12 March 2025
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this article contains an image of a deceased person.
Vale Dr Penny Flett AO
By Professor Leon Flicker AO and Dr Sean Maher
The Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr Penny Flett AO. We were honoured to have Dr Flett as a Plenary Speaker at our 50th AAG Conference in Perth in 2017, where she provided an engaging view "On Old Age: From a Helicopter."
AAG joins our peers at ANZSGM WA and acknowledges Dr Flett's extraordinary contribution, innovation and transformation to Aged Care with compassion and purpose. We offer our sincere condolences to her family at this time.
Below is a short biography courtesy of Prof Leon Flicker and Dr Sean Maher.
"Dr Penny Flett came to Australia in 1965 and had a long interest in geriatric medicine and became a champion for people of all ages who require a high level of ongoing support. Penny initially served in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). In 1974, she became the first woman in peacetime to hold a male rank and the first woman doctor to serve in the RAAF. After leaving the Air Force she completed a Diploma of Geriatric Medicine at Mount Royal Hospital.
Penny became medical superintendent at the Grace McKellar Centre (a large state run geriatric facility) in Geelong in the seventies. She was the Chief Executive Officer of Brightwater Care Group from 1986 to 2016. Brightwater provides residential and at-homes services for elderly and young disabled people.
Penny was a major advocate for older people on multiple government and non-government organizations. Over the years she has contributed to many boards and associations and was Chair of the WA Aged Care Advisory Council for about a decade. The Council provided advice to the West Australian Government on health and related aged care services for older people. In this role she oversaw the development of a State Aged Care Plan, which provided the first ever blueprint to guide the evolution of health and aged care services for older people. Penny was Pro-Chancellor at the University of Western Australia and was the Australian Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency’s inaugural chair.
In 1998 she was named Telstra Business Woman of the Year, and in 2003 was awarded the Centenary Medal. In 2008 Penny was named as WA's Australian of the Year. From 2006-2008 she was President of WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2014 she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for her work in the aged care and education sectors."