Dorothy Merle Cole

THE lives of many Townsville women and indigenous people would have been much harder were it not for the efforts of Dorothy "Dot'' Cole.

Fiercely committed to social justice, she was instrumental in bringing a fertility control practitioner to Townsville, and helped open a rape crisis centre and an abortion clinic among many other achievements.

Her father, Eric Bailhache, also a doctor, died when she was 12 from an infection caught while performing an operation with the 2nd Field Ambulance, 6th Division, in North Africa.

This early tragedy was the inspiration for her lifelong fight against war and for social justice.

She graduated from Melbourne University in 1952 with a medical degree and first met her husband-to-be, Alastair Cole, while they were studying in Mildura as first-year medical students.

Although it was no case of love at first sight, they later married - two days after their graduation in 1952 - and remained devoted to each other over the next six decades.

She chose the Queen Victoria Hospital for Women in Melbourne, an all-female institution, for her post-registration year. This began her long and extraordinary dedication to women's health and welfare.

Despite the arrival of four children in five years (Anne, Ian, Sue and Malcolm) she managed to continue practising.

When Alastair became medical officer at the Mount Isa Base Hospital, she undertook several locum positions in town.

Once, while acting as mines medical officer, there was an underground accident but she was not allowed to attend because of prejudice against women going down the mine.

In 1956, the Coles returned to Victoria and set up a general practice partnership before moving to Britain so Alastair could study surgery.

After three years overseas they came back to Australia to Warrnambool in southwestern Victoria before upping stakes again, this time heading for Townsville where Alastair was appointed director of surgery at the Townsville General Hospital.

As luck would have it, Cyclone Althea demolished their new home days before they were due to move in.

Dot established her own practice in Belgian Gardens and developed a reputation for a compassionate but no-nonsense approach to medicine and for embracing innovative techniques such as acupuncture.

But she had a brush with controversy in 1973 after addressing first-year students at the Teacher's College. That year there were more than 30 pregnancies among the students, so she suggested the girls consider carrying condoms in their handbags as a preventative measure.

The Townsville Bulletin published an editorial under the headline "Exposed to poison'', which denounced Dr Cole as the voice of evil and promiscuity. She was even accused of causing cyclones.

Undeterred, she set about establishing a local abortion clinic so women did not have to travel to New South Wales. She later was made a life member of Children by Choice.

While working at Palm Island Hospital, she was confronted by the stark reality of Aboriginal health problems.

As a result, she became involved in indigenous health and helped found the Aboriginal and Islander Health Service, as well as the drop-in centre for homeless people with health needs.

Another project was Townsville's first women's shelter, which opened in 1975 after intense lobbying.

Dr Cole was also an active member of the Women's Electoral Lobby, supported a women's health and drop-in centre, and lectured at James Cook University's social work department.

In 1983 the Coles, ever adventurous, decided to buy the well-known Mary Who? bookshop, run to this day by family members.

In 2005, her lifetime of compassion was recognised with an honorary doctorate from James Cook University.

Dr Cole was as ardent about the environment as she was about people and became an active conservationist.

Apart from volunteering for two decades at the city's aquarium, one of her achievements was the dedication of a bush curlew nature reserve on Magnetic Island.

Dr Cole is survived by her husband Alastair, their four children and seven grandchildren.

- Linda Souter