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Ailsa Gray Bond AM

Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women logo
Ailsa Bond

Awarded for service to the Community

Born: 4 September 1923
Died: 7 June 2019

Entered on roll: 2005


Ailsa Bond was born in Victoria and educated at the Wycheproof State School and the Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Melbourne. She wanted to study medicine, but her father did not consider this a suitable career for a woman and gave her the option of dentistry or pharmacy. Ailsa graduated from Pharmacy College in 1944. She married in 1947 and had six children, two sons and four daughters.

Ailsa was the owner and operator of the Wycheproof Pharmacy for eight years. In 1956, Ailsa, her husband and young family moved to Launceston. In 1966, she became the first woman to own a pharmacy in Northern Tasmania when she established Bond’s Pharmacy in Riverside.

Ailsa made a major contribution to her local community as a founding member of the Child Health Association Riverside, Riverside Preschool and Family Day Care Launceston. Ailsa was a member of the Women’s Committee of the Launceston Football Club for a decade, including a period as President.

Ailsa has been a member of the Country Women’s Association (CWA) since 1948 and has served as an office holder in Wycheproof and Northern Tasmania. She was State President from 1987-89 and Australian President from 1991-94. She represented Australia at eight World Conferences from 1990-99. She was the Convenor of the CWA Northern Baby Box Committee from 1990-2004, represented the CWA on Australians for Reconciliation from 1994-99 and the Tasmanian Rural Women’s Advisory Group from 1997-99.

Ailsa has contributed her expertise in health and rural issues in a wide range of advisory forums including as Chairman (1989-92) of the Tasmanian Consumer Forum for the Aged (1989-1993); a member of the National Council for the International Year of the Family; a founding member of the Friends of the National Rural Health Alliance; a member of the Older Australian Advisory Council; and as a member of the Tasmanian Women’s Consultative Council.

In 1995, Ailsa was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to women, particularly through the CWA. Other awards have included Citizen of the Year West Tamar Council (1993), CWA Life Member (1998), and the Volunteer Award for ‘Outstanding work for society and the community’ at the 2001 World CWA Conference in Canada. In 2005, she was presented with the Australia Day Volunteer Award by the West Tamar Council.

For more than 50 years, Ailsa has served on a multitude of committees and given freely of her time to assist her local community and rural women across Australia.

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