Marie Bashir

Professor The Honourable

Dame Marie Bashir

AD, CVO
37th Governor of New South Wales
In office
1 March 2001 – 1 October 2014
MonarchElizabeth II
PremierBob Carr
Morris Iemma
Nathan Rees
Kristina Keneally
Barry O'Farrell
Mike Baird
Preceded byGordon Samuels
Succeeded byDavid Hurley
LieutenantJames Spigelman
Tom Bathurst
17th Chancellor of the University of Sydney
In office
1 June 2007 – 15 December 2012
Vice-ChancellorGavin Brown
Michael Spence
Preceded byKim Santow
Succeeded byBelinda Hutchinson
Personal details
Born(1930-12-01)1 December 1930
Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
Died20 January 2026(2026-01-20) (aged 95)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse(s)Sir Nicholas Shehadie
(m. 1957–2018)
ChildrenMichael Shehadie
Susan Shehadie
Alexandra Shehadie
ResidenceMosman, New South Wales
Alma materUniversity of Sydney
OccupationPsychiatrist
ProfessionMedicine and Psychiatry

Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir AD, CVO (1 December 1930 – 20 January 2026) was an Australian physician and politician who was the 37th Governor of New South Wales from 2001 until 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position. She was appointed on 1 March 2001.

In 2014, Bashir said that she would step down as governor and said that the time was right for her to go. She said she did not want to break the record of longest service New South Wales governor set by Sir Roden Cutler because she respected him as a war hero.

Early life

Bashir was born in Narrandera, New South Wales, and later went to the Sydney Girls High School. She studied medicine and surgery at the University of Sydney, graduating in 1956. She worked in mental health, and became the Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney.

Personal life

From 1957 until his death in 2018, Bashir was married to former Sydney Lord Mayor Sir Nicholas Shehadie.

Bashir died on 20 January 2026 in Sydney, Australia at the age of 95.

Honors

She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 for her services to child and adolescent health.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Governor of New South Wales". Parliament of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Australia's first female governor to step down after 13 years". Ninenews.com.au. Nine News. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Barlass, Tim (21 September 2014). "Retiring Governor of NSW Marie Bashir backs terror raids". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Lo Surdo, Daniel (20 January 2026). "Dame Marie Bashir, first female NSW governor, dies aged 95". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)