Dr Lily Jorgensen (1899–1977)
Lily was a doctor (one of Victoria’s first anaesthetists), a psychotherapist, painter, and builder. She was known as a quietly formidable presence whose influence underpinned Montsalvat from the beginning. Trained in science and medicine, she became the first woman anaesthetist at St Vincent’s Hospital in 1929 before shifting into early Jungian influenced psychotherapy.
She also financed the establishment of Montsalvat, purchasing the land and providing the stability that allowed Justus’ ambitious vision to take shape. Practical, perceptive, and steady, Lily balanced his intensity with calm intelligence, working across medicine, art, and the hands-on labour of building a creative community.
Locals remembered her composure. When threatened near Eltham Station, she reportedly said, “Don’t you know who I am? I make houses out of mud.”
Her legacy sits quietly but decisively in Montsalvat’s foundations, as a resilient and insightful woman.
