(B. 1911 D. 2009)
At St Margaret’s 1925-1929
Dame Patricia Mackinnon (nee Bell) is recognized for her community work and long association with the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne.
At St Margaret’s she excelled in sports being Captain of Netball and received a full pocket for hockey. She was also in the Debating and Dramatic Societies. In 1929 she was School Captain and the Old Girls Prize winner and her Senior results were the best in her class. She also studied music at school and later returned to St Margaret’s as a part-time music teacher.
In 1948, she became a member of the Committee of Management for the RCH and served in several offices before being elected Vice-President from 1951-1965 and President from 1965-1979, succeeding Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
In 1968, she became Chairman of the RCH Research Foundation, a position she held until 1986 and from 1951-1965 served as President of the Auxiliaries. Dame Patricia was also Patron of the RCH Auxillaries from 1983 to 1998 and was a Federal and State Councillor of the Australian Hospitals Association for many years. She is remembered as a loyal friend and a tireless supporter of RCH over many years
Dame Patricia Mackinnon was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1972 and a Dame of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1977 in recognition of distinguished service to the community and hospital administration
She married Alistair Mackinnon in 1936 and had two children. She died in 2009 aged 97.
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