Sector: Reciprocal Australian and Korean Studies

Country location: Australia, Republic of Korea

Grantee: Dr Hea-Jin Park

Project description

Not all heroes wear capes; in fact, the ones in this story wore white coats instead. This project illustrates the life and work of three remarkable Australian women – Dr Helen and Catherine Mackenzie, and Dr Barbara Martin – and their contribution to maternal healthcare in post-war South Korea. In 1952, the Mackenzie sisters established the Ilsin Maternity Hospital in Busan providing much sought-after expertise in maternal health to women in need. Dr Martin continued the work of the Mackenzie sisters and devoted herself to Ilsin for over 30 years, during which time the Maternity Hospital became one of the best obstetric centres in Korea. The women not only safely brought generations of new lives to the world but ensured the continuation of quality medicine with systematic training of midwifes and resident doctors in Korea. Their contribution was a rare combination of clinical, academic, social and humanitarian acts, and this project seeks to record, remember and celebrate the extraordinary work of our unsung Australian heroes in South Korea.

Key dates

Fieldwork, Korea, 16 - 17 April 2020

KSAA Conference, Perth, Australia, 04 - 06 December 2019

Lecture, Seoul, 03 April 2020

Lecture, Canberra and Melbourne, 15 June - 19 July 2019

Online Exhibition, 01 October 2020

Social media: Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/drhjexplores @drhjexplores)

Australia-Korea Foundation grant offer: $7,000.00

Contact person

Dr Hea-Jin Park, Individual researcher

hjpark273@gmail.com 0468475753