May Lorna O'Brien

May Lorna O'Brien, BEM is an Australian educator and author. Born in 1933 in Laverton, Western Australia, she was removed to the Mount Margaret Aboriginal Mission as a child, eventually taking up her first appointment as a teacher at Mount Margaret.

After teaching for 25 years she moved into education policy, working for the Western Australian Ministry of Education and the Aboriginal Education Branch. She has also written several books for children.

She was awarded the British Empire Medal on 31 December 1977 for work in Aboriginal education. For this she was also awarded the John Curtin Medal.

O'Brien was a delegate for Australia at the United Nations Conference on Women in Denmark in 1980.

Links

• Biodata

References

• Byrski, Liz. May O'Brien: 'Heart and soul', in Speaking Out: Australian women talk about success, Frenchs Forest: New South Wales, 1999, pp. 215-227
• Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia: Some Aboriginal Women Pathfinders, WCTU:1980