Alison Burton Explained

Alison Violet Burton (3 November 1921 – 9 June 2014) was a left-handed Australian tennis player.[1] She and Joyce Wood won the girls' doubles competition at the Australian Championships (now the Australian Open) in 1938, 1939 and 1940.[2]

Biography

Burton was born and grew up in Melbourne, Australia. She was educated at Huntingtower School[3] and the University of Melbourne, being awarded a tennis blue in 1941.[4]

As a schoolgirl, Burton represented the state of Victoria in the 1938 and 1939 Wilson Cup matches. In 1938 and 1939 she also won the Victorian junior championship and was runner-up for the Australian title.[5]

In 1952, she partnered with Mary Bevis Hawton and reached the finals of the women's doubles at the Australian Championships.

Personal life

On 17 September 1946,[6] Burton married fellow Australian tennis player, Robert (Bob) Baker at Lincoln College Chapel, Oxford, England.[7] They later returned to Tasmania, Baker's home state, and lived in Hobart. Their daughter, Barbara Baker, became a judge of the Federal Circuit Court, and in 2021 was appointed as the 29th Governor of Tasmania.[8]

Burton died in South Hobart in 2014.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alison Baker Death Notice - Melbourne, Victoria . The Age. 2020-08-30. tributes.theage.com.au.
  2. Web site: Girls' Doubles. 2020-08-30. ausopen.com. en.
  3. News: 3 September 1936. Tennis Types. 3. The Herald (Melbourne). 18,503. Victoria, Australia. 31 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
  4. News: 12 April 1941. Commencement Week at Melbourne University. 31. The Australasian. Victoria, Australia. 31 August 2020. National Library of Australia.
  5. News: 1945-06-26. They Both Play Tennis. 7. Argus (Melbourne, Vic.: 1848–1957). 2020-08-30.
  6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/26359287 Tennis players married
  7. Web site: player – Tennisarchives.com. 2020-08-30. www.tennisarchives.com.
  8. News: Smith . Linda . Tasmania’s 29th Governor Barbara Baker has been sworn in at a brief ceremony . 20 June 2021 . The Mercury . 16 June 2021.