Anne McDonald was an author and disability activist. Born in 1961, she developed severe athetoid cerebral palsy through a birth injury. As McDonald could not walk, talk, or feed herself, she was diagnosed at the time as having an intellectual disability. She was placed in St Nicholas Hospital at age three by her parents, where she lived for eleven years without education or therapy.
When McDonald was 16, author and disability advocate Rosemary Crossley reported McDonald could communicate through selecting blocks and letters with Crossley’s assistance. This communication method was questioned, however McDonald passed tests with psychologists and in court to prove that her communication was her own.
When McDonald was 18, she won the right to leave St Nicholas Hospital and went on to achieve her Higher School Certificate and then a humanities degree from Deakin University.
Together with Rosemary Crossley, McDonald wrote a book ‘Annie’s Coming Out’ in 1980, later adapted as an award-winning film.
Anne McDonald’s story is an incredible example of resilience and someone who kept fighting to have a ‘voice’ for themselves and others. She passed in 2010.
McDonald is memorialised with a plaque in one of our rose beds. Over time, plaques have increased in popularity as a choice for memorialisation as more families choose cremation.
Options for plaque displays have included garden beds, at the foot of a tree, on a remembrance wall, or as an addition to a pre-existing monument.
There are numerous design options available on plaques. They can include photos, emblems, borders, and text. As on McDonald’s memorial plaque there is information about her life, a quote from McDonald, and the alphabet written out.
There are countless possibilities for customisation and personalisation of plaques creating a design that reflects the individual being remembered.
To move to the next stop, please continue along the path, in the same direction as before, away from the Prime Ministers Memorial Garden. Continue straight onto First Avenue, until you reach an intersection. Veer left, and go around the centre island. Continue around until you can see the front of the memorial stone.
