The Australian Women's Register

2 hours 27 minutes Betty Preston was born in London, England. On leaving school she was apprenticed as a shop assistant. Betty describes how her activism was sparked by joining the protest about the slow demobilisation of Second World War soldiers, including her husband Austin. Betty became an organiser for the Conservative Party in the late 1940s. In 1952 the family migrated to South Australia and settled in Northfield. In 1955 she was the first woman elected to the Enfield Council. Betty was also an active member of the Liberal Party and unsuccessfully nominated for the Legislative Council after moving to Brighton. Disenchanted with the political alternatives, Betty campaigned as an independent and on behalf of non-party organisations during the 1970s and 80s. She became a member of Grey Power, helping to form the Brighton Branch and accepting nomination as State President in 1991. She describes its aims and the practical results of its lobbying on behalf of older people.