NSW Premier Chris Minns was saddened to share the news of the passing of Dame Marie Bashir on 20 January 2026.
“Married to Sir Nicholas Shehadie AC OBE for 61 years, and a deeply loved mother of three children and six grandchildren, Dame Marie was an extraordinary Australian and one of New South Wales’ most respected public servants,” said Mr Minns.
“On behalf of the people of New South Wales, I extend my deepest condolences to Dame Marie’s family, friends and all those who were inspired by her remarkable life. Dame Marie Bashir served our state with distinction as the first female Governor of NSW from 2001 to 2014, bringing to the role immense dignity and compassion.”
Born in Narrandera in the Riverina district of New South Wales and educated at the Narrandera Public School and Sydney Girls High School, Marie Bashir completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Sydney in 1956.
Professor Bashir taught at the Universities of Sydney and NSW, increasingly working with children’s services, psychiatry and mental health services, and Indigenous health programs. At the time of her appointment as Governor of New South Wales, she was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney; Area Director of Mental Health Services Central Sydney; and Senior Consultant to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Redfern and to the Aboriginal Medical Service, Kempsey. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 for her services to child and adolescent health, and was invested by Her Majesty, the Queen, with the insignia of a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 2006.
In June 2014, Professor Bashir was named as a Dame of the Order of Australia for extraordinary and pre-eminent achievement and merit in service to the administration, public life, and people of New South Wales, to medicine, particularly as an advocate for improved mental health outcomes for the young, marginalised and disadvantaged, to international relations, through the promotion of collaborative health programs, and as a leader in tertiary education.