Nancy Joy Baluch (10 October 1932 – 14 May 2013) was an Australian politician who served as Mayor of

Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...

from 1981 to 1993 and from 1995 until her death. Her term as mayor of 29 years is believed to be an Australian record. Baluch was born in Port Augusta to George Budgen Copley and Jessie Stuart Copley, ''née'' Parker. She attended Cook and Port Augusta Primary Schools and Port Augusta High School. She married Teofil Stefan Baluch, a Ukrainian who had been imprisoned in

Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...

in World War II, in 1954. She worked as head stenographer for the Mechanical Engineering Branch of Commonwealth Railways between 1949 and 1953, and was owner/proprietor of a motel from 1961 to 1981. She was elected to

Port Augusta City Council The City of Port Augusta is a local government area located at the northern end of Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is centred on the town of Port Augusta. The city was the site of South Australia's main power supplier, the Port Augusta powe ...

in 1970. Baluch became involved in local politics after her son, a severe asthmatic, was born and she became a campaigner for improved health services. After becoming mayor in 1981, she led the successful effort to ban drinking in public places in Port Augusta. She also came to public notice when she imposed a night-time curfew on the citizens of the town in order to reduce violence. She stood as the Liberal candidate for Grey at the

1983 Australian federal election The 1983 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election, following a double dissolution. The incumbent Coalition government whi ...

. Her husband died 16 years before she did, of lung cancer. As he did not smoke, it was attributed to the power stations where he worked. Baluch campaigned for solar-thermal technology to replace coal-fired power. She died, still the serving mayor, on 14 May 2013 after a long period with breast cancer.

Honours

Joy Baluch was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

in 2001. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007 "for service to local government in South Australia, particularly through contributions to economic and regional development, and to the community of Port Augusta and region". The Joy Baluch AM Bridge over the

Spencer Gulf The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...

is named in her honour. Baluch starred in a documentary by Dick Smith called ''Ten Bucks a Litre'', released on 1 August 2013, which included a dedication towards her at the end.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baluch, Joy 1932 births 2013 deaths Mayors of places in South Australia Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal South Australian local councillors Women mayors of places in South Australia People from Port Augusta Women local councillors in Australia