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About Patricia O'Shane
Patricia O'Shane or Pat as she likes to be called is a sometimes controversial public figure who has maintained a media profile alongside her public service roles as head of the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and as a magistrate in New South Wales.
Born in Northern Queensland to an Aboriginal mother and Irish father, Pat often remembers an early life of family poverty and discrimination in school. She recalls being subject to both racist and sexist taunts. These days by anyone's standards, she has been a high achiever.
Expressing a strong commitment to promoting social justice for marginalised groups, Pat has made significant contributions to Aboriginal and feminist politics.
Pat attended State primary and high schools in Cairns, and was awarded a Teacher's Scholarship, which enabled her to study full-time at the Queensland Teachers' Training College, and part-time at the University of Queensland.
After graduating from Teachers' College, she taught at primary and high schools respectively before and after her marriage. In 1973, having received an Aboriginal study grant from the Federal Government, she undertook a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of New South Wales, and completed the course at the end of 1975.
In March 1976 she became Australia's first Aboriginal Barrister at a ceremony in the New South Wales Supreme Court. In 1979 she was appointed a Member of the New South Wales Metropolitan Water, Sewerage and Drainage Board - the first female member in the Board's 91-year history.
In November 1981 Pat O'Shane was appointed permanent head of the New South Wales Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, becoming not only the first Aboriginal person but also the first woman to become permanent head of a ministry in Australia
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