Kathleen Mary Burrow

Kathleen Mary Burrow (1899 - 1987) was an Australian physiotherapist, educator, businesswoman, and Catholic lay leader. She and her sister Anne founded the Graham-Burrow School of Physical Education in 1926. They organized courses in dance, physical education and deportment for Catholic schools. As a lay leader, Burrow served as president of the Legion of Catholic Women in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney for ten years, and was president of the Catholic Women's League of Australia from 1957 to 1959. She served as president for the Pan-Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association of Australia from 1969 to 1972. A supporter of the United Nations, she was a leader in the NSW state chapter of the United Nations Association of Australia for thirty years.

Burrow was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1956, and was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal in 1977. She also received two peace awards from the United Nations, one in 1976 and one in 1989. Burrow died in 1987.

Biography

Early life and education Burrow was born on 18 April 1899 in Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia. Her parents were Elijah and Catherine Graham. Her father was a mining engineer, and the family lived in a gold mining area near Clarkes Creek. She then enrolled in the University of Sydney, and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1922. She became a founding member of the University Catholic Women’s Association, She was also involved in the Newman Association of Catholic Graduates, serving on the executive team. She later returned to the University of Sydney to complete a Diploma in Social Studies in 1944. the "Living Rosary" pageant featured five thousand children performing "Five Mediations"

Leadership in civic and women's organizations In addition to her professional life as a business owner and teacher, Burrows was an active leader in Catholic women's organizations. In 1949, she was appointed president of the Sydney branch of the Legion of Catholic Women, by Norman Gilroy, then serving as Sydney's Cardinal Archbishop. Prior to becoming president, she had been treasurer of the regional branch of the Legion, and a member of the Ashfield local branch. In 1949, she participated in and spoke at a protest in Sydney against the imprisonment of Cardinal József Mindszenty, in Hungary.

Burrow also took on leadership roles within Catholic women's organizations at the national level. She represented the Federation of Catholic Women of Australia at the Jubilee Women's Convention, held in Melbourne in October 1951, and served as national president of the Catholic Women's League of Australia from 1957 to 1959. Burrow also served as the Australian representative to the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations, from 1957 to 1965.

Beyond her work within Catholic women's organizations, Burrow was a leader in several other civic and women's organizations. A strong supporter of the United Nations, she was involved in the New South Wales chapter of the United Nations Association of Australia for thirty years. This was the annual convention of the National Council of Negro Women, and at the same 1957 conference, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the keynote speakers.

In 1958, Burrow represented Australia at the Tokyo Pan-Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Conference. She received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Papal Cross in 1977.

A Kathleen Burrow Research Institute has been established in the Catholic Schools New South Wales (NSW). The institute website states that it "conducts and publishes research on contemporary issues in school education". In 2021, Anthony Fisher, Archbishop of Sydney, gave the inaugural Kathleen Burrow Research Institute Lecture.