ANNE McAULEY (née Apperly) - Graduate New Zealand School of Physiotherapy - class of 1956

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School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago

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As a mother of three young children in the early 1970s Anne McAuley became involved in volunteer work as a means of keeping up her physiotherapy skills rather than trying to fit in with more rigid hours offered by employers.
Anne volunteered her time with the Riding for the Disabled (1968-75) before becoming heavily involved with the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society. She put her physiotherapy knowledge to good use in her roles as Otago Branch President, delegate and National Vice-President (1974-87), and then National President (1987-91) of the MS Society. Persons with multiple sclerosis (P.W.M.S) sought improved levels of information and Anne co-authored the first of several pamphlets on pain and spasticity to be produced by the Society. Her experience with the Riding for Disabled provided her with insight into the potential for P.W.M.S to become involved in sport, and she promoted both riding and swimming as suitable sporting options.
Anne also found time to become the President of the Otago-Southland Branch of the New Zealand Society of Physiotherapists. A feature of Anne’s leadership in all of these volunteering roles was the need for the physiotherapy profession to link with the wider community of disabled people, both young and old.