Margaret Whitlam (1919–2012)

Margaret Whitlam, née Dovey, was born in Bondi, New South Wales, Australia. She attended SCEGGS (Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School) Darlinghurst, where she excelled in athletics. At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, she represented Australia in swimming. She studied economics at the University of Sydney before transferring to social work after two years. She graduated with a Diploma of Social Studies, and then began working at Parramatta District Hospital. In 1942, she married Gough Whitlam, an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, with whom she had four children. He was elected to the federal parliament in 1952 and became federal opposition leader and parliamentary leader of the Australian Labor Party in 1967. After his election as prime minister, Margaret became an outspoken advocate for issues including women's rights, particularly abortion law reform and conservation. Although she faced widespread public criticism for this, she refused to limit herself to traditional roles. She was a regular guest speaker on radio and television, and wrote a column called My Day for the magazine Woman's Day. After her husband's political career ended, Margaret held a number of public and cultural offices. She wrote a memoir, My Other World, published in 2001 and a collection of her My Day columns in 1974.