Australian Dictionary of Biography

Margaret Theadora Allan (1889-1968), community worker, was born on 2 June 1889 at the Manse, Charters Towers, Queensland, third child of Rev. Alexander McWatt Allan, Presbyterian minister, and his second wife Margaret Jane, née Menzies, both Scottish born. McWatt was transferred to Brisbane about 1893 and to New South Wales in 1903; after several pastorates, in December 1908 he was appointed to Tweed Heads where he was killed in a sulky accident on 9 May 1909. His daughter Margaret was a secretary for the Young Women's Christian Association in Colombo before being employed in 1936 by the Travellers' Aid Society of New South Wales, which had been a branch of the Y.W.C.A. in Sydney since 1900. She was appointed secretary in 1938 when the society became a separate organization and opened a room at Central Railway Station.

Appointed organizing secretary in 1940, from the outset Miss Allan insisted on full control of the office, staff, policy decisions and financial arrangements. She steered the society through its early years of fund-raising and was the major force behind the welfare work which she directed from the travellers' aid rest-room at Central Station. She publicized the society through her talks, canvassed for large donations and negotiated with affiliated societies, among them the Country Women's Association, the National Council of Women and the Good Neighbour Council. Although supported by an executive of women volunteers and a small committee who applauded her energy, it was Margaret who made the decisions.

The major objective of the organization was to give aid and protection to travellers, especially to women and children; as the society came to encompass all travellers—irrespective of sex, age or background, and whether they went by aeroplane, ship or train—the work of Margaret Allan became more widely known and appreciated. In 1966 the T.A.S. provided accommodation for a total of 1762 women and children at the Lodge in Elizabeth Street (which it had purchased in 1952), many school children were met at Central Railway Station and employment was found for young women. From a staff of two who assisted 1147 travellers in 1938, the society had a staff of ten to assist 33,073 travellers in 1968.

At the T.A.S. annual meeting in 1963 the patron Lady Cutler paid tribute to Miss Allan for her long, loyal and cheerful service: her personality and dedication had made the society a success. Living in North Sydney, Margaret belonged to the Daughters of the Manse Association; for her services to the community, she was awarded the British Empire medal in January 1968. She died on 14 December that year in St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, and was cremated; her estate was sworn for probate at $14,792.