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Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Dame Roma Mitchell

Roma Mitchell 1965 by unknown Arthur/

Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell, was an Australian lawyer, judge, and state governor. Mitchell was the first woman to hold several positions in Australia.

She was the country’s first woman judge, and the first woman to be a Queen’s Counsel, a chancellor of an Australian university, and the Governor of an Australian state.

Dame studied and enjoyed, music, dancing, and law, from a young age Roma had made up her mind to become a lawyer.

She was chosen as the Australian representative at a United Nations seminar on the Status of Women in Family Law.

1. The astonishingly Roma Mitchell chambers opened 

Roma Mitchell Chambers opened on December 2000, it was named in honor of Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell.

In opening the Chambers, Sir Gerard Brennan spoke of Dame Roma’s achievements and her outstanding qualities of competence, strength, independence, and humanity.

Known as Roma the First Dame Roma Mitchell, she was the first Australian woman to be a Queen’s Counsel.

She became a Supreme Court Judge in 1965, Acting Chief Justice in 1983, Deputy University Chancellor in 1972, Chancellor in 1983, and State Governor in 1991.

Roma Mitchell succeeded by applying her abilities with a determined focus and industry, she remained committed to the promotion of education throughout her life.

Dame Roma Mitchell is widely regarded as an exceptional person, a great Australian, marked by independence and a commitment to public service generally.

The barristers of Roma Mitchell Chambers are dedicated to providing the highest level of advocacy, advice, and dispute resolution.

2. The famous Dame Roma was an active student joining the law student society 

Student by Andrew Neel

She was active in student politics and when barred from joining the Law Students’ Society because she was a woman.

It was during these depression years that Roma also developed a strong sense of social justice.

Every day on her way to university she would see the unemployed lined up for their ration cards and felt that both unemployment and poverty were wrong.

At Adelaide University she excelled as a student, completing the course in four years instead of five.

Dame became instrumental in the formation of the Women’s Law Students’ Society. Her association with the University was to last for more than sixty years.

At the end of her law course, she was awarded the David Murray Scholarship as the most brilliant student of her year.

After graduating she achieved her dream when admitted to the Bar in 1934. Roma became a partner in the legal firm of Nelligan, Angas Parsons, and Mitchell in 1935.

3. Astonishingly Dame Roma Michell grants provide an opportunity for eligible children to child protection

Dame Roma Mitchell Grants provide opportunities for eligible children and young people who are or have been under the guardianship of the Chief Executive.

Minister for Child Protection in South Australia for at least one full year to achieve personal goals, contribute to health and wellbeing, and provide developmental opportunities.

There are two funding rounds held each year. The first funding round is held from February to March, and the second funding round is held from August to September.

In 1962, she was chosen as the Australian representative at a United Nations seminar on the Status of Women in Family Law.

1965, she was appointed Supreme Court Judge, an honor tinged with the sadness of having to leave the bar.

From 1981 to 1986 she was the first Chair of the Human Rights Commission and she used this position to champion the rights of disadvantaged people.

From 1991 to 1996 she served as Governor of South Australia and pushed the causes for the homeless and disadvantaged members of society.

Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1983 to 1990 and was a member of the Council for the Order of Australia from 1981 to 1990.

5. The Amazing Roma Mitchell received many honors for her achievements 

Statue of Dame Roma Mitchell by Unknown Arthur/

Roma was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia’s highest civilian honor, for services to the law, to learning, and the community

Governor General Sir William Deane unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Roma in front of Government House.

Mitchell was made Commander of the French Legion d’Honneur and Commander of the Victorian Order.

A statue of Dame Roma, in Prince Henry Gardens, directly outside Government House, Adelaide, was erected in 1999.

6. The exquisite Roma Mitchell Secondary College is a girl’s co-educational campus

Roma Mitchell Secondary College opened as a new multi-campus school in 2011 consisting of a co-educational campus, and a girls’ education campus.

Roma Mitchell Secondary College (RMSC) is a public state secondary school in Adelaide, South Australia.

It was established in 2011 by combining four previous schools, The school was named after Dame Roma Mitchell, the first Australian woman to become a judge.

They can offer a broad range of academic and vocational subjects so that students can choose a university.

7. The remarkable Roma monument along North Terrace is an all-time favorite 

Statue of Dame Roma Mitchell by unknown Arthur/

The sculpture commemorates the lifetime achievement in South Australia of the former Governor of South Australia, Dame Roma Mitchell.

Dame Roma Mitchell was considered to be a pioneer of the Australian women’s rights movement.

Of all the statues along North Terrace in the city, this is all tourists’ favorite the statue of Dame Roma Mitchell just outside of Government House.

The Dame Roma Mitchell statue was sculpted by Janette Moore and unveiled in July 1999 around a year before her passing in March 2000.

8. Roma Mitchell was an astonishing pioneer for equality and women to rise

During all her years Roma Mitchell was a pioneer, a crusader for equality, and a conservative feminist who always pleased to lead women into new directions.

She has been an inspiration to women for rising to the top, entirely on her own merits, in a male-dominated profession.

Dame Roma served on many committees and contributed actively to many organizations, particularly those concerned with Education, Equal Opportunities, and Human Rights

9. Roma’s astonishing father was a lawyer who went to fight in France and died in action

Roma Mitchell’s father, a lawyer who was sent to fight in France died in action when Roma was four.

Her mother was untrained and struggled to support her two daughters, but it strengthened her belief in the importance of education, so she encouraged them to strive to reach university.

Roma specialized in matrimonial cases and eventually was promoted to the partnership of a firm, as a Queen’s Counsel she supported a change to legislation to enable women to sit on juries.

10. The Famous Roma Mitchell died in 2000 from bone cancer

Roma Mitchell 1965 by unknown Arthur/

 She died of bone cancer on March 2000. At her funeral, Sir William Deane described her life as a life of wonderful achievements.

Her life included an incomparable number of nationally significant firsts, a life which blazed a trail for all Australian women, in law.