The Australian Women's Register

Summary

Betty Preston was born in London, England. On leaving school she was apprenticed as a shop assistant. An organiser for the Conservative Party in the 1940s her political activism was sparked by joining the protest about the slow demobilisation of World War II soldiers, her husband Austin being included in their number. In 1952 the family migrated to South Australia and settled in Northfield, in suburban Adelaide, South Australia. 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.