McLean, Jean

Jean was a nurse, and became district officer for Otago and Southland for the Consumers Institute. She was with the New Zealand consumer organisation in a voluntary capacity from its inception in 1959 to 1968. She was on the Dunedin District Committee and for 4 years was on the Consumer Council.

Her involvement with community organisations began with a Plunket sub-branch. She called a public meeting to consider building a kindergarten in Mornington, the suburb where she lived, and a few years later they had the first kindergarten in New Zealand to open free of debt.

Jean was the first woman in the world on a YMCA board of directors and the first woman in the southern hemisphere on an executive of a Chamber of Commerce. She was been a delegate to the National Council of Women and has held many executive positions. She was past president of the Dunedin branch of the Federation of Business and Professional Women.

For 14 years she was president of the Otago Speech Therapy Association.

In March 1977 she received the OBE from the Queen during her visit.

In October 1977 she stood as a candidate for the Dunedin City Council and topped the poll. As well as being a 'Beauty and the Beast' panellist she had two radio talk-back shows on consumer problems one in Dunedin and the other in Invercargill. She also took part in a radio quiz programme, 'This was the year'.

She was also an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.