Mavis Taylor

Mavis Taylor (1915 – 14 March 2007) was an Australian who was named an Australian Living Treasure for her humanitarian work for the people of East Timor in her later years.

Mrs Taylor was born in Richmond, Tasmania in 1915.

At 16 she moved to Yarrawonga in Victoria, Australia. In Yarrawonga, she married, raised 9 children, and established a clothesmaking and haberdashery business.

She started collecting and sending household items to East Timor after seeing violence during the difficult period of move to independence. By 2004 she had personally organised 21 shipping containers of practical aid, including stock from her own business and had set up 23 sewing centres providing employment for East Timorese with major funding she provided.