Agnes Lions - Infinite Women

Born: 22 April 1908, Australia
Died: 22 December 1992
Country most active: Australia
Also known as: Mollie Lyons

This biography has been shared from The Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, published by the Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Agnes Mary Lions qualified as a nurse in 1931 and worked in all branches of nursing in New South Wales until 1941 when she moved into the area of industrial nursing. She was one of four founders of the New South Wales College of Nursing (NSWCN) in 1949. From 1949 to 1952 she was responsible for the syllabus and supervision of the Industrial Nursing Certificate at the NSWCN, gaining the certificate herself in 1950. In 1946 Lions founded the Industrial Nursing Branch of the New South Wales Nursing Association and held the post of Honorary Secretary from its inception in 1947 to 1951. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1960 New Year’s Honours List for services to nursing.

Agnes Mary (often called Mollie) Lions was born 22 April 1908 in Balmain Sydney, New South Wales and died 22 December 1992 at Normanhurst, Sydney. She received her General Nursing Certificate from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in 1931, and gained a Chiropody Certificate about this time (no further details known). In 1950 she completed an Industrial Nursing Certificate of the New South Wales College of Nursing and was responsible for the syllabus and supervision of this course, 1949-1952. In 1946 she founded the Industrial Nursing Branch of the New South Wales Nursing Association (NSWNA) and held the post of Honorary Secretary from its inception in 1947 to 1951; she was the delegate to Council 1947-1951. Lions was the employee representative on the Conciliation Committee of the Conciliation Commission (New South Wales), which inaugurated the first award for Industrial Nurses.

Lions was a member of the Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee (New South Wales), 1947-1951. She was also one of four founders of the New South Wales College of Nursing (12 January 1949); a member of the Provisional Council 12 January 1949 to 31 January 1950; President 31 January 1950 to October 1952 (prime mover in ultimate incorporation June 1952); President July 1953 to January 1954; and a member of Council from September 1959 to March 1962, in which time she was Chairman of the Education Committee. She was recognised as a Founder and invested as Foundation Fellow, 18 September 1952, delivering the Annual Oration on 12 September 1956. In addition she was a member of the Committee of Nursing, National Health and Medical Research Council, from 1954, and in 1950 was a founder member of the Nurses Committee of New South Wales, serving as Honorary Secretary from September 1953 to the time of wind up in July 1956. She was awarded an MBE, New Year’s Honours List, 1960, for services to nursing.

Lions practised in all branches of nursing in New South Wales, including operating theatres and management of a 30 bed private hospital, 1931-1941. She worked in industrial nursing, Sydney, New South Wales, 1941-1968, including: John Vicars Woollen Mills, 1941-1942; Captain Cook Graving Dock, 1942-1946; Qantas Empire Airways Health Centre, Mascot, 1946-1947; Eveleigh Railway Workshops, Redfern (Senior Industrial Nursing Sister), 1947-1968.