Thelma Florence Bate

CBE 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 ...

(; 3 August 1904 – 26 July 1984) was an Australian community leader and women's activist.

Early life and education

Born Thelma Florence Olsen in

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 ...

on 3 August 1904, she was the daughter of Norwegian seaman Olaf Olsen and his wife Florence Beatrice Olsen (''née'' St Clair), who was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Her mother married Carl Gustav Sundstrom in 1912. Thelma attended Fort Street Girls' High School before graduating from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1928. She subsequently taught at

Meriden School Meriden, An Anglican School for Girls is an independent Anglican single-sex early learning, primary, and secondary day school for girls, located in Strathfield, an inner-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 189 ...

and travelled abroad.

Career

In 1969, she stood as the Country Party candidate for the seat of

Dubbo Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the ...

in the state election. Thelma Harvey was one of the first women endorsed by the Country Party to contest an election in Australia. She also contested the 1953 Gwydir by-election. Kirkby continued to contest elections for the Country Party but was not elected. She represented New South Wales at the

Associated Country Women of the World The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) is the largest international organization for rural women, with a membership of nine million in 82 countries (per 2023). ACWW holds a triennial conference and publishes a magazine, ''The Countrywoman ...

conference in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1953, and continued to be active in the community. A committee member of the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, she was the New South Wales representative to the

United Nations Association of Australia The United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) is the official United Nations Association of Australia, working on behalf of the United Nations core body to promote its overall aims and ideals, and equally seeking to build support for the ...

International Women's Year committee. Bate was honorary secretary (1957–1959) and president (1959–1962) of the CWA, when she became known for her strong support of the inclusion of Aboriginal women in the CWA. She was treasurer of the

Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs The Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs (FAA), formerly Aboriginal Affairs Association, and nicknamed "the Foundo", was a community organisation for Aboriginal people in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia between 1964 and 1977. It published an occa ...

in the 1960s and was appointed

Commander 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 ...

(CBE) in 1969.

Personal life and death

She married grazier Richard Falkner Harvey on 20 June 1934 at St Philip's Church of England in Sydney and settled on his property near

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' ( ) by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in December 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more ...

, where she joined the

Country Women's Association The Country Women's Association (CWA) is a women's organisation in Australia, which seeks to advance interests of women, families, and communities in Australia, especially those in rural, regional, and remote areas. It comprises seven indep ...

. Her husband died in 1946. She married Kenneth Kirkby, a Country Party executive member, on 8 December 1949 at St John's Church of England in

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst is an inner-city suburb in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Darlinghurst is located immediately east of the Sydney central business district (CBD) and Hyde Park, within the local government area of the Ci ...

; the couple lived at Bellata near Moree, and were divorced. On 12 June 1958, she married

Jeff Bate Henry Jefferson Percival "Jeff" Bate (5 March 190615 April 1984) was an Australian politician, representing the United Australia Party and the Liberal Party of Australia for most of his career, but ended as an independent. Early life Jeff Bat ...

, the Liberal member for

Macarthur MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: Arts and media * INSS MacArthur, a fictional starship featured in the science fiction novel ''The Mote in God's Eye'' * ''MacArthur'' (1977 film), a movie biography of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur * ' ...

in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

, who farmed at

Tilba Tilba Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba are two villages near the Princes Highway in Eurobodalla Shire, New South Wales, Australia. At the , Central Tilba and surrounding areas had a population of 342 (Tilba Tilba had 102). Central Tilba is located aro ...

. They divorced in 1968. She died on 26 July 1984 at

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Gordon Heuck ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bate, Thelma 1904 births 1984 deaths Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian people of Norwegian descent Australian women's rights activists Activists from Sydney University of Sydney alumni