THEATRE director Maggie Morrison happened upon her Legends Of The Skies performing arts concept by fate; a stroke of luck which has helped earn her a Medal of the Order of Australia. Morrison was named among the award recipients in the King’s Birthday honours. The Mordialloc resident has been recognised for her service to the performing arts through theatre.
Morrison has been involved in teaching and drama for more than four decades. While at Mentone Girls Grammar in the 1980s she helped run a travelling theatre with an old milk cart, entertaining primary schools. For the last 15 years she has been the director of Legends Of The Skies, staging plays about aviation figures at Moorabbin Air Museum.
It was not a lifelong passion for aviation that inspired Morrison’s work with Legends Of The Skies, but instead her research into the history of her home. “I had retired and moved down here after my husband died, and I found that my home was once owned by Mordialloc mayor Gertrude McKenzie. She had her own flying school and had eight planes,” Morrison said. “I thought she was an amazing woman, so now that I’m retired I thought I’d write a play about Gertrude McKenzie to stage up at the Moorabbin Air Museum.”
McKenzie was the mayor of Mordialloc in 1958. She was just the second woman to ever sit on the council. Morrison said that after some early back-and-forth discussions with the venue, the play went ahead and was a success. “I had a task to convince the aviation museum to put it on. They said if you bring everything you need we can do it, but you have to write about the other planes too. I said ‘you’re on!’
“This started 14 years ago as a one-off and people thought it was an interesting idea, so we are still going. We are not just regurgitating stories that have already been told, we are using the community we live in. It’s wonderful when the local community becomes involved, and it’s a very great honour to keep these stories alive.”
Morrison said it is an “enormous honour” to receive the OAM award. “I was quite shaky when I was told to be honest. Coming from Britain originally, to have something awarded to me on the King’s Birthday is special to me as well.”
In addition to her work with Legends Of The Skies, Morrison has been a visitor services volunteer with the City of Melbourne city ambassador program since 2008 and a host of International Women’s Day community lunches since 1999. She has worked at RMIT Bundoora, Warragul Technical Regional College, Mentone Girls Secondary College, Caulfield High School, Kew High School, and has been a theatre reviewer.
Two Chelsea residents were also named among the King’s Birthday award recipients.
Nancy Emblin was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to sport, and to the community. Emblin is a life member of the Sandringham Athletic Club, having served as team manager, uniform manager, records officer, and treasurer. She has also volunteered at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, and the World Masters Games in 2002. In addition to her sporting efforts, Emblin volunteered for Bayside City Council’s meals on wheels for 30 years.
Dr Rosalie Cooper was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in the General Division for service to medicine. She has been in leadership roles with the Victorian Medical Women’s Society since 1993.
Dr Cooper is a representative to the National Council of Women Victoria, and a former Representative to the Medical Women’s International Association.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Dr Cooper contributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome research. She worked with Red Nose Australia (SIDS and Kids Victoria), and was the chair of the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Researchers Forum between 1997 and 1998.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 11 June 2025