The Josephine Bancroft Prize for Biology

Josephine Bancroft started at Brisbane Girls Grammar in 1910, living with her grandparents in Indooroopilly during the week. The choice of a school—where the Sciences have always been such an integral aspect of the curriculum—was a perfect match. Josephine participated fully in the sporting and academic life of Girls Grammar, being awarded a number of prizes in mathematics, and then winning an Open Scholarship to the University of Queensland in 1914, where she studied towards a science degree.

Josephine will be remembered for her interest in, and study of, parasites, and the effect they had on the health of the community.  One of her more outstanding areas of research was during World War II when, in 1943, she was commissioned, as a Major in the Australian Army, to work on anti-malaria research. She 'reduced the incidence of infection in the armed forces and provided a secure and scientific basis for studying the effects of drugs on the malarial parasite' (Australian Dictionary of Biography online)

Josephine’s friends wanted to establish a prize to honour her and celebrate her life’s work. Thus, in her 1969 Head Mistress’s Report, Miss Nancy Shaw, Acting Head Mistress of the School, mentioned that past students and friends of Josephine MacKerras (Bancroft) had wanted to donate two prizes, one for Biology and one for Zoology, to honour their friend.