Dorothy Delbrisge: Doctor, missionary and social commentator

Dr Dorothy Delbridge worked as a surgeon at the Ba hospital from 1937 until 1955. One chapter in Out of the Ordinary recounts her medical work in Fiji, which she undertook while her husband, Harlan Delbridge worked as a missionary in the Ba area. Their friends and colleagues are also introduced throughout the narrative, including Leilavati Ram-Samuj, Daniel Caleb, and Ami Chandra: leaders from the Indo-Fijian community. Dorothy was not only a prominent medical practitioner in the Pacific, but also contested Australia’s White Australia policy. Her practical and political contributions are well worth marking alongside other Methodist leaders of the twentieth century.