Obituaries Australia

Country Women Lose Friend - Mrs. J.S. Fraser's Death

The Country Women's Association of Victoria has lost a splendid friend by the death of Mrs J.S. Fraser, OBE which occured at her home Court House, Garden grove, South Yarra early on Tuesday morning after a month of illness. The funeral service took place privately yesterday.

Since the inception of the Country Womens Association, Mrs Fraser took an active part in its activities, holding the office of president for a long period, after which she did valuable work as honorary organisser. The J.S.Fraser wing at Somers House, the C.W.A. holiday home at Black Rock (which was opened last yeal as a gift from Mrs Fraser, and added considerably to the accommodation available for members and their children) will be a lasting memorial to her work for the association. Her lovely home in South Yarra was made available frequently for meetings and conferences of country delegates.

Mrs Fraser was for many years a member of the Victorian Red Cross council and was particularly interested in that aspect of Red Cross work during the war, and after that was concerned with the welfare of blinded soldiers. It was her practice to meet them on their arrival from overseas, and she visited them in their homes and organised entertainments for their benefit. Her work in this field was recognised in the award of the Order of the British Empire.

She was also a valued member of the Victoria League, in which she formerly held the office of senior vice-president Mrs Fraser's charming personality made friends for her everywhere, and she was held in affectionate regard, paiticularly by the women of the outback districts whom she visited as part of her work for the C.W.A.

Mrs Fraser was a daughter of the late Captain Archibald Currie, who owned the Currie line of steamers, subsequently sold to the B.I. Company. She was a sister of Mrs Arnold Caddy (of Tylden), Miss Lillie Currie (of Fairlie House, South Yarra), Mrs Gibson (of Dookie) and Mr Archibald Currie (of Melbourne) and widow of Mr James Sharp Fraser (of Calcutta and London).