The Australian Women's Register

Kay Wicks was a once only candidate who stood for the Communist Party of Australia in the 1981 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Newcastle. Her election leaflets stressed her and her party’s opposition to nuclear energy, support for Aboriginal Land Rights, expansion of ethnic centres, and electoral reform – particularly four year terms for Parliament.

Brigitte Williams was a once only candidate who represented the Australian Democrats in the 1999 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Oxley. She believes in community action and is active in Landcare and the local Catchment Management Committee. Brigitte has worked in the hospitality industry in managing positions in a hotel and a caravan park (1980-82). She then managed a market garden and was Secretary for the Bellinger River Action Group (1984-94) while completing her tertiary qualifications (B.A., Dip. Ed.). She has taught English and History at tertiary and secondary level, and by correspondence.

Leonie Williams was a once only candidate who stood for the Australian Greens in the Bathurst elections of 1999. She had three small children when she ran for election and was a familiar face in Bathurst because of her attendance at a number of rallies against uranium mining.

Clare Wilson, a child welfare campaigner, was a remarkable early candidate who stood for the Progressive Party in the 1922 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of the Western Suburbs. Known as the “Silent Candidate” because she gave no speeches, Mrs Wilson was inclined towards spectacular stunts, such as entering a cage with five lions and a bear at Wirth’s circus to raise money for poverty in 1921, and distributing Peace Loan pamphlets from an aeroplane. Her name is given as Clara in the Parliamentary scrapbook. She was well known throughout the Western suburbs of Sydney as a hard worker in the interests of mothers and children. Clare Meta Wilson was married to J.A Wilson.

Heather Wilton was a once only candidate for Parliament (Independent candidate, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Albury, 2003) but a very successful local councillor. She was a member of the Berrigan Shire Council for ten years (1987-1997), President from 1991-2, Mayor in 1993 and Deputy Mayor from 1995-6. Heather Wilton then joined the Holbrook Council as Mayor from 1999-2004.

Jane Ward is a well known local and conservationist activist with a passion for social justice and community action. As an Independent candidate she contested the following elections:
Leichhardt Municipal Council, 1987
New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Balmain, 1988
House of Representatives, Sydney, 2004
City of Sydney council elections, 2004

Imogen Waring is a highly successful management consultant with a continuing interest in politics. In 2003 she ran for election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Willoughby.

Nola Taylor has been an active environmentalist over several decades. In 1995 she stood as an Independent candidate in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Rockdale, campaigning on behalf of the Transport Action Group Against Motorways. In 1999 Nola re-contested the seat of Rockdale, but this time as an Australian Greens candidate. At the time of her first campaign, she had lived in the electorate for more than two decades and had been active in the Rockdale community for many years: a founding member of the Rockdale and District Landscape Heritage Committee, which has successfully fought to restore and preserve the remaining bushland area. Nola Taylor has also campaigned over a decade against the construction of motorways and has served on the Committee of the Community Resource Centre, having written extensively for its newspaper Info News. She is in favour of Australia becoming a republic and is a Community Arts worker.

Rose Watson is a once only candidate, a successful Councillor and a stalwart community worker. In 1987 she was elected Alderman Woollahra Council and held that position until 2003. In 1991 she stood for election as an Independent to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Vaucluse. She has been very active in campaigns for better aged care facilities in her area. She was vigorously opposed to the closing of the Strickland House Nursing Home by the Greiner Government in 1989 and fought to open its grounds to the public. She also led the campaign against the proposed closure of the Post Office in Watsons Bay, taking the case to the Federal Court and winning. She founded the Watsons Bay Society, a resident action group and was instrumental in the re-establishment of the State Emergency Services in Woollahra municipality.

Rose Watson was educated at Coogee Public School, Sydney Girls High School and the University of Sydney from which she graduated B.Sc. and Dip.Ed. She taught mathematics at Vaucluse, Dover Heights, Marrickville, Crown Street and Randwick High Schools. She is married to a medical practitioner, whose practice she managed after her retirement from teaching.

Ann Thompson was a community activist in her local area and had been a local councillor for four years before she ran for parliament. She was elected to the Lithgow City Council in1999 – and appointed Deputy Mayor 2005. In 2003 Ann represented the National Party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Bathurst, having only been a member of the National Party for four months before being preselected. She ran for election in order to highlight the neglect of country people by the NSW Labor government. Ann Thompson was blunt in her opposition to the Greens drug policy and said she did not want Green preferences because of it. With her husband Ray, she was involved in three businesses in Lithgow and was a part time lecturer at Lithgow TAFE.

Shirley Watson was a once only candidate who represented the Liberal Party in the 1981 elections for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Earlwood. Her campaign literature showed her to have been particularly concerned with health issues, hospital staff shortages and the lack of rehabilitation services then available. Shirley Watson was educated at P.L.C., Pymble, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and the University of Sydney (Dip. Labour Relations and Law). From 1967 she operated a personnel consulting firm and was active in the Personnel services industry.

Jane Timbrell was a Labor candidate in the NSW state election, in Strathfield, in 1995 and again in a by-election in Strathfield in 1996. She was unsuccessful both times.

She enjoyed success at a local government level and was the first Labor woman elected to the Ashfield Municipal Council in 1991-95. She worked as in Industrial Officer for the New South Wales Public Service Association from 1982, serving as the association’s Women’s Officer between 1996-2002.

Lorraine Wearne was a successful Independent local Councillor on the Parramatta City Council from 1995 to 2007 and was Lord Mayor from 2000-2001. This made her the first woman Lord Mayor of Parramatta and the first woman in the Sydney region to hold that title. She was motivated to run for the 2003 election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Parramatta by a sense of fair play. Her campaign slogan was “People not Politics for Parramatta”. Lorraine Wearne’s candidature as an Independent was prompted by distaste of the preselection procedures of the ALP which imposed a Head Office candidate over a local Councillor.

Gabrielle Tindall was a once only candidate, inspired by her passionate commitment to the environment. She was an Independent candidate for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Coffs Harbour in 2003. At the time of her campaign she had lived in Bellingen, in a “handmade house” with her husband and four children, for twenty years. She was a member of the North Coast Environment Council, and the Upper North Coast Water Management Committee. Passionate about water, she was also a member of COW (Cows Out of Water).

Gabrielle Tindall was born in England, and came to Australia as a child. She was educated in Melbourne, gaining her Higher School Certificate and a diploma in Design. She began but did not complete an Arts degree at Melbourne University and works as a Craftsperson.

Patricia Webster was a once only candidate, motivated by her belief that the drug problem was not being properly addressed. She contested the 1988 New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Balmain as an Independent candidate. She decided to run because she believed none of the candidates addressed the problems of drug trafficking. Patricia Webster believed that a drug rehabilitation centre should be established as an alternative to prison; she was in favour of NSW becoming a nuclear free state; she opposed development of harbour foreshores and was in favour of a second Sydney airport to reduce air traffic over Balmain.

Christine Townend is a passionate woman whose life and talents have been devoted to the cause of animal care and liberation. As an Australian Democrats member she contested the following elections:

• New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Willoughby 1978, 1984;
• House of Representatives, Grayndler, 1977;
• Senate, NSW, 1983.
• In 1988 Christine stood on behalf of the Environment Group in the New South Wales Legislative Council elections.

Joyce Tuckwell was a once only candidate who represented the ALP in the 1984 election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Eastwood. She joined the ALP in 1974, becoming Secretary of her local branch and a delegate to state and federal electorate councils and the ALP annual conference. She was the ALP campaign director for Bennelong in 1983. Joyce Tuckwell was educated at Cremorne Girls’ High School and worked as a secretary and was a Director of 2 RRR, Regional radio Ryde.

Margaret Van de Weg is an active local and political figure in the north west district of Sydney. She has been a member of the Baulkham Hills Shire Council from 1999-2004 and contested the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Baulkham Hills in 2003 and the House of Representatives election for Berowra in 2004 on behalf of the Australian Democrats. She has been an adviser to an independent State Member of Parliament.

An Australian Democrats member, Margaret Vitlin ran twice for election to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of East Hills -1981, 1984. At the time of her first campaign, she lived in Panania and worked as a Services Co-ordinator at the University of NSW. In a press release she stressed the need to improve the efficiency of the Public Service.

Lynda Voltz was a political staffer who ran for election as an ALP candidate, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, North Shore, in 1995. In that year she was employed as an electoral officer for Senator John Faulkner, and had worked previously for Peter Baldwin M.H.R. In 2007 she was elected to the Legislative Council of the NSW Parliament. She was re-elected in 2015.

Jane Waddell was a candidate for a one issue party – the No Aircraft Noise party in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Gladesville, 1995 and the New South Wales Senate 1998 elections. As the parent of two children, she was concerned about the effects of aircraft noise on sleeping habits. Jane Waddell is a trained nurse who has worked at Gladesville Psychiatric and Macquarie Hospitals as well as in general and surgical wards She has been involved with social welfare issues for both psychiatric patients and refugees.

Victoria Waldron-Hahn is a local activist and green campaigner who stood for the Australian Greens in the 2003 election for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Campbelltown. Her campaign emphasised her concerns about the social and environmental impacts of increased urbanisation of the Campbelltown area. At the time of her campaign, she was working as a clown doctor at the Prince of Wales Hospital and teaching yoga in Campbelltown. Victoria Waldron-Hahn is a long time resident of Campbelltown. As a school student she represented the area on a Rotary Exchange to Japan. She lives with her partner and teenage daughter.

Debra Wales is a community activist on the Central Coast of New South Wales. She was elected to the Gosford City Council from 1999-2004, but failed to gain election as the Liberal Party candidate to the seat of Peats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1999 and 2003. She left the Liberal Party prior to the 2007 New South Wales State Election when she was overlooked for pre-selection in the newly formed seat of Gosford. Since then she has taken an independent stance on party political matters.

Debra Wales had lived in the Peats electorate for nearly 20 years when she ran in 1999 and was at one time a delegate to the State Council of the Liberal Party. She was a founding member of the Peninsula Community Forum, coordinator of the Ettalong Beach Heritage Committee and the Peninsula Mainstreet Co-Ordinator. She also started the Business Watch Program to reduce crime in the town centres of the area and was owner of a small business.

Virginia Walker has had a life long passion for social justice and has worked through many organizations to achieve it. As an Australia Party candidate she contested the elections for the House of Representatives seat of Phillip in 1972 and 1974 and for the New South Wales Legislative Assembly seat of Waverley in 1973. She joined the Australian Labor Party in 1976 and stood unsuccessfully for the Woollahra Municipal Council in 1980 and 1983. In May 2000 she was awarded the McKell Inaugural Award for services to the ALP.

Joy Wallace is a committed environmental and social activist in the Lismore area. She has been involved in local campaigns concerned with housing, health, youth, unemployment and women’s issues. Joy represented the Australian Greens in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly elections for Lismore in 1991 and in the 1993 NSW Senate elections.

Lorna Shacklock was a once only candidate for parliament: Liberal Party candidate, New South Wales Legislative Assembly, Illawarra, 1971. At the time of her candidacy, she was married with four children and had been actively involved in organizations in the Illawarra area. She was secretary of the Warilla Progress Association and the Shellharbour Youth and National Fitness Committee. She was active in the Warilla Public School Parents and Citizens Association, and a foundation member of the Warilla Ex-Servicemen’s Club. Lorna Shacklock was a radar operator for the 2/18 and 2/3 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Batteries during World War II.

Kerry Suwald was influenced to stand for parliament by her concern for the environment. She represented the Australian Greens in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly election for Cessnock in 2003 and House of Representatives election for Hunter in 2004.