The Past Student Awards with Prue Galley (’61)

On Wednesday 26 March, Prue Galley was awarded the Distinguished Past Student Award. Prue has made a global impact on the profession of physiotherapy, yet was most humble to receive an award from St Margaret’s.

During her time at St Margaret’s, Prue was School Captain and Old Girls' Prize winner. She credits her St Margaret’s education and the holistic philosophy of the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent for equipping her with the critical thinking, compassion and leadership qualities necessary for her future.

Prue’s vision and advocacy in the 1970s led to the adoption of patient self-referral to physiotherapists, a practice that had not previously been allowed. This global change was led by Australia due to Prue’s work, and in 2011, the World Confederation for Physical Therapy awarded Prue its International Service Award (Practice). She is an Honoured Member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (London). She is a Dame in the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem Knights Hospitaller.

For those who were unable to join Prue on the evening, below is a copy of her acceptance speech, full of fond memories of her time as a St Margaret’s student and as a trailblazer in her field.

“Thank you Principal, Ros Curtis AM and thank you to the school for this wonderful honour. Being the 2025 recipient of the St Margaret’s Distinguished Past Student Award means so much to me as an Old Girl. To my nominators, a very special thank you.

Congratulations, Annabelle and Ria, for your awards. It is a privilege to be sharing this evening’s event with you as well as hearing your stories.

I cannot let this moment pass without acknowledging the Sisters of the Society of the Sacred Advent. Their vision and values have influenced all of us who have been part of the St Margaret’s community over the past 130 years.

I thought I would share with you a little bit of my own story of how St Margaret’s has influenced me.

My family has had connections with the school from the early 1900s when my grandmother, Nellie Lawrence, taught dancing to pupils at the then Eton High School when it was located at Nundah, then “Toorak” Hamilton and later at the present site of St Margaret’s on Albion Heights.

My mother, Nell Oxley, attended St Margaret’s in the early 1930’s, becoming a Prefect in 1933. Both my mother and grandmother used to tell me about the Sisters’ strong influence on the education of girls at that time.

In 1949 I began my journey at the school as a four year old in kindergarten. All my schooling was at St Margaret’s, which I completed in 1961.

When I matriculated to The University of Queensland I enrolled in physiotherapy and was supported by a Soldiers Children’s Education Scheme Scholarship administered by the Repatriation Department, now known as the Department of Veterans Affairs. My father had died when I was in primary school as a result of his military service in World War II.

I graduated with an Honours degree in Physiotherapy in 1965 and moved on to work as a clinician in both Australia and the UK. 

At the time of my graduation, physiotherapists were bound by an ethical code that stated that a physiotherapist was not to act in a professional capacity except on referral by a medical or dental practitioner. This code had been in place since the early 1900s. It was originally put there to ensure that practitioners at that time were properly educated and persons of good character. Patient care and safety was the central concern.

At graduation, I fully accepted this constraint but after several year's practising and furthering my education, I began to question whether it was time to revisit this ethical referral issue. It had become clear to me that many patients were not getting physiotherapy care at an appropriate time, if at all, to achieve the best results for them. It was also clear that, after nearly 70 years, the knowledge base of the profession had grown exponentially and there were many situations where a physiotherapist could provide help without the need for a medical referral in every case.

I then began to voice my concerns with colleagues, and it wasn’t long before I was challenged on this issue when I was asked to prepare a paper on ‘Ethical Principles and Patient Referral’ to present at the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s National Conference in 1975.

This presented me with a moral dilemma. Should I continue to support  the status quo or should I speak out for change?

After much thought and careful research, I concluded that it was time to challenge the profession’s acceptance of its then referral ethic, and I accepted the invitation to speak at the conference. This decision was not taken lightly as I knew that it would be very controversial both within and outside my profession. And so it proved to be!

Fortunately, there were others in Australia who supported the need for change, and in 1976 the old referral ethic was rescinded by the  Australian Physiotherapy Association, and Australia became the first country in the world to allow physiotherapists to act ethically as first contact practitioners. This produced a ripple effect globally.

Fast forward 50 years to today. Patient self-referral to a physiotherapist is now taken for granted here in Australia and in many countries overseas. It is not so controversial anymore as the benefits to the community have become increasingly recognised. This is very satisfying to me personally as I realize now that my response to that early challenge all those years ago was worthwhile.

Yes, it was a difficult time for me, but with hindsight I now realize that I was helped by the moral compass that had been set during my years at St Margaret’s. It gave me the inner strength to keep going.

I owe St Margaret’s so much. Never did I think when I was going through the school as a young girl that what I would eventually be called to do in 1975 and subsequent years would profoundly change my future profession worldwide. The spirit and values that I had absorbed during my formative years at the school certainly played a significant part in guiding my later actions.

All those years ago the seeds were being quietly sown at St Margaret’s to help girls develop their resilience and skills to be able to change the world for the better. It is a tradition that I consider underpins what can be said about St Margaret’s today - it is a local school with a global outlook. 

It has been a great privilege and a delight to be able to share this very special moment in my life with you all.

Thank you!”