Thelma Florence Bate

CBE 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 ...

(; 3 August 1904 – 26 July 1984) was an Australian community leader and women's activist.

Early life and education

Born Thelma Florence Olsen in Sydney on 3 August 1904, she was the daughter of Norwegian seaman Olaf Olsen and his wife Florence Beatrice Olsen (''née'' St Clair), who was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Her mother married Carl Gustav Sundstrom in 1912. Thelma attended

Fort Street Girls' High School , motto_translation = Each person is the maker of their own fortune , sister_school = Suginami Sogo High School, Tokyo, Japan , location = Parramatta Road, Petersham, Inner West Sydney, New South Wales , c ...

before graduating from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in 1928. She subsequently taught at

Meriden School , motto_translation = Always faithful , established = , type = Independent single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day school , gender = Girls , denomination = Anglicanism , educational_authority = New South Wales De ...

and travelled abroad.

Career

In 1969, she stood as the Country Party candidate for the seat of Dubbo in the state election. Thelma Harvey was one of the first women endorsed by the Country Party to contest an election in Australia. She also contested the 1953 Gwydir by-election. Kirkby continued to contest elections for the Country Party but was not elected. She represented New South Wales at the

Associated Country Women of the World The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) is the largest international organization for both rural and urban women, with a membership of nine million in over 70 countries. ACWW holds a triennial conference and publishes a magazine, ''The Cou ...

conference in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in 1953, and continued to be active in the community. A committee member of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, she was the New South Wales representative to the

United Nations Association of Australia The United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) is the official non-profit, non-government, membership-based, organisation in Australia working on behalf of the United Nations core body to promote its overall aims and ideals, and equally s ...

International Women's Year committee. Bate was honorary secretary (1957–1959) and president (1959–1962) of the CWA, when she became known for her strong support of the inclusion of Aboriginal women in the CWA. She was treasurer of the

Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs The Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs (FAA), formerly Aboriginal Affairs Association, and nicknamed "the Foundo", was a community organisation for Aboriginal people in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia between 1964 and 1977. It published an occa ...

in the 1960s and was appointed

Commander 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 ...

(CBE) in 1969.

Personal life and death

She married grazier Richard Falkner Harvey on 20 June 1934 at St Philip's Church of England in Sydney and settled on his property near Ivanhoe, where she joined the

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...

. Her husband died in 1946. She married Kenneth Kirkby, a Country Party executive member, on 8 December 1949 at St John's Church of England in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city, eastern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the City of Sydney. ...

; the couple lived at Bellata near Moree, and were divorced. On 12 June 1958, she married

Jeff Bate Henry Jefferson Percival "Jeff" Bate (5 March 190615 April 1984) was an Australian politician, representing the United Australia Party and the Liberal Party of Australia for most of his career, but ended as an independent. Early life Jeff Bat ...

, the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member for Macarthur in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members o ...

, who farmed at Tilba Tilba. They divorced in 1968. She died on 26 July 1984 at

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bate, Thelma 1904 births 1984 deaths Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian people of Norwegian descent Australian women's rights activists People from Sydney University of Sydney alumni