Winsome McPherson McCaughey (; born 23 October 1943), was

Lord Mayor of Melbourne This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of the City of Melbourne, a local government area of Victoria, Australia. Mayors (1842–1902) Lord mayors (1902–1980) The title of "Lord Mayor" was conferred on the position of mayor by Kin ...

from 1988 to 1989. She was the second woman to hold that position after succeeding

Alexis Ord Alexis Ord, also known as Lecki Ord, was Lord Mayor of Melbourne This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of the City of Melbourne, a local government area of Victoria, Australia. Mayors (1842–1902) Lord mayors (1902–1980) Th ...

Early life

Winsome Howell was born and raised on a property at Baddaginnie, in north-east

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, where her great-grandparents had settled in 1870. After primary school she was sent to board at

Morongo Girls' College Morongo Girls' College was a Presbyterian school for girls, founded in 1920 on Bell Post Hill near Geelong, Australia, on the site of an original homestead (called ''Morongo''). The founding principal was Gertrude Pratt BA, the second princip ...

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. She was married to

Patrick McCaughey Patrick McCaughey (born 1942) is an Irish-born Australian art historian and academic. McCaughey was born in Belfast, his father being Davis McCaughey. He migrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia. when he was ten years old. His secondary ...

. She studied philosophy during her Bachelor of Arts at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, and resided at University College from 1962 to 1964.

Career

Alongside Ruth Crow, McCaughey helped found the community-based childcare movement and was founder and Director of the Community Child Care Association from 1972 to 1979. She drafted Australia's first Children's Services Policy for the Australian Social Welfare Commission. McCaughey was executive officer of the Reichstein Foundation from 1986 to 1988. McCaughey was the spokesperson for the residents' group Melbourne Voters' Action, and in 1982 was elected as a councillor of the City of Melbourne Council, topping the ward's primary vote. She remained a councillor until elected Mayor of Melbourne in 1988. When her term as Lord Mayor ended, she headed Melbourne's bid for the 1996 Olympic Games. She also spent three years as the CEO of the Australia New Zealand Food Authority (now called Food Standards Australia). In 1991 she met her partner, Snow Barlow, Professor of Horticulture and Viticulture at the

. Together they have established Baddaginnie Run, on her family's land, with the aim of restoring the land's biodiversity, establishing native vegetation bio-corridors, growing premium quality grapes through sustainable practices, and creating fine wines that reflect the area's soil and climate. McCaughey was CEO of

Greening Australia Greening Australia is an Australian environmental organisation, founded in 1982, the International Year of the Tree, to protect, restore and conserve Australia's native vegetation. Greening Australia was formed by the United Nations Association ...

for four years. McCaughey was founding executive director of the Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF, now Creative Partnerships Australia) from 1998 to 2005. She has been a trustee of the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust since 2010, is director of the Macpherson Smith Rural Foundation and a director of the wine company Seven Sisters Pty Ltd. In 2014, McCaughey was appointed an officer (AO) 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 Gove ...

"for her distinguished service to the community, particularly to local government and early childhood development, and through a broad range of charitable organisations".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCaughey, Winsome 1943 births Living people Mayors and Lord Mayors of Melbourne Women mayors of places in Victoria (Australia) Officers of the Order of Australia