Kathleen Sherrard

Early life and education

The daughter of John McInerny, a medical practitioner, and Margaratta Wright (née Brayshay), she was born Kathleen McInerny in North Carlton, Melbourne, and later lived in Beijing)..

She received a BSc (in 1918) and MSc (in1921) from the University of Melbourne.

Career

McInerny became a demonstrator and then assistant geography lecturer at the University of Melbourne in 1919, supporting her family after her father's death. She spent six months in 1927 working under Professor Arthur Hutchinson at the mineralogical laboratory of the University of Cambridge.

Sherrard was a member of the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Royal Society of Victoria, the Linnean Society of New South Wales and the Geological Society of Australia. She published articles on graptolites. In all, she published 15 research papers in refereed journals between 1928 and 1975.

In 1939, Sherrard helped establish the Australian Association of Scientific Workers. Toward the end of World War II, Sherrard published a paper in the Australian Women's Digest, which challenged women pursuing science careers to think about their future.

In 1967, she examined fossil collections in Peking (later Beijing).

She tried to promote an increased involvement by women in science.

Recognition

Her papers were donated to the State Library of New South Wales, Mitchell and Dixson Libraries Manuscripts Collection. A species of graptolite is named for her - Monograptus sherrardae.

Personal life

In 1928, she married Howard Macoun Sherrard; and the couple had two sons. They moved to Sydney after their marriage.

Death

Sherrard died at home in Centennial Park, Sydney in 1975, at the age of 77. She was survived by her husband and sons.