Celebrating Waverley

Politics and Advocacy

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For History Week 2024 we're celebrating some of the women who have created history in Waverley. The following women have had a tremendous impact in the field of politics and advocacy.

Diana Olsberg

Born in 1942 in the UK, Diana Olsberg migrated to Australia with her parents in 1948. Growing up in Coogee, she has lived in Bondi for 50 years. Overcoming workplace challenges and adversity, she excelled in her career in public relations and later earned a PhD addressing superannuation inequalities. Continuing in academia, she became an Associate Professor and Honorary Research fellow at UNSW. Following her retirement in 2009, Olsberg remains active contributing to research, publications and appearing on the ABCs Old People's Home for 4 year Olds in April 2021. Her legacy continues to shape the nation's perspective on ageing.

Millicent Preston-Stanley

Oil painting of Millicent Preston-Stanley. She is depicted in bright and warm tones. She is a middle aged women with a rose pink hat and jacket. She wears peach gloves, holds flowers and is near a soft foliage. The piece is painted in active, impressionistic brushstrokes. The piece is framed in an intricate gold frame. A fierce proponent for women's rights, Millicent Preston-Stanley was a groundbreaking politician, activist, journalist, playwright and businesswoman. Elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly in 1925, Preston-Stanley was the second woman to be elected to parliament in Australia. In her inaugural speech on 26 August 1925, she affirmed her stance: "I want to make it clear that I am not here merely as the representative of one sex. I believe that women's questions are national questions, and that national questions are women's questions, and it may be shown that woman can take her place amongst the representatives of the people in the Parliament of the country and play her part in the political life of the nation."

Margaret Whitlam

Bondi Pavilion Theatre - Official Opening, Mrs Anne Symonds, Mrs Margaret Whitlam, Mr Maurice Symonds. Margaret Dovey, born in 1919 in Bondi, Australia, led a remarkable life. A talented swimmer, she excelled in her education and became a prominent member of the Bondi Ladies Amateur Swimming Club. Margaret became a key advocate for women's rights after marrying Gough Whitlam in 1942. Recognised as a National Living Treasure, her legacy lives on at the Margaret Whitlam Recreation Centre in Waverley Park, honouring her diverse achievements.

Women in Local Government Oral History Project

Mayor Paula Masselos, of Waverley Council. Developed as a celebration of the women who have been elected to Waverley Municipal Council for International Women's Day 2021, this exhibition and oral history project captures the triumphs, challenges, and changes for women in local leadership positions."

Francis Wootton

Fran Wootton, known as "Saint Fran," co-founded Norman Andrews House in 1993 with Reverend Clyde Dominish to aid the impoverished in Bondi. The center was named after a local rough sleeper who was sadly killed in a road accident. Norman Andrews House offers meals, laundry, showers, storage, group activities, advocacy, and health services from its location in Roscoe Street, Bondi. Supported by Chapel by the Sea, Waverley Council, and volunteers, it fosters community and links users to essential services. Fran's 25 years of dedicated service earned her an OAM in 2006.

Millicent Preston-Stanley, Mrs
Crawford Vaughan, 1950.
Portrait by Mary Edwards,
image courtesy of Dixson
Library, State Library of NSW.

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