Mary Beasley
Mary Beasley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1937 (age 86–87) Glenelg, South Australia |
| Education | St Peter's Girls' School |
Mary Constance Beasley AM (born 1937) is a retired Australian public servant and business executive. She was Australia's first Commissioner for Equal Opportunity (appointed 1975) and first woman Ombudsman (appointed 1985).
Career
[edit]Born in Glenelg, South Australia in 1937, Beasley was educated at St Peter's Girls' School, graduating with honours in the leaving certificate.[1] Her first job was in the marketing department of the Vacuum Oil Company (now Mobil), which she left to move to Sydney, following her marriage at age 19. The marriage was short-lived and she returned to Adelaide with her two-year-old son. Encouraged by her mother, she returned to the workforce in 1968, joining an employment agency managed by J. P. Young. He mentored her by challenging her to take risks and she rose to become general manager of the agency.[2] Beasley also served two terms on Unley Council.[3]
Beasley was appointed South Australia's first Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, taking up the position in 1976. After only 18 months in the role she transferred to the Public Service Board in February 1978, again as a commissioner.[2][3]
She was appointed to the board of Qantas in August 1983 by Kim Beazley (then Minister for Aviation)[4] – another first for women.[5]
Beasley served as chairwoman of the board of the Australian Dance Theatre in the 1990s.[6] She also chaired the committee that planned the celebration of 100 years of women's suffrage in South Australia in 1994.[7]
In the 2004 Australia Day Honours Beasley was made a Member of the Order of Australia for "service to public sector administration in South Australia and to the community, particularly as an executive member of organisations in the fields of the arts, education, health and community celebrations".[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Beasley, Mary; Henningham, Nicola (2012), Mary Beasley interviewed by Nikki Henningham in the Women and leadership in a century of Australian democracy oral history project (sound recording)
- ^ a b Henningham, Nikki. "Beasley, Mary". The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ^ a b Cunningham, Gwen (17 November 1982). "Who are Australia's top women earners?". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 50, no. 22. p. 60. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "In Brief". The Canberra Times. Vol. 57, no. 17, 499. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 27 August 1983. p. 3. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Mary Beasley's string of national firsts starts with South Australian commissioner for equal opportunity in 1975". AdelaideAZ. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
- ^ "Tankard takes passion, grace to Adelaide". The Canberra Times. Vol. 66, no. 20, 793. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 18 March 1992. p. 25. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Businesswoman for committee". The Times. Vol. 89, no. 4, 194. South Australia. 4 January 1994. p. 9. Retrieved 20 January 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Ms Mary Constance Beasley". It's an Honour. 26 January 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
