Ivy Deakin Brookes (14 July 1883 – 27 December 1970) was an Australian community worker and activist.
[1] Based on the frequency of her appearances in his diary, Alfred Deakin's biographer Judith Brett has speculated that Ivy was his favourite child.
She was first violin in George Marshall-Hall's orchestra from 1903 to 1913, and maintained an interest in music for the rest of life.
[1] Brookes was involved with a wide range of organisations, and according to The Sydney Morning Herald was "never merely a figurehead or a sleeping partner in any enterprise with which she allows her name to be associated".
[7] She was the inaugural vice-president of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, from 1936 to 1966,[8] and was a foundation member of the University of Melbourne's boards of physical education (1938–1970) and social studies (1941–1967).
[11] Brookes campaigned for the "Yes" vote during the 1916 and 1917 referendums on conscription, embarking on "an ambitious public speaking trail" in country Victoria.
As a delegate to the National Council of Women of Australia (NCWA), Brookes chaired its press, arts and letters and peace and international relations committees for a number of years.
During her term as president, the organisation lobbied for equal pay and abolition of the marriage bar, and advocated for the interests of migrants and indigenous people.
Brookes represented the organisation at the 1951 national inflation conference and as a member of the Advisory Committee on Import Licensing Control.