Janet Irwin

A biography of Irwin A Prescription for Action: The Life of Dr Janet Irwin was published in 2016.

Irwin was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1991 for service to women’s affairs and the community. She was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001.

From 1974 to 1978 she was director of Student Health Services at the University of Queensland. She was also the university’s first sexual harassment conciliator. While living in Australia she served on government bodies on immigration, social welfare, health, women and criminal justice including the Better Health Commission and Criminal Justice Commission. Other spheres of activity included the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties, the Brisbane Women’s Network and other lobby groups.

Irwin studied medicine at the University of Otago for almost five years but disappointed her father by getting married before completing her degree. After her marriage ended she returned to medical school and graduated in 1963.

Irwin’s parents, who were opposed to her marriage, did not attend her wedding to Air Force officer Peter Irwin in 1944. McCall Smith’s role at the wedding was fulfilled by Sir Douglas Robb. The Irwins lived at Paraparaumu. In 1948 McCall Smith and Lucy moved to Waikanae from Rawene to live near their daughter. The Irwins' marriage ended in 1962. They had three children.

Janet Rickord McCall Irwin AM (née Smith; 14 September 1923 – 20 March 2009) was a New Zealand doctor who also practised in Australia. She was a doctor in student health at the University of Canterbury and University of Queensland, and an activist for women's health and broader social issues.

Irwin was born in Rawene, New Zealand, on 14 September 1923. She was the daughter of Lucy Smith and Dr George McCall Smith, the founder of the Hokianga area health service. She had one brother Jock who died at the age of 10 in 1932.