Joan Mavis Rosanove (1896–1974)
Mrs Joan Rosanove, Victoria's first woman QC, who died suddenly at her Frankston home last night, became a legend during 50 years of practice as a solicitor and barrister for her brilliant cross-examination.
She was born Joan Mavis Lazarus, the daughter of a lawyer, in Ballarat, in 1897.
The third generation of an Australian legal family, Mrs Rosanove was educated at the Dawson Street Convent and Clarendon College in Ballarat.
She was admitted to the Victorian Supreme Court in 1919 at the age of 22 and called to the NSW Bar in 1948.
In 1920 she married a leading Melbourne dermatologist, Dr Edward Rosanove.
She is survived by her husband, two children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Original publication
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- Trove search
- marries Emanuel Rosanove, Table Talk (Melbourne), 9 September 1920, p 16
- signs the roll of counsel with a view to practising as a barrister, Sydney Morning Herald, 13 September 1923, p 6
- profile, Table Talk (Melbourne), 28 November 1929, pp 13 and 15
- discusses the status of women abroad after returning from an overseas trip, Argus (Melbourne), 16 May 1933, p 3
- profile, Mudgee Guardian (NSW), 7 September 1933, p 14
- profile, Mail (Adelaide), 28 August 1937, p 3s
- her daughter has been articled to her, Daily News (Perth), 20 March 1939, p 24
- was asked to leave the King's Birthday levee at State Parliament House because women are not allowed at such events, Argus (Melbourne), 9 June 1950, p 5
- returns from an overseas trip where she attended a meeting of the board of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs and the annual conference of the Federation of the Soroptimists Clubs of Great Britain, Advertiser (Adelaide), 7 January 1953, p 7
- moves for the admission of her grandson, John Larkins, to the Victorian Bar, Australian Women's Weekly, 13 May 1964, p 41
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Rosanove, Joan Mavis
- Rosanove, Emmanuel (husband)
- Lusink, Rose Margaret (daughter)
- Rosanove, Baby (daughter)
- Davis, Judith Anne (daughter)
- Davis, Noel Brasmere (son-in-law)
- Lazarus, Ruby (mother)
- Lazarus, Mark (father)
- Lazarus, Rebecca (aunt)
- Lazarus, Hannah (aunt)
- Braham, Lewis Henry (uncle)
- Lazarus, Frances (grandmother)
- Lazarus, Isaac (grandfather)
- Braham, David (grandfather)
- Braham, Lewis Henry (cousin)
- Colles, Beryl (cousin)
- Winneke, Henry Arthur (colleague)
- Kisch, Egon Erwin (client)
Citation details
'Rosanove, Joan Mavis (1896–1974)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/rosanove-joan-mavis-11560/text31509, accessed 10 May 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Lazarus, Joan Mavis
Birth
11 May,
1896
Ballarat,
Victoria,
Australia
Death
8 April,
1974
(aged 77)
Frankston, Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia
Cause of Death
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.
Education
- Loreto Convent Dawson Street school (Ballarat, Vic)
- Clarendon Presbyterian Ladies' College (Ballarat, Vic)
- University of Melbourne