By Dominique Hes
A plaque has been unveiled at Newport Lakes honouring the late Dr Mary Burbidge – a much-loved doctor, fighter for Newport Lakes, birder and community advocate – who served Melbourne’s inner west for more than 50 years.
Mary was a local GP who cared deeply for her patients and her community. She was known for her quiet strength, compassion, and tireless commitment to making life better for others. Those who knew her say she didn’t seek the spotlight – she preferred to do rather than talk. Yet her actions have left a legacy that continues to shape our neighbourhoods today.
In the early 1980s, Mary was persuaded to stand as a Labor councillor for the south ward of Williamstown. Although she considered herself shy and not much of a public speaker, she always said she made one good speech – standing up against a proposal to turn the old Newport quarries into a rubbish tip. Instead, she imagined a place of lakes, trees, and birds. Alongside fellow councillor Geraldine Schutt, she fought the plan and won.
That courageous stand saved what is now Newport Lakes Reserve, a tranquil oasis in the heart of the suburbs. Mary later moved to a home opposite the park, where she could watch the birds she loved so much from her verandah. She was a mainstay of Friends of Newport Lakes, volunteering for decades, documenting birdlife, and helping guide revegetation projects.
But Mary’s contributions went far beyond the lakes. In 1979, she co-founded what became Gellibrand Support Services, an organisation that continues to provide housing and care for people with disabilities across the western suburbs. Motivated by her daughter Jenny, who had a profound disability, Mary combined her professional skills and personal experience to shape a more compassionate system of support.
At Mary’s passing the Hon Melissa Horne MP said “Mary was a proud local visionary and an ALP member in Williamstown whose legacy is extensive. She was a doctor, a Labor councillor for the south ward of Williamstown council, an author, a lecturer, a foster parent and a passionate advocate for children with disabilities.”
Her book, Forever Baby: Jenny’s Story – A Mother’s Diary, captured the joys and challenges of raising a child with disability, touching the hearts of parents across Australia. She also taught medical students about disability care and helped establish Victoria’s Guardianship and Administration Board.
Mary was a doctor, councillor, author, musician, mother, grandmother, and friend – but above all, she was a woman who gave everything she had to her community.
Her spirit lives on in the lakes she helped create, the organisation she helped build, and the people whose lives she quietly changed for the better.
The next time you walk through Newport Lakes and hear the call of a bird across the water, you might just think of Mary – and smile.
*The plaque was made possible thanks to the Friends of Newport Lakes.
