Hedwig William Rego (born 16 October 1937) is a teacher, social activist and a former nominated Anglo-Indian member of the

11th Lok Sabha General elections were held in India in April–May 1996 to elect the members of the 11th Lok Sabha. The result of the election was a hung parliament, which would see three Prime Ministers in two years and force the country back to the polls ...

(1997).

Early life

Hedwig was born on 16 October 1937, to William Anthony Michael of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. She received her education from

Shivaji University Shivaji University, established in 1962, is a state university located at Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. The university, with a campus spread over , is named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, founder of the Maratha Empire. It was inaugurated ...

of Kolhapur and

Annamalai University , logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg , image = Annamalai University logo.png , image_size = 225px , motto = "With Courage and Faith" , established = , type ...

, Chennai and holds

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. Th ...

and

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order fo ...

degrees.

Career

From 1977 to 1997, Rego was a senior teacher at

The Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore The Frank Anthony Public School (or FAPS) is a co-educational day-school, for students of age 4–18 years, in Bangalore, India. It was founded in 1967 by the Anglo-Indian educationist and barrister-at-law, Frank Anthony, who was also the Foun ...

. In 1997, she was nominated to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

, lower house of the Indian parliament, for one of the two seats reserved for Anglo-Indians. As a Lok Sabha member she raised issues related to the Anglo-Indian community. Rego has served on the Minorities Commission of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state. She is also involved with Anglo-Indian institutions like Archdiocesan Board of Education, Bangalore and Anglo-Indian Guild.

Personal life

She married Denzil Rego on 3 June 1963. Together they have two daughters and three sons and live in Bangalore. Rego is a breast cancer survivor and has been a counsellor for a cancer awareness program in her city.

References

{{Authority Control 1937 births Living people Anglo-Indian people Politicians from Hyderabad, India Shivaji University alumni Annamalai University alumni India MPs 1996–1997 Women members of the Lok Sabha Indian schoolteachers Nominated members of the Lok Sabha