Amelia Elizabeth Mary Rygate, ''née'' Rice (27 January 1898 – 8 June 1988) was an Australian politician. She was born at

Canowindra Situated on the Belubula River, Canowindra (pronounced ) is a historic township and largest population centre in Cabonne Shire and is located between Orange and Cowra in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. The curving main street ...

to wheat farmer Albert Rice. She attended St Mary's College in Bathurst and was a member of the Dramatic and Musical Society during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, organising entertainment for serving soldiers. On 7 February 1923 she married Gerald Rygate and joined the Labor Party. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she organised similar entertainment as during World War I. Gerald Rygate was a member of the

New South Wales Legislative Council The New South Wales Legislative Council, often referred to as the upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of the Australian state of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in th ...

from 1952 until his death in 1960. Not long after, in September 1961, Amelia was elected to the council as a nominee of the

Independent Labor Group The Independent Labor Group was a minor Australian political grouping in the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1959 to 1977. The group emerged when a number of Labor Party MLCs were expelled from the party for voting against the abolition ...

, which comprised those former Labor MLCs who opposed the party policy of abolishing the Legislative Council. Her election was made possible with the assistance of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, which exerted its influence to avoid the election of another Labor MLC. Rygate rejoined the Labor Party in 1966 and served until the introduction of direct election to the Legislative Council in 1978, when she retired. She died at Canowindra in 1988.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rygate, Amelia 1898 births 1988 deaths Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council Independent Labor Group politicians Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians Women members of the New South Wales Legislative Council 20th-century Australian women politicians