Dora Turner

Dora Jeannette Turner was born at Cape Portland in Tasmania in 1888. She became an educationist associated with Tasmania's first special school that was later renamed to be the Dora Turner School.

Life Turner was born in 1888. Her parents were Mary Louisa (born Ikin) and her husband George Arthur Turner who worked in a bank. Turner's education was at Devonport Primary school and Launceston High School. She worked as an assisted teacher until she gained her own certificate at Hobart Teachers' Training College in 1909. She then worked at several different primary schools. and it had been provided at the instigation of the education department's school psychologist, H.T.Parker. However the history of the school is considered to be strongly linked to Turner's career. The girls were aged between twelve and sixteen and were said to be "backward and feeble minded". The girls learned primarily about domestic science and there was no stated attempt to made them independent, but Turner was noted for emphasising self-reliance. In 1955 the school became co-educational. but the Dora Turner School had moved to new premises in 1969.