Doreen Braitling

The Crook family travelled to Central Australia in 1909, to Doreen's uncle's cattle station Glen Helen. They then spent the next few years at the overland telegraph station at Alice Springs. The family then sought work at Wauchope, watering drover's cattle that were travelling to the Top End. They established Singleton Station through calves which were left behind by the drovers. Doreen met William Braitling while he was droving and they were married in 1929. They had one son, William. They gained a pastoral lease in 1932 at Mount Doreen which Bill named after his wife, where they spent the next 30 years.^[2] Braitling took up several mining leases during her time on the station.^[3]

When Braitling's husband died in 1959, she moved from Mount Doreen Station to Alice Springs. Distressed at the demolition of many historic buildings in Braitling was an instigator in the formation of the National Trust of the Northern Territory Inc. and later heavily involved in the formation of the National Trust of Australia (Northern Territory) of which she was the first president.

Braitling was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in 1979 for her services to the Northern Territory community but died before the presentation.

The Alice Springs' suburb and electoral division of Braitling were named after Doreen Braitling.^[4] Braitling Primary School is also named in her honor and was officially opened by her.^[5]

She also studied writing, composing short stories and poems. Three of her poems were put to music by local musician Ted Egan who described her writing as "full of the most precise comment and expressed in a way that declares absolute authenticity".^[6] An annual lecture is held in her name each year in Alice Springs.^[7]

Braitling died on 5 February 1979. She was reported to have died in her sleep without any 'fuss'.^[8] She is buried in Alice Springs Cemetery.