Dorothy Edna Annie Edwards (; 20 June 1907 – 9 March 2006) was an Australian schoolteacher and civic leader. She served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...

, from 1955 to 1957, the first woman to serve as mayor of an Australian city. She was also president of the

National Council of Women of Australia The National Council of Women of Australia (NWA) is an Australian organisation founded in 1931. The council is an umbrella organization, umbrella organisation with which are affiliated seven State and Territory National Councils of Women. It is ...

from 1960 to 1964 and a long-serving board member of the

Australian Broadcasting Commission The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is a ...

(ABC) and the

State Library of Tasmania The State Library of Tasmania is the reference, special collections, research and public lending library in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of librar ...

Early life

Edwards was born on 20 June 1907. She grew up in

Deloraine, Tasmania Deloraine is a town on the Meander River (Tasmania), Meander River, in the central north of Tasmania, Australia. It is 50 km west of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston and 52 km south of Devonport, Tasmania, Devonport along the Bass High ...

, where her father was the town clerk. She attended Deloraine Primary School and Launceston High School. She went on to study at the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College (University of Tasmania), Christ College, one of the unive ...

and the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, where she graduated

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. Edwards worked as a schoolteacher, teaching

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

and literature. Due to a

marriage bar A marriage bar is the practice of restricting the employment of married women. Common in English-speaking countries from the late 19th century to the 1970s, the practice often called for the termination of the employment of a woman on her marriag ...

she was forced to resign from the education department in 1933. She taught at Launceston High School and Hobart High School.

Municipal politics

Edwards was a leader of the campaign to allow women to stand for election to the

Launceston City Council Launceston City Council (or City of Launceston) is a Local government in Australia, local government body in Tasmania, located in the city and surrounds of Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston in the north of the state. The Launceston local gove ...

, a right which was not granted until 1945 by an act of state parliament. In 1949, she became the first women to stand for election to the council. She was elected with the second-highest number of votes, behind only the incumbent mayor

Denham Henty Sir Norman Henry Denham Henty, KBE (13 October 1903 – 9 May 1978) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Liberal Party and served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1950 to 1968. He held ministerial office as Department of Custo ...

, becoming Tasmania's first female

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

. She became chairman of the council's finance committee, and in 1954 she became the first woman to preside over a council meeting. She served as an alderman for 15 years in total. In 1955, Edwards was elected as the first female mayor of an Australian city. She held office for two terms from December 1955 to December 1957. Her achievements in office included "the building of the City Baths at Windmill Hill, flood prevention measures and the opening of a by-products plant for the Killafaddy Abattoirs".

Other activities

Edwards helped revive the National Council of Women of Launceston, serving as secretary (1947–1956) and president (1958–1960). She was subsequently elected as the first Tasmanian president of the

(NCW), holding office from 1960 to 1964. She sought to expand the NCW's membership in Australia and established closer relationships with similar organisations in the Asia-Pacific. She also lobbied for

equal pay Equal pay for equal work is the concept of labour rights that individuals in the same workplace be given equal pay. It is most commonly used in the context of sexual discrimination, in relation to the gender pay gap. Equal pay relates to the full ...

and the removal of

s, intending for the NCW to play a more activist role. Edwards additionally served as a vice-treasurer (1963–1970) and vice-president (1970–1979) of the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating women's rights, human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington D.C ...

(ICW). She was appointed to the ICW's Committee of Honour in 1979 and attended her last ICW meeting in 1996. Edwards served on the board of the

from 1953 to 1978. In 1962 she was appointed to the board of the

(ABC) by the Menzies government, in place of fellow Tasmanian

Enid Lyons Dame Enid Muriel Lyons (; 9 July 1897 – 2 September 1981) was an Australian politician. She was notable as the being the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and to serve in the federal cabinet. Prior to her own politic ...

. She remained on the ABC board until 1975.

Personal life and honours

Edwards had two sons with her husband Rex Edwards, whom she married in 1933. She died on 9 March 2006 at the age of 98. Edwards was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in 1958 and promoted to CBE in 1979. She was made an honorary freeman of the City of Launceston in 1984 and entered on the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Dorothy 1907 births 2006 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics Australian schoolteachers University of Tasmania alumni Board members of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Women mayors of places in Tasmania Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Mayors of Launceston, Tasmania Tasmanian local councillors People from Deloraine, Tasmania