Frances Rush OAM (’79)

Social advocate Frances Rush, Class of 1979, says her early interest in the welfare of others and social justice was developed during her school years at Loreto Kirribilli.

“My schooling at Loreto and its emphasis on social justice reinforced these values. From Year 10 onwards we were always encouraged to take actions, be it visiting local elderly people or being involved in Centres such as Matthew Talbot, it was seen as a given,” she explains.

Frances was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in the 2019 Australia Day Honours for her ‘service to the community through social welfare organisations’.

She attended Loreto Kirribilli between 1971 and 1979. Her twin sisters, Cathy Walbank and Liz Furner (both '78) also went to Loreto and her niece, Kate Furner('19). As a Loreto graduate of 1979, she is coming up for her 46th school reunion this year.

On leaving school, Frances studied social work at the UNSW and later attained a Masters in Applied Science from the University of Western Sydney. She spent much of her early career working alongside people living a street-based lifestyle in St Kilda in Victoria and then later in Kings Cross. In 1991 she took part in a camel trek across the Simpson Desert with young offenders

Her diverse work in the public sector includes senior executive roles with the NSW Department of Justice in Guardianship, where she worked in advocacy and policy across government as well as the ageing and disability sectors. More recently, Frances has worked with the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse as their Witness Services Manager. She also has extensive experience as an oral historian having worked on projects at a national and state level.

In 1993 Frances co-edited - with Gina Lennox - the book People of the Cross, published by Simon and Schuster, about true stories from people who live and work in Kings Cross. Frances is a former Director of Commonwealth Study Conferences Inc. and a former Director of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand.

She is currently the CEO of the Asylum Seekers Centre based in Newtown. This Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that provides practical and personal support for people seeking asylum living in the community. Frances has been associated with the Centre since its inception in 1993 and was Deputy Chair of the Board prior to her CEO appointment.

Frances has said that her greatest influence came from her family, particularly her parents. “My parents were always involved through a myriad of ways in the community. My mother took a lead role in the establishment of Community Aid on the Northern Beaches and my father was and is involved in a range of community initiatives.

“In the 1970s my parents, along with several other local families, made the decision to support the families being evacuated from Vietnam as refugees and make a life in Australia. This made a big impact on me.”