AAG 500 blog

April 2025

AAG is delighted to acknowledge and celebrate Ruth Inall OAM – one of AAG’s founding members – who celebrated her 100th birthday on 5th July 2025.

In a generous gesture, Ruth has used the occasion of her 100th birthday to establish an award to commemorate AAG’s history and role in establishing the Asia-Oceania Region of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics (IAGG). Though details of the award are currently being finalised, AAG members and friends will have the opportunity to contribute to Ruth’s important legacy.

Remarkably, Ruth was there on 10 June 1964, 61 years ago, at AAG’s inaugural conference in Canberra at the Australian National University (ANU). However, as she likes to recall, her involvement came about in a somewhat unusual way. At the time, Ruth was on the board of Canberra Hospital and working at ANU when she was approached by her colleague, Professor of Economics Heinz Arndt, with a proposal.

Professor Arndt, as a member of the then ‘ACT Advisory Council’, was approached by Sir Giles Chippindall CBE with a request for support. Sir Giles, along with his public service titles, was chairman of the ‘Old People’s Welfare Council of Victoria’ (later COTA). He was part of an emerging group—mostly doctors and biologists—interested in the health of older people, who had started attending early International Congresses of Gerontology in Europe in the 1950s. The group included now well-known figures Dr. David Wallace, Dr. Sidney Sax, Dr. Gary Andrews, Dr. Richard (Dick) Gibson, Dr. Geoffrey Hughes, and Dr. Arthur Everitt.

Their ambition to establish an Australian Association of Gerontology with an inaugural conference at ANU in 1964 needed an action plan. Unfortunately, there were elements of the plan that required skills these gentlemen didn’t have. When Ruth was invited to assist with this program, she was thrilled. Her growing interest in the experience of older patients and their care was being acknowledged. Or so she thought!

“You can imagine how deflated I was to discover they only wanted someone to organise the cocktail party,” she said.

While Ruth was compliant in delivering a successful conference cocktail party, her greater skills and gravitas were duly and quickly acknowledged. Her contribution to the organisation included 22 years in the National Secretary role. 

Importantly, Ruth played a central role in the establishment of the Asia-Oceania region of IAGG (then IAG), an activity that involved a strong collaboration and lasting connection with Japan’s gerontological society. 

Dr Richard (Dick) Maxwell Gibson with Ruth Inall, circa. 1960s.

Making a difference in Gerontology

At her 100th birthday party, Ruth resisted the predictable opportunity for introspection and retrospection about her life. Instead, she delivered a powerful parable of sorts, about the importance of making a difference, regardless of age and stage.

For Ruth Inall OAM, her legacy will be to support gerontologists in the Asia-Oceania region to attend regional conferences. She invited friends and relatives to eschew flowers and gifts in favour of contributing to a fund to support registration, travel and accommodation for people who would otherwise be disadvantaged from participating.

More information about the scholarship award is available in a 5-minute clip of Ruth's birthday speech. If you would like to contribute to the fund, please email Michael Tan for details at [email protected]. 

Happy Birthday, Ruth!

From left: Keryn Curtis with Ruth Inall; Ruth's 100th birthday cake; Ruth Inall OAM.

About Ruth

Ruth Inall was born Ruth Wurm on 5 July 1925 to a Jewish family in Berlin.  Her father, a successful engineer, could see what was happening in Germany and made some important decisions. While her father went ahead to England to find work, Ruth, her mother, and brother spent a couple of years in Denmark, finally arriving in the UK to start new lives, just three months before the outbreak of World War II. Ruth lived and worked in the UK, marrying an Australian scientist, Ken Inall, in 1948. They came to Australia, to ANU in Canberra, in 1951, where Ken joined a new group under the eminent physicist and humanitarian, Sir Mark Oliphant. 

Three children didn’t prevent Ruth from taking on new challenges, from drama groups to research roles and political action. A member of the Labor Party, she worked on staff with Senator Lionel Murphy (later Attorney General), who encouraged Ruth to consider a public political life for herself. Ultimately, Ruth’s focus and superpower became health services management. As an active member and secretary of AAG, she continued to develop her knowledge and skills in this area, impressing senior political figures and winning a Nuffield grant to research health systems around the world. Ruth’s achievements and ongoing projects are too great to enumerate here, but in the story of her life, Ruth says, “My involvement with the AAG deserves a chapter of its own, since this relationship has helped me develop a ‘family of friends’ throughout the world.

About Keryn Curtis

Keryn Curtis is a consultant writer and communication and engagement specialist who has specialised in ageing across a number of roles for the last 20 years. From 2016-2020 she worked at The Benevolent Society developing the coalition-led EveryAGE Counts campaign against ageism. She was previously a journalist and founding editor of Australian Ageing Agenda magazine and website. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of older people and is personally part of a fledgling "seniors' co-housing project in Sydney's inner west called The AGEncy Project.

In the ‘AAG 500’ blog, we use about 500 words to highlight a problem, ask a question or take a stand on a particular topic of interest to our members and other stakeholders, and in line with our strategic priorities. We invite AAG members to send us topic suggestions  and submit a blog for publication (email [email protected]).