Barbara Spalding, who died on 10 May, was one of the outstanding University of Melbourne social work graduates of the cohort that immediately followed the establishment phase of the course. Melbourne still ran the only social work course in Victoria at this time and was, in fact, the only university.

Barbara was a natural student who consistently performed at an honours level and topped her social work year each year. Responding to a suggestion from the head of social work, Associate Professor Hoban, in 1959, she started a social work students’ association and became its inaugural president. The association produced a lively newsletter and ran a number of social functions to promote cohesiveness and support among the handful of social work students. This was an early indicator of Barbara’s leadership ability. Barbara was one of the three students whom Associate Professor Hoban encouraged to undertake a master’s degree in history at the University. At that time, because the highest social work qualification was a diploma, not a bachelor’s degree, students had to change departments if they wanted to further their academic careers. A serious illness, which resulted in twelve months in hospital, and was then followed by her marriage to her husband Ian Spalding and the birth of her children, meant she did not pursue the Master’s. Instead, she went on to have an outstanding career in welfare in Victoria.

A few highlights were establishing the first Family Day Care program in Australia at the Brotherhood of St Laurence (1971-1974), full-time member for the Whitlam Children’s Commission (1974-5), Executive Director VCOSS (1975-80), principal writer of Victoria’s social justice policy (1986-7), leading a delegation an Australian delegation to an OECD conference in Italy on youth Unemployment and a range of senior management positions in Community Services Victoria. On leaving the Victorian public service, Barbara undertook a range of consultancy work in the Pacific and, on retiring, volunteered at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. In her private life, she supported her husband Ian Spalding in his lifelong work for justice for Aboriginal and Islander peoples.