Sallyanne Atkinson AO (born 23 July 1942) was Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1985 to 1991 in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. She is the only woman to have held the position. As of 2017, she was Chairman of the

Museum of Brisbane Museum of Brisbane (MoB) explores contemporary and historic Brisbane, Australia, and its people through a program of art and social history exhibitions, workshops, talks, tours and children's activities. Located on Level 3, of Brisbane City Hall ...

, President of the Council of The Women's College at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and chair of the advisory board of the Queensland Brain Institute at the University of Queensland.

Early life

Atkinson was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

.Sallyanne Atkinson
Our House, ninemsn.com.au She attended Bishop's College and the Royal Naval School in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

, Sri Lanka and completed her secondary education at

St Hilda's School , motto_translation = Not for Ourselves Alone , established = , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary and secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Anglicanism , slogan = , principal = Wendy Lauma ...

's Gold Coast. In 1960 she began an Arts degree at the University of Queensland, before becoming a journalist on the

Brisbane Telegraph The ''Telegraph'' was an evening newspaper published in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was first published on 1 October 1872 and its final edition appeared on 5 February 1988. In its day it was recognised as one of the best news pictorial n ...

from 1960 to 1962, the Sydney Telegraph from 1962 to 1963, and the Courier Mail from 1963 to 1964. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in History and Political Science, in 1967. After joining 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 ...

in the early 1970s Atkinson worked as a research assistant to the Hon Jim Killen, Minister for Defence,from 1975 to 1978, before being elected as Alderman for Indooroopilly in the

Brisbane City Council Brisbane City Council (BCC) is the democratic executive local government authority for the City of Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. The largest City Council in Australia by population and area, BCC's jurisd ...

in 1979. She also wrote a number of books, including ''Sallyanne Atkinson's Brisbane Guide'' which was released in 1985.UQ Alumni
Sallyanne Atkinson AO, former Brisbane Lord Mayor

Lord Mayor of Brisbane

Sallyanne Atkinson was elected Lord Mayor in 1985, after defeating the

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

incumbent

Roy Harvey William Charles Roy Harvey (6 January 1921 – 23 April 2006), was Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 1982 until 1985. A member of the Labor Party, he spent a total of 27 years on the Council. History Harvey was elected for ...

. She became the first female Lord Mayor of Brisbane, as well as the first from the

. She was eventually defeated in 1991 in a narrow upset election win by the virtually unknown

Jim Soorley James Gerard Soorley (born 8 April 1951) is a former Australian politician. He served as Labor Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1991 to 2003. Soorley is a former Roman Catholic Priest. Soorley has a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology, fr ...

, who received preferences from the Greens candidate

Drew Hutton Peter Drew Hutton (born 1947) is an Australian activist, academic, campaigner and past political candidate. Hutton co-founded the Queensland Greens (in 1990) and Australian Greens (in 1991) and ran in elections in Queensland and Australia at ...

Subsequent career

After leaving the position as Lord Mayor of Brisbane, she became the first woman on the boards of several major companies, including Caltex, She unsuccessfully ran as the Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Rankin at the 1993 election. Atkinson was then Australia's Senior Trade Commissioner to France from 1994–1997. Her role was to promote Australian exports and encourage investment in Australia. She was also Australia's representative to the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every sec ...

. While a representative of the

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

, she supported the Olympic bids of many cities around Australia, including the Brisbane bid for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

and the successful Sydney 2000 Olympics Bid. In France she was the European Representative for the Sydney Olympic Committee. She was subsequently made the Deputy Mayor of the athletes' village. Atkinson was awarded Australian Catholic University's (ACU National) highest honour, Doctor of the University (honoris causa), at the Brisbane Campus graduation ceremony held at the

Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) is a convention centre in Brisbane, Australia. It is located in South Brisbane and occupies most of the block formed by Grey Street, Melbourne Street, Merivale Street, and Glenelg Street. The centr ...

on 2 April 2004. ACU National Vice-Chancellor, Professor Peter Sheehan AO, said the award recognises Ms Atkinson's extraordinary contribution to Australia's international reputation as a location for sporting events, and her contribution to government and the community. "Through her many years of generous service, in particular her work on the Olympic bids for Brisbane and Sydney and as Deputy Mayor of the Olympic Village at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Ms Atkinson has contributed to Australia's eminent status in world sport. In 1993 Ms Atkinson was created an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

for service to local government and the community, and in 2003 she was awarded a Centenary Medal for service to local government and to business. Professor Peter Sheehan AO stated during an ACU Graduation Address in 2004, "Sallyanne Atkinson is a most distinguished Australian, an eminent Queenslander, and has brought great credit to the city of Brisbane." She was also awarded Honorary Doctorates from

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian ...

and the University of Queensland. In the early 2000's Sallyanne served as a board member and then chairperson of Binna Burra Lodge, inside the Lamington National Park, Queensland. Sallyanne Atkinson was chairman in Queensland for Barton Deakin Government Relations, providing strategic advice to businesses and not-for-profits on working with government from 2012 to 2015.

Honours and awards

* 1993 – Officer of the Order of Australia * 2001 –

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

* 2001 – Centenary Medal Atkinson has been honoured by Rotary International, is an Honorary Fellow for the Australian Institute of Management, and is an honorary Life Member of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. The French Government made her a Chevalier of the

Ordre National du Merite A suite, in Western classical music and jazz, is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral/ concert band pieces. It originated in the late 14th century as a pairing of dance tunes and grew in scope to comprise up to five dances, sometimes with ...

. She served as founding member of the board of the United Nations' International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, a role in which she chaired the first meeting at the UN in New York, and was the founding co-president with Sir

Gustav Nossal Sir Gustav Victor Joseph Nossal (born 4 June 1931) is an Austrian-born Australian research biologist. He is famous for his contributions to the fields of antibody formation and immunological tolerance. Early life and education Nossal's family ...

of Sustainable Development Australia. In 2014, Atkinson was a recipient of the

Queensland Greats Awards The Queensland Greats Awards recognise outstanding Queenslanders for their years of dedication and contribution to the development of the state and their role in strengthening and shaping the community in Queensland, Australia. The awards are pr ...

Published works

* * (autobiography)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, Sallyanne 1942 births Living people Mayors and Lord Mayors of Brisbane Women mayors of places in Queensland Fellows of the Australian Institute of Management Officers of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Recipients of the Centenary Medal Delegates to the Australian Constitutional Convention 1998 20th-century Australian politicians Australian lobbyists 20th-century Australian women politicians Queensland Greats