Beaurepaire, Beryl Edith | AWR

Summary

Following the birth of her children, Beryl Beaurepaire became involved with charity work and the women’s organisations of the Liberal Party. She summarises her liberal feminist views as follows: ‘If you’re a feminist you believe in equal opportunities and rights for women, but you also believe that women accept equal responsibilities.’ (As cited by Emma Grahame in Australian Feminism: A Companion, OUP, 1998)

Dame Beryl passed away at her home in Mt Eliza, Victoria, on 24 October 2018.

Details

Beryl Edith Bedggood completed her schooling at Fintona Girl’s School in Balwyn, Victoria, before becoming a meteorological officer with the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force in 1942. After marrying Ian Francis Beaurepaire in 1946 she became involved in the community and charity work of Melbourne’s society women. During the 1970s she was chairman of the Federal Women’s Committee (1974-1976), and later convenor of the first National Women’s Advisory Council (1978-1982) as well as being vice-president of the Victorian Division of the Liberal Party from 1976 to 1986.

Beaurepaire was a member of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation Board (1982-1988), the Board of Victoria’s 150th Authority (1982-1987), and a member of the Australian Bi-centennial Multicultural Foundation (1989-1992). From 1985 to 1993 she was chairman of the Australian War Memorial Council and then chairman of the Australian War Memorial Fund Raising Committee (1993).

She is Patron to a number of community organisations including: Children First Foundation since 2000, Peninsula Hospice Service since 1999, Palliative Care (Vic.) since 1999, Victorian College of the Arts since 1999, Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria since 1999, Australia Against Child Abuse since 1999, Peninsula Health Care Network Foundation since 1996 and the Portsea Children’s Camp since 1996.

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Events

1980 - 1980
The Order of the British Empire – Dames Commander (DBE)
1996 - 1996
Patron of the Peninsula Health Care Network Foundation
1996 - 1996
Patron of the Portsea Children’s Camp
1993 - 1996
Chairman of the Australian War Memorial Fund Raising Committee
1985 - 1993
Chairman of the Australian War Memorial Council
1982 - 1993
Member of the Australian War Memorial Council
1988 - 1990
President of the Victorian Association of Most Excellent OBE
1989 - 1992
Member of the Australian Bi-centennial Multicultural Foundation
1982 - 1987
Board member of the Victorian 150th Authority
1982 - 1988
Board member of the Australian Children’s Television Foundation Board
1978 - 1982
Convenor of the National Women’s Advisory Council
1977 - 1977
Member of the Federal Women’s Advisory Committee Working Party
1974 - 1976
Chairman of the Federal Liberal Party Women’s Committee
1973 - 1976
Chairman of the Victorian Liberal Party Women’s Section
1973 - 1987
Chairman of the Board of Management of Fintona Girls School
1970 - 1986
Vice-President of the Citizens Welfare Service Victoria
1969 - 1977
Member of the National Executive, YWCA Australia
1945 - 1945
Commissioned Assistant Section Officer
1942 - 1945
Served with the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force
1977 - 1977
Awarded Silver Jubilee Medal
1946 - 1946
Married Ian Francis Beaurepaire
1991 - 1991
Companion Order of Australia (AC)
1975 - 1975
Appointed, Member of the British Empire (MBE)
2000 - 2000
Patron of the Children First Foundation
1999 - 1999
Patron of the Peninsula Hospice Service
1999 - 1999
Patron of the Palliative Care (Vic.)
1999 - 1999
Patron of the Victorian College of the Arts
1999 - 1999
Patron of the Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria Incorporated
1999 - 1999
Patron of the Australian’s Against Child Abuse
1976 - 1986
Vice-President of the Victorian Division Liberal Party
2001 - 2001
Inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women

Published resources

Resource Section
- Australian Women's Honour Roll B, CAPOW, http://www.capow.org.au/Honourroll/honourroll-b.htm
- BEAUREPAIRE, BERYL EDITH, Department of Veterans' Affairs, 2002, http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=R&VeteranID=1069542
Edited Book
- Australian Feminism: A Companion, Caine, Barbara, Gatens, Moira et al., 1998
- Who's Who in Australia 2002, Herd, Margaret, 2002
- A decade of Mary Owen dinners, Waterfield, Dorothy, 1995
Book
- Beryl Beaurepaire, McKernan, Michael, 1999
- Getting Equal: the History of Australian Feminism, Lake, Marilyn, 1999
- The matriarchs: twelve Australian women talk about their lives to Susan Mitchell., Mitchell, Susan, 1987
- The Alexandra Club : A Narrative 1903-1983, Starke, Monica, 1986
- The WAAAF in Wartime Australia, Thomson, Joyce A, 1992
- So Many Firsts: Liberal Women from Enid Lyons to the Turnbull Era, Fitzherbert, Margaret, 2009
Resource
- Women and Politics in South Australia, Cadden, Rosemary, http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/women_and_politics/index.html
- Trove
Newspaper Article
- War veterans honoured, 2001
Site Exhibition
- Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2003, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/honours.html
- The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia, Smart, Judith and Swain, Shurlee (eds.), 2014, http://www.womenaustralia.info/leaders

Archival resources

State Library of Victoria
- Papers, ca. 1970-ca. 1985 [manuscript].
National Library of Australia, Manuscript Collection
- Heritage 200 entries, 1988 [manuscript]
National Archives of Australia, National Office, Canberra
- BEAUREPAIRE BERYL EDITH : Service Number - 90770 : Date of birth - 24 Sep 1923 : Place of birth - CAMBERWELL VIC : Place of enlistment - MELBOURNE : Next of Kin - BEDGGOOD EDWARD

Related entries

Chaired by
- National Women's Advisory Council (1978 - 1984)
Related Organisations
- Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) (1941 - 1947)
- Young Women's Christian Association Victoria (Y.W.C.A. Victoria) (1999 - )
Presided
- Liberal Party of Australia Federal Women's Committee (1945 - )
Related Women
- Marsh, Jan
- Beaurepaire, Lily (1892 - 1979)
Membership
- Alexandra Club (1903 - )