Norma Male
BEM (1916–2017) was an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
local government administrator, the first woman to be appointed permanently to the senior role of Town Clerk in
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
.
Early years
Norma Thora Male was born in 1916 in
Hughenden Hughenden may refer to:
*Hughenden, Queensland, a town in Australia
* Hughenden, Alberta, a village in central Alberta, Canada
*Hughenden Valley, a village in Buckinghamshire, England
*Hughenden Manor, a mansion in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Eng ...
, Queensland to Henry James Male and Louisa Ann Male. She had a sister Altha and two brothers Jim and Cliff.
Career
Norma Male was employed at age of 18 as a stenographer for the
Cootamundra
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...
Municipal Council. Male completed her town clerk exams in 1942 and 1943.
She continued working for the Cootamundra Municipal Council until 1944.
Male was appointed Town Clerk of Balranald Municipality in 1944
and became the Shire Clerk of
Balranald Shire
Balranald Shire is a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Riverina area of western New South Wales, Australia on the Sturt Highway. It is the location of World Heritage listed Mungo National Park. It includes the towns of ...
in 1957, following its incorporation.
On 25 August 1944 Male was the first woman elected to the Local Government Clerks Association of N.S.W..
In 1947, she presided over the opening of the Balranald Library.
She was the Shire Clerk of Balranald from 1956 until she retired in 1974.
Following her retirement Male moved from Balranald to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
where she worked part-time at the Town Clerks Society and Institute of Municipal Management from 1974 to 1988.
Awards
* Male is featured in the
National Pioneers Women's Hall of Fame as the first female Town Clerk and Shire Clerk in New South Wales and possibly in Australia.
* 1975 Male was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1975 for dedicated service to Local Government.
Personal life
Norma Male died on 2 October 2017 at
West Wyalong
West Wyalong is the main town of the Bland Shire in the northern Riverina region of western New South Wales, Australia. In the 2021 Census, West Wyalong's population was 3,037.
Located west of Sydney as well as being above sea level, it i ...
aged 101 years.
References
See also
*
Balranald
Balranald is a town within the Local government in Australia, local government area of Balranald Shire, in the Murray (New South Wales), Murray region of far south-western New South Wales, Australia.
The town of Balranald is located where the ...
, New South Wales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Male, Norma Thora
1916 births
2017 deaths
Australian recipients of the British Empire Medal