Muriel Rippin was the first of two daughters born to William and Phoebe Rippin on 10th May 1902. Muriel had an idyllic childhood in the rural village of Desford in Leicestershire which is steeped in history. Her parents were devout Quakers and instilled these values into both of their daughters. They were encouraged to be aspirational and to look beyond the gender role ideology of the time.

Muriel attended Sidcot between 1914 and 1918 where her particular passion for the sciences came to the fore. Sidcot nurtured this talent and Muriel went on to study Medicine at the University College London, who were one of the earliest universities to accept female students. Graduating in 1927, Muriel was immediately employed as a House Physician at UCL before accepting the position of House Surgeon at The South London Hospital for Women. She worked with some of the most notable surgeons of the time and gained an excellent reputation. Between 1930 and 1933 Muriel was appointed as the Medical Officer for the Imperial War Graves Commission. She practiced across all of the cemeteries in France and Belgium attending those that maintained them. In January 1934, Muriel became the first female doctor appointed to Coast Hospital in New South Wales, Australia. She was one of only a handful of migrant female doctors during this time and she made the local headlines upon her arrival.

Australia was experiencing an economic depression following the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and smaller local medical practices were struggling. Muriel then took a position at a practice in Bungendore, NSW. She became the first known woman to set is up as a part subsidised practice - a model that would be followed by many others. Following a brief tenure as the School Medical Officer for Southland, New Zealand, Muriel married Frederick McPhillips and had a daughter, Anne. Muriel took a position in a practice in Adaminaby, NSW. This was an area with an extreme climate due to its mountainous terrain. Summers were hot and dry, whilst winters saw blizzards and sub-zero temperatures. It was as Adaminaby’s doctor that Muriel not only hit the local headlines, but also the national and international ones.

In late June 1946, Adaminaby was experiencing one of its worst blizzards on record. The town had been isolated for eight days. Muriel received a message to say that a female resident was dangerously ill but no one could reach her. Muriel went to get her medical bag and supplies to find that many of the bottles had frozen. Undeterred, she took what she could, put on several layers of warm clothing and grabbed her skis. Muriel skied four miles through several feet of snow and blizzard conditions to reach Mrs Crowe in Adaminaby. Once she arrived, Muriel stayed with Mrs Crowe until conditions allowed her to be transferred to the local hospital. Muriel saved her life. The story was reported locally but was quickly picked up by newsrooms around the world and she achieved overnight fame as “The Skiing Doctor”. Muriel continued to practice medicine until her retirement when she enjoyed worldwide travel, much of which was with her daughter. It is believed that Muriel passed away on 20th December 1992 at the age of 90. The Sidcot motto reads ‘Live Adventurously’ and she most certainly did that. She defied the roles assigned to women of her time, was a true trailblazer for female surgeons and doctors, emigrated to Australia to practice medicine at a time when so few women did so and demonstrated a resilience, determination and duty of care that is undoubtedly worthy of recognition and celebration. 

Press cutting from NSW paper dated July 2nd 1946