Video text transcript

Meet the female trailblazers behind local government on the Northern Beaches

Thank you, to the women who have led the way in local government on the Northern Beaches.

Since 1953, when Beverley Job MBE was the first woman ever to be elected to a Northern Beaches council, many others have also made significant contributions to public service. 

In fact, over the past 50 years women have collectively held 34 terms as Mayor or Deputy Mayor across the three local government areas formerly known as Manly, Warringah and Pittwater. 

These women and their achievements are worth celebrating.

Thank you, to Agnes Mary Ambrose. In 1958 she was the first female Alderman sworn in to Manly Council. She was active on many sub-committees and presided over the Manly YWCA . She paved the way for Joan Cooke, Councillor, Deputy Mayor and Mayor of Manly during the 60s, 70s and 80s. 

Joan Cooke was a force in her own right! She also, calibrated defence force radio transmitters during World War Two, excelled as a soprano, ran coffee houses with her family and was active in campaigning for the voting rights of Aboriginal people in 1967, all the while maintaining a local focus on Manly. 

We thank Joan Thorburn, as the first female Mayor of Manly. She championed Manly’s Museum and Art Gallery and The Corso as well as sister-city relationships with Taito-ku and Odawara in Japan.
 
There followed Judy Mellowes, another Mayor, committed to protecting the environment, preventing overdevelopment, promoting tourism and addressing anti-social behaviour. 

Jean Hay, a lifelong resident of Manly, was first elected to Manly Council in 1987 and served three terms. Jean was the longest serving Mayor of Manly Council. 

Manly’s enrichment was enhanced by the work of Sue Sacker. She was the first popularly elected Mayor of Manly, and an ardent campaigner for the environment.

We thank Adele Heasman for her involvement with community groups and her active participation in a wide range of Council Committees. Adele was first elected to Deputy Mayor in 2009 - and then again in 2013.

Moving north, we celebrate Julie Sutton’s contribution to Warringah Council. She held the position of Deputy Mayor and became the first female elected to Mayor. We thank her for major contributions to the Forest Community Centre, Glen Street Theatre and Garigal National Park. 

Liz Jones was elected to Warringah Council in 1995 and soon made a name for herself speaking up to defend local government. She called out attempts to allow the development of non-urban land and was elected Deputy Mayor in 1998.

We thank Dr. Conny Harris, Councillor and Deputy Mayor for Warringah, she was an active member of Doctors for the Environment and a tireless community worker for many environmental initiatives.

And to Michelle Ray, we thank you for bringing to Warringah Council your expertise interest in industrial relations, team management, policy, and advocacy.

To Lynne Czinner, thanks for your work as Deputy Mayor and Mayor, your work for the environment, and for additional services in the Pittwater area beyond your Council roles. 

Julie Hegarty, we appreciate the 21 years of service and strong advocacy for road safety while you served Pittwater Council as a Councillor and for two years as Deputy Mayor. 

And we celebrate Shirley Phelps’ role as Deputy Mayor, and her commitment and decades of service that resulted in, among many other things, our Indoor Sports Centre at Warriewood.

Patricia Giles served our local government for 25 years, completing seven terms as Mayor and four terms as Deputy Mayor of Pittwater Council. Her achievements touch our daily lives and will endure for years to come.

And thank you to Jacqueline Townsend, Deputy Mayor and Mayor, for driving advocacy around sustainable solutions, active transport and protection of the environment. 

The tradition continues to this day with our female Northern Beaches Councillors who have, at some stage in their local government careers, had the honour to preside as Deputy Mayor. These women work alongside other dedicated female and male councillors, making significant contributions to our community. 

Candy Bingham, the first Deputy Mayor of the newly formed Northern Beaches Council was elected in September 2017.

Candy’s experience in local government spans many years and includes serving on Manly Council for four years. She is active on a range of issues including waste management, arts and heritage and community safety.

Kylie Ferguson, also elected to the Northern Beaches Council in 2017, had also served as a Deputy Mayor of Pittwater Council for four years. Kylie’s advocacy for young people, the arts, the environment and social issues continues to this day. 

We applaud Roslyn Harrison, whose proudest achievement as a Councillor was her successful call to adopt the ‘Warringah Says No to Domestic Violence’ campaign in 2015 - the same year in which she became Deputy Mayor. Roslyn was also elected to the newly formed Northern Beaches Council in 2017.

…and Sue Heins, the second woman to be appointed to Deputy Mayor of Northern Beaches Council. Sue made an abundant contribution as a former Deputy Mayor of Warringah Council and former President of Warringah Chamber of Commerce & Industry. 
 
Thanks to the stories of all these extraordinary women. Northern Beaches Council today boasts seven female Councillors on a 15-person team. 

This puts us way above both the state and national average for female representation in local government. 

You are all remarkable women and your contribution has helped to make the Northern Beaches the extraordinary place that it is today.