Margaret Whitlam was educated at SCEGGS Darlinghurst and the University of Sydney. She represented Australia in swimming at the 1938 Empire Games. Whitlam worked as a social worker prior to and, for a time, after her marriage to
Gough Whitlam (q.v.).
As her husband rose to prominence in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), Whitlam found a wider audience for her advocacy of a range of social issues including women's rights. She wrote a regular column for
Woman's Day, offering insights into her life as the wife of the Prime Minister.
Whitlam held various public offices including inaugural chair of the Australian Opera Conference , chair of the National Council for the International Literacy Year, and board member of the Sydney Dance Company and the Advisory Council for International Women's Year.
Following Whitlam's death, ALP Senator and Whitlam Institute Chair John Faulkner said: 'Much will be written and said about Margaret Whitlam in the days to come. I would simply say at this time that Margaret Whitlam was a woman of great intellect, wit and integrity; a true servant of the Australian people.'
Whitlam's funeral service was held at St James's Church, Sydney on 23 March 2012.
Sources include: Whitlam Institute website, http://www.whitlam.org/
Sighted: 27/03/2012
