Roberta Jull
Encyclopedia
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
) was a medical doctor who, in November 1896, joined her brothers' practice at Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford, Western Australia
Guildford is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 13 km northeast of the city. Its Local Government Area is the City of Swan.-History:Guildford was established in 1829 on the Swan River, being sited near a permanent fresh water supply...
, becoming dismayed by the living conditions and high infant mortality among her patients. In 1897, Jull became the first woman to establish a practice in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
.
Jull took a leading part in improving the standard of women's and infant health services in the state and became a respected force and agitator for social reform. The next year she became a member of the influential Karrakatta Club
Karrakatta Club
The Karrakatta Club is a women's club in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 1894, it was the first women's club in Australia.-History:The Karrakatta Club was founded in 1894 by members of the St George Reading Circle. The St George Reading Circle was formed around 1887 for the purpose of...
as well as a founding member of the British Medical Association
British Medical Association
The British Medical Association is the professional association and registered trade union for doctors in the United Kingdom. The association does not regulate or certify doctors, a responsibility which lies with the General Medical Council. The association’s headquarters are located in BMA House,...
, Western Australian Branch.
Close associates included Edith Cowan
Edith Cowan
Edith Dircksey Cowan , MBE was an Australian politician, social campaigner and the first woman elected to an Australian parliament....
, Lady Onslow, Lady Gwenyfred James and Janetta Griffiths-Foulkes. The group of well-connected and wealthy ladies actively petitioned the government for women's and social reform issues, establishing several reformist organisations.
In 1915 she married Martin Jull, Under Secretary for the Public Works Department and afterwards the state's first Public Service Commissioner for Western Australia. In 1916 she became a member of the Senate for the University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...
.
She became chief medical officer for schools at the Western Australian Public Heath Department in 1925 and in 1930 was a member of the Australian delegation to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
congress.