UNITED NATIONS
UNITED NATIONS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (UNAA) NSW DIVISION Dr PATRICIA JENKINGS BA (Hons) PhD (USYD)
President, UNAA – NSW Division Vice President, UNAA – National
INTERVIEWS by JASMINA SIDEROVSKI
D
r Patricia Jenkings grew up in Bondi amongst post War displaced persons who arrived with hope in their hearts and the dream of a new and peaceful life for themselves and their families after suffering the horrors of War. Hearing their tragic stories, often brutal, motivated my sensitivity to the rights of others and lifelong commitment to the pursuit of social justice for all. Growing up with neighbours from many different cultural backgrounds stirred her spirit of adventure. One memorable experience for Dr Jenkings was living in a poor coastal Mexican village called San Blas where she assisted families and taught the children English. Living among these village people, helped her appreciate their different way of life, which unfortunately, was marred by inequality and poverty. While travelling, Dr Jenkings also experienced ‘firsthand’ human tragedy, working at the Munich Olympics for Australian Associated Press where two weeks into the Games, the Munich Massacre occurred. The atmosphere was sombre and tense and the outcome tragic with innocent lives lost. Dr Jenkings: “It should never be forgotten that peace is precious and fragile. It gives us freedom of mind and spirit and must never be taken for granted.” After living and working overseas where the plight of the deprived screamed out for the elimination of discrimination as well as the need for greater appreciation of our culturally diverse world, she returned home and put herself through University. She has always had a deep respect for the potential of education and chose studies related to her earlier life experiences. Dr Patricia Jenkings was awarded her PhD and BA with Honours from the University of Sydney. Dr Jenkings: “My Honours thesis (20,000), was based on an Oral History Study of Inner-City Migrants.” “My PhD thesis (95,000 words), was a pioneering work
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that helps explain the shift from the Anglo-Celtic, monocultural view of citizenship to one that officially recognises the culturally diverse nature of Australian society today and contributes towards explaining Australia’s transformation into a thriving multicultural society. As well, I have completed related international studies.” Dr Jenkings also supports gender equality, which she considers most important. Dr Jenkings: “After all, women make up 50% of the population and it is in everyone’s interest that they be treated equally.” She served as Vice Chair UN Women Sydney and on the National Breast Council Foundation Women’s Advisory Network. She is a member of the Academic Council on the UN System
