Dorothy Edna Annie Edwards (; 20 June 1907 – 9 March 2006) was an Australian schoolteacher and civic leader. She served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

, from 1955 to 1957, the first woman to serve as mayor of an Australian city. She was also president of the

National Council of Women of Australia The National Council of Women of Australia (NWA) is an Australian organisation founded in 1931. The council is an umbrella organisation with which are affiliated seven State and Territory National Councils of Women. It is non-party political, no ...

from 1960 to 1964 and a long-serving board member of the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owned ...

(ABC) and the

State Library of Tasmania The State Reference Library is the reference library in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of library services, community learning, adult literacy and the State� ...

Early life

Edwards was born on 20 June 1907. She grew up in

Deloraine, Tasmania Deloraine is a town on the Meander River, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It is 50 km west of Launceston and 52 km south of Devonport along the Bass Highway. It is part of the Meander Valley Council. Deloraine recorded ...

, where her father was the town clerk. She attended Deloraine Primary School and Launceston High School. She went on to study at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

, where she graduated

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

. Edwards worked as a schoolteacher, teaching

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and literature. Due to a

marriage bar A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in Western countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriage, especi ...

she was forced to resign from the education department in 1933. She taught at Launceston High School and

Hobart High School Hobart High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, situated in the village of Loddon, near Norwich in Norfolk, England. It typically has around 850 pupils. The school previously had specialist science college status ...

Municipal politics

Edwards was a leader of the campaign to allow women to stand for election to the

Launceston City Council Launceston City Council (or City of Launceston) is a Local government in Australia, local government body in Tasmania, located in the city and surrounds of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston in the north of the state. The Launceston local gov ...

, a right which was not granted until 1945 by an act of state parliament. In 1949, she became the first women to stand for election to the council. She was elected with the second-highest number of votes, behind only the incumbent mayor

Denham Henty Sir Norman Henry Denham Henty, KBE (13 October 1903 – 9 May 1978) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1950 to 1968. He held ministerial office as Minister for Cus ...

, becoming Tasmania's first female

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

. She became chairman of the council's finance committee, and in 1954 she became the first woman to preside over a council meeting. She served as an alderman for 15 years in total. In 1955, Edwards was elected as the first female mayor of an Australian city. She held office for two terms from December 1955 to December 1957. Her achievements in office included "the building of the City Baths at Windmill Hill, flood prevention measures and the opening of a by-products plant for the Killafaddy Abattoirs".

Other activities

Edwards helped revive the National Council of Women of Launceston, serving as secretary (1947–1956) and president (1958–1960). She was subsequently elected as the first Tasmanian president of the

(NCW), holding office from 1960 to 1964. She sought to expand the NCW's membership in Australia and established closer relationships with similar organisations in the Asia-Pacific. She also lobbied for

equal pay Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the full ...

and the removal of

s, intending for the NCW to play a more activist role. Edwards additionally served as a vice-treasurer (1963–1970) and vice-president (1970–1979) of the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's rights organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington, D.C., with ...

(ICW). She was appointed to the ICW's Committee of Honour in 1979 and attended her last ICW meeting in 1996. Edwards served on the board of the

from 1953 to 1978. In 1962 she was appointed to the board of the

(ABC) by the

Menzies government Menzies is a Scottish surname, with Gaelic forms being Méinnearach and Méinn, and other variant forms being Menigees, Mennes, Mengzes, Menzeys, Mengies, and Minges. Derivation and history The name and its Gaelic form are probably derived f ...

, in place of fellow Tasmanian

Enid Lyons Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (née Burnell; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an Australian politician who was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives and the first woman to serve in federal cabinet. Prior to her own political ca ...

. She remained on the ABC board until 1975.

Personal life and honours

Edwards had two sons with her husband Rex Edwards, whom she married in 1933. She died on 9 March 2006 at the age of 98. Edwards was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in 1958 and promoted to CBE in 1979. She was made an

honorary freeman The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...

of the City of Launceston in 1984 and entered on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Dorothy 1907 births 2006 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics Australian schoolteachers University of Tasmania alumni Board members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Women mayors of places in Tasmania Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Mayors of Launceston, Tasmania Tasmanian local councillors People from Deloraine, Tasmania