Mrs Margaret Whitlam AO 1919-2012
Mrs Margaret Whitlam in July 2008
“What is there to say? We will miss her. We will miss her terribly,” was the first response from Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney and Whitlam Institute Board member, Professor Janice Reid.
“This University has had few better friends than Margaret Whitlam. I would like to convey my deepest sympathies to Gough and to the Whitlam family on behalf of the UWS community.”
The University of Western Sydney is home to the Whitlam Institute and its Prime Ministerial Library.
According to UWS Chancellor, Professor Peter Shergold, Margaret Whitlam will have an enduring legacy at UWS. “Margaret always showed a very personal interest in this University and we were so pleased when she accepted our request to establish the Margaret Whitlam Chair in Social Work.”
Prime Minister Julia Gillard with Mrs Margaret Whitlam at the Gough Whitlam Oration at the University of Western Sydney, 31 March 2011 (Photo: Sally Tsoutas)
In 1948 Mrs Whitlam graduated in Social Studies from The University of Sydney, and qualified as a Social Worker. She was employed as the sole social worker at Parramatta District Hospital from 1964 to 1967.
Senator John Faulkner, Chair of the Whitlam Institute and family friend, 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. She has been a most gracious friend and generous supporter of the Whitlam Institute and will always be remembered here at the Institute with the greatest fondness and warmth.”
More information is available from the Whitlam Institute.
Ends
17 March 2012
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