Joan Croll AO (b. 1928), formerly a breast physician and radiologist, is a conservation activist and vigorous writer of letters-to-the-editor. She studied medicine at the University of Sydney but did not practice until the age of 47, having been a full-time mother for thirteen years. From 1975 until her retirement in 1997 Croll was a persistent and effective pioneer in the field of breast cancer, promoting the introduction and acceptance of breast ultrasound and mammography. In the 1990s, she helped to establish the National Breast Cancer Screening Program. Also an active conservationist, Croll's fight alongside thirteen other women known as 'Battlers for Kelly's Bush' to stymie a housing development in Sydney's Hunters Hill in the early 1970s led to the world's first Green Ban and the birth of urban environmentalism.
Although John Brack never regarded himself as a portraitist, he produced a number of austere, elegant portraits. He drew Croll in pencil over a period of five sittings, including this study of the sitter's head, before executing the painting. Brack then invited Croll to his studio where he painted her face from life over a weekend. Croll said that the portrait captured her love of fashion and her personality: 'That dress was a gorgeous dress – sadly, the moths got to it – and the jewellery is attractive. And I see me, and it is me. I'm a bossy lady, and I look like a bossy lady.'
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Dr Joan Croll AO 2007
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
© Helen Brack
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