Fay Gale

Fay Gale AO (13 June 1932 – 3 May 2008) was an Australian cultural geographer and an emeritus professor. She was a passionate advocate of equal opportunity for women and for Aboriginal people.

She was born Gwendoline Fay Gilding in Balaklava, South Australia to Jasper and Kathleen Gilding. Her father was a Methodist minister. Professor Gale was the first honours graduate in geography of the University of Adelaide. Professor Gale is notable for many academic works including the first ever PHD to focus on Part Aborigines and address issues of assimilation. Her thesis A Study of Assimilation: Part Aborigines in South Australia was published in Adelaide in 1960 and republished in 1964 after becoming widely set as an anthropology text. in numerous universities. She is widely revered for her contributions to academia and the role of women in academia.

In 1989, she was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to Social Science, particularly in the fields of Geography and Aboriginal Studies. In 1978, she became the first woman to be appointed as Professor at the University of Adelaide, in Geography. In 1988, she became Pro Vice Chancellor at the University of Adelaide and, in 1990, Vice Chancellor of the University of Western Australia. In 1997, she was appointed President of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the first woman to hold that position.

Professor Gale was greatly influenced by her relationship with her foster-sister Edna Walker, a member of the Stolen Generation and was an early speaker and activist for change in the treatment of Aboriginals. When she married Milton Gale in 1957 her two bridesmaids were Aboriginal women, Gladys Long and Linda Vale. Her early research activity amongst Aboriginal communities represents in many cases the only written records of some people. The research was part of a body of work relied upon by Hindmarsh Island Royal Commission in making its determination. This led to criticism by others of the veracity of the material. Rod Lucas discusses this treatment in 'The Failure of Anthropology'

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