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Lynne Farrell

Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women logo
Lynne Farrell

Awarded for service to Science

Born: 1944

Entered on roll: 2006


Lynne Farrell was born in Launceston in 1944, the youngest daughter of a large family, and raised in Longford. After obtaining high achievements at high school in Launceston she embarked on a tertiary degree in veterinary science, beginning her studies in Tasmania and later transferring to Sydney University.

She was the first female veterinary surgeon to practice in Tasmania, paving the way for acceptance of female veterinary practitioners. There are many stories of Lynne working in the Deloraine area in her tidy shirt, tie and apron, calving cows that had stumped large male farmers.

Lynne and the late Simon Ranicar were pioneers of Angora goat genetics in Tasmania. Unusually for the time, in the 1970s and 1980s Lynne was performing embryo transfer in goats.

After the death of her husband, Robert, Lynne was left to raise her son, Fergus. She continued her veterinary practice in Launceston and was well respected as a soft tissue surgeon with a special interest in ophthalmology. She performed surgical techniques that were usually the domain of mainland specialists at the time.

Lynne then married Neale Farrell (Brown Mountain Nursery) and through him developed a deep interest in the art of bonsai. After his sudden death, Lynne single-handedly ran the Tasmanian Bonsai Centre in Riverside, Tasmania.

To further her expertise, Lynne applied for, and was awarded, a Churchill Fellowship to study bonsai in Japan under the Master Sasumu Nakamura. Since her return, she has shared her enthusiasm for this ancient art by teaching bonsai at the Bonsai Centre and through adult education classes. Lynne has also widely exhibited bonsai in the Launceston area.

As well as inspiring and paving the way for women in non-traditional career choices, Lynne has always given back to the community and supported others through volunteer work such as Meals on Wheels.

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