasis in psychiatry. In 1993 Bashir was appointed the Clinical Director of Mental Health Services for the Central Sydney Area Health Service, a position she held until her appointment to the governorship.
Bashir retired after holding the office for over 13 years, being the second-longest serving Governor of New South Wales, stating she did not want to surpass the length of service of war hero Sir Roden Cutler. She was succeeded by General David Hurley.

Occupation & Career

engineer, psychiatrist, physician, university teacher, social activist

Education

Sydney Medical School

Accomplishments, Inventions & Publications

Officer of the Legion of Honour; Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; Dame of the Order of Australia; Centenary Medal; Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar‎; Australian National Living Treasure; Companion of the Order of Australia; Officer of the Order of Australia; Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering; Distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales

Legacy Highlights

Honors & Awards

Australian National Living Treasure · Centenary Medal · Commander of the Royal Victorian Order · Companion of the Order of Australia · Dame of the Order of Australia · Distinguished Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales · Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering · Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar‎ · Officer of the Legion of Honour · Officer of the Order of Australia