Margaret Whitlam
Margaret Whitlam is no longer with us, but she left us with quite a legacy.
Margaret was the wife of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and, at the very same time, something a whole lot more complex. She spoke her mind, didn’t bite her tongue. A woman in the 1970s refusing to be pigeon-holed? How outrageous. She was a champion swimmer, an advocate for women’s rights, the legalisation of marijuana, wages for house wives and contraceptive advice.
She was ahead of her time.
Her husband, now 95, said she was the love of his life.
‘‘She was a remarkable person and the love of my life,’’ he said.
‘‘We were married for almost 70 years. She encouraged and sustained me and our four children, their families and many other people in a life full of engagement with Australians from all walks of life.”
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said:
‘‘Margaret was an accomplished woman in her own right, with an abiding commitment to social issues, reflecting her own professional training, as well as a tireless advocate for the arts, the environment and women’s rights.”
She had been an inspiration to many women ‘‘to lead lives of greater ambition and purpose’’.
‘‘Through her own independent activism and advocacy, she also helped redefine the role of ’first lady’, giving it a new and deeper significance in the life of our nation,’’ Ms Gillard said.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said she was a trailblazer. ”Modern women have a lot to thank her for.”
Rather than us tell you what she was all about, let’s leave it to some of her more memorable quotes to do just that.
On politics
“I’m prepared to voice my own opinion, my own personal opinion on things, even if they’re political.
“What am I to do? Stay in a cage – wide open to view, of course – and say nothing? That’s not on, but if I can do some good I’ll certainly try.”
On being a Prime Minister’s wife
“If you say nothing you’re just dumb. If you talk, you’re too talkative.”
On her husband’s dismissal as Prime Minister
“He said something about he’d given him a note sacking him. I said, ‘Why didn’t you tear it up?’ he said ‘oh, I couldn’t do that’. Silly man, I’d have torn it up; who was to know he’d been given anything.”
On former PM John Howard’s wife Janette
“She is useless in terms of how little she really gives the community.
“She doesn’t even go to the old people’s homes that Howard visits. The only thing she goes to is big, public things.
“I fear she’s a steely woman. Never contributing anything else but a smile. Nor a grin – a grin indicates some sense of humour.”
On meeting her husband
“I do believe it was instant. I thought he was dreamy.”
On the younger wife of Sir William McMahon
“I’m a different age, a different shape and a different person. My main decoration is, I suppose, my conversation.”
On the media, in Britain
“Ask me an outrageous question and I’ll give you an outrageous answer.”
Comments
26 Comments so far
On the same day that the legendary Margaret died, we in the West, also lost a famous lady. Jaye Radasich, Dead at 36 from cancer. I quote from a Facebook post written by my friend, and her former staffer.
You’d think at my age I’d have stopped expecting the world to be fair, but today was a particularly hard one. Jaye Radisich, aged 12 days short of 36 years, died today of cancer. I worked for Jaye for much of the first decade of the 21st century. She was the youngest member ever elected to the Western Australian parliament, and despite her youth, took the job of member for Swan Hills very seriously. She was still at university completing a law degree when she stood for public office, and beat the incumbent by an impressive 9%. We used to joke that she could do her uni homework on the huge board table in the office she inherited when she landed the job. Jaye at once set to work finding out what the people who elected her wanted from their MP. The wish list varied in size and scope from a traffic light in Mundaring to a doctor for Ellenbrook to a new, safer bridge over the river at Middle Swan. Despite becoming ill with a rare cancer in her first term, Jaye managed to get most of the wishes done. From a hospital bed, with chemo dripping into her arm, she read government papers, drafted letters and supervised her office. She got better, and got back to the office and the legislative chamber . Mundaring got a traffic light. Ellenbrook got a doctor. The bridge project was a bigger ask, but work was moving towards that end when the next election came. Despite her electorate boundaries having been altered, and her theoretical margin shaved to a sliver, Jaye got out there and campaigned as if her soul depended on it, and was re-elected with a nearly 4% margin. She picked up all the projects that had been hanging fire and set about completing them. No letter ever left her office that she did not read and sign personally. Anyone who ever came through the office doors with a problem was taken seriously, and an answer found for them. Schools were built, roads improved, electrical supply upgraded and bridge plans approved. For a number of reasons (some of them forced upon her by people who should have known better) she decided not to contest the seat of Swan Hills again, and retired to pursue other projects. The cancer came back, but it looked like she’d beaten it again–but this was not the case, and after a valiant fight, she died today. I hope her partner and family take comfort from knowing that she did more in her short life than many others have done in twice that, and that she won’t be forgotten.
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“She was the love of my life” What a beautiful tribute from Gough *sniff*. What an amazing woman she was!
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Always thought of her as one of the greatest stateswomen we had in our history. Best prime ministers wife ever!!!
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Had the pleasure of meeting both Margaret and Gough last year. Both were delightful. Margaret was definitely the talker of the two. May she rest in peace.
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Oh you are so lucky!! I have no interest in famous celebs or meeting them. But she is someone I desperately would have loved to have met. And Gough obviously! I would prolly stand there all gobsmacked tho!
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I’m a huge fan of the Whitlams (the people AND the eponymous band!) and had the pleasure of meeting Gough and Margaret briefly on several occasions. At the Whitlam Oration in 2007, Margaret was happy to sign her biography for me, and it was lovely to see this couple in their 80s and 90s still make the time for their fans and for the ALP. I was also amazed that a lady in her 80s could hunch over on a cane and still be taller than me! She was so gracious to me, I wanted to cry meeting her and the big man.
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Amazing woman. Inspirational post. Thanks Mamamia.
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She was a spot on about Jeanette Howard. My family lived in the same street as the Howards for years (before & after he was PM) & Jeanette was a complete snob unless she wanted something from you. Vale Margaret Whitlam, what a woman
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Oh. This makes me sad. I’ve never really known much about Margaret Whitlam and now I’ve fallen in love with her. And it’s all too late.
Damn.
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I feel the exact same way, Bec!
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“My main decoration is, I suppose, my conversation.” Love that!
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We now live in a time were the way a women looks either overshadows or becomes her achievement in life. Margaret was a women lauded for her achievements.
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Great post about a fabulous, inspirational woman who clearly had a knack for pithy statements. Love the quote about her main decoration being her conversation. Australia truly has lost a national treasure.
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Great post. I didn’t know much about Margaret Whitlam until yesterday so it has been lovely to read. What an extraordinary woman!
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Thanks to Peta for posting that personal story – that must have been an amazing experience. And Rick – please post the rest of her comment after the dismissal, when she told Gough to slap the GG across the face and pull himself together!
Trust Tony Abbott to introduce negativity to the remembrance, interspersing comments about Margaret with criticisms of her husband’s government! So low and inappropriate …
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Sadly, those quotes just confirmed by long held suspicions of Janette Howard. I never really understood why Janette didn’t do more within her influential role in all the years Howard was in government. I always thought it was a wasted opportunity. But I suppose it was role that was forced on Janette through circumstance and that changes the expectations.
Margaret Whitlam sounds like a woman who really LIVED her 92 years on this planet. I love that Gough loved her fiery spirit and described her as the love of his life. It is that kind of committed love that I really respect and I wish I saw more of it.
“She was ahead of her time”. I feel like we always say that about women who are strong willed, fiesty, spirited, not scared to speak their mind in public, no matter the backlash.
I still don’t feel, that even born today, Margaret would have been born in to a time where women with strong personalities are celebrated or maybe even accepted just yet.
As a whole I feel that society, the media and our communities still have a long way to go to embrace women who really speak their mind without having to cut them down to size for daring to speak up about issues that challenge the status quo.
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Oh, I can just imagine how many women lived vicariously through Margaret’s travels and accomplishments, especially when Gough was in office. That quote brought tears to my eyes.
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What a cracker – she will be sadly missed
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The Whitlam’s are family friends, and we were all very sad to hear of Margaret’s passing. She was a wonderful woman, and a true national treasure. I loved reading some of her memorable quotes above.
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When Margaret’s bio was published in 2006, I was the book’s publicist, which involved a fairly rigorous national publicity and events tour with Margaret and Susan Mitchell, the book’s author. Margaret was an absolute gem. She had a wicked sense of humour and a wonderful glint in her eye. I’ll never forget knocking on her hotel room door and because she was expecting me, she cheerfully called out to invite me in. Imagine my surprise to find her perched on the loo with the bathroom door open! At the various Qantas lounges we find ourselves waiting in, Margaret was always encouraging me to “eat up!” and would approvingly say, “that’ll stick to your ribs!” as I ate something suitably decadent! She was always such good fun, and never interested in talking about herself – she always directed the focus of the conversation back to whoever she was talking to. When she asked about my parents and siblings, it felt like she genuinely cared about the answer. She seemed to find something fascinating in every person’s story, and did her utmost to make people feel at ease in her company. At the book launch event we held in which Kath and Kim launched the book, she was such a great sport. Laughing at herself was never a problem for Margaret! Even back then she found it hard to get around, and needed to hold onto someone as she walked in order to stay steady on her feet, but she never complained, even when she had every right to! Her family adored her and who could blame them. I’ve such fond memories of the time I spent with Margaret. The phrase ‘national treasure’ gets bandied around a lot, but Margaret undoubtedly falls into that category. She was one in a million. She’ll be fondly remembered by everyone whose path she crossed.
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So jealous of you right now
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Great encapsulation of a person and a life in a very short space. Well done to whoever put these words together, some of which brought a tear to my eye. Margaret Whitlam was an awesome person – in the true sense of the word.
PS: love her comments about Janette Howard and Sonia McMahon. And yes, the young Gough in his legal wig was very ‘dreamy’.
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Thanks! I could go on forever with Margaret quotes. She was so eloquent. I am rather distressed she is no longer with us.
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Oh please do! The more people who know about her the better. I absolutely adore her!
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I so agree with oliveblanche. More people should know about Margaret … she has been one of my heroes and I just adore her style
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