Eileen Furley
Encyclopedia
Mabel Eileen Furley OBE
, née Llewelyn (13 March 1900 – 20 September 1985) was the first woman to represent the Liberal Party
in the New South Wales Legislative Council
.
The only child of accountant Frederick John Griffith Llewelyn and Alice, née Thompson, Eileen was born in Mosman
and educated there and at Glebe Point, afterwards working as a secretary. She married salesman Norman William Furley on 14 February 1931 at Roseville
; they would be childless. She was officer-in-charge of sugar rationing in New South Wales from 1942 to 1945 and was also active in the Council for Women in War Work, the National Council of Women and the Food for Britain Fund, as well as superintendent of the Mosman National Emergency Services. She joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 1943 but, along with most of the LDP, joined the Liberal Party
in 1945.
Furley was elected female vice-president of the federal Liberal Party in 1949 and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1954. She was chairman of the Liberals' Migrant Advisory Council from 1956 to 1976. In 1961, Furley defeated Senator John McCallum
for the third spot on the Coalition
's New South Wales Senate
ticket but was defeated; the following year she was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the New South Wales Legislative Council
. In the Council she fought against a perception among her colleagues that she was a token thrust upon them by their lower house colleagues, embarrassed by the lack of Liberal women in politics. She would retire voluntarily in 1976.
In 1948 Furley had opposed a ban on the Communist Party
, but in the 1960s she chaired an anti-communist committee dedicated to "exposing" the New South Wales Teachers' Federation. She devoted most of her energy to fighting "the deterioration of morals and behaviour of young people", advocating the teaching of sex education
as part of "the training of the whole personality", which the Sydney Morning Herald argued could not halt the advances of permissiveness. Furley died in 1985 at Mosman and was cremated.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, née Llewelyn (13 March 1900 – 20 September 1985) was the first woman to represent the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
in the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
.
The only child of accountant Frederick John Griffith Llewelyn and Alice, née Thompson, Eileen was born in Mosman
Mosman, New South Wales
Mosman is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Mosman is located 8 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the Municipality of Mosman.-Localities:In February...
and educated there and at Glebe Point, afterwards working as a secretary. She married salesman Norman William Furley on 14 February 1931 at Roseville
Roseville, New South Wales
Roseville is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Roseville is located north-west of the Sydney central business district and sits across the local government areas of Ku-ring-gai and Willoughby...
; they would be childless. She was officer-in-charge of sugar rationing in New South Wales from 1942 to 1945 and was also active in the Council for Women in War Work, the National Council of Women and the Food for Britain Fund, as well as superintendent of the Mosman National Emergency Services. She joined the Liberal Democratic Party in 1943 but, along with most of the LDP, joined the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
in 1945.
Furley was elected female vice-president of the federal Liberal Party in 1949 and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1954. She was chairman of the Liberals' Migrant Advisory Council from 1956 to 1976. In 1961, Furley defeated Senator John McCallum
John McCallum (Australian politician)
John Archibald McCallum was an Australian politician. Born in Mittagong, New South Wales, he was educated at Sydney High School, Sydney Teachers College and the University of Sydney before becoming a teacher. He served in the military 1916-1918 and returned to become a history lecturer and...
for the third spot on the Coalition
Coalition (Australia)
The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a group of centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922...
's New South Wales Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
ticket but was defeated; the following year she was appointed to fill a casual vacancy in the New South Wales Legislative Council
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
. In the Council she fought against a perception among her colleagues that she was a token thrust upon them by their lower house colleagues, embarrassed by the lack of Liberal women in politics. She would retire voluntarily in 1976.
In 1948 Furley had opposed a ban on the Communist Party
Communist Party of Australia
The Communist Party of Australia was founded in 1920 and dissolved in 1991; it was succeeded by the Socialist Party of Australia, which then renamed itself, becoming the current Communist Party of Australia. The CPA achieved its greatest political strength in the 1940s and faced an attempted...
, but in the 1960s she chaired an anti-communist committee dedicated to "exposing" the New South Wales Teachers' Federation. She devoted most of her energy to fighting "the deterioration of morals and behaviour of young people", advocating the teaching of sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
as part of "the training of the whole personality", which the Sydney Morning Herald argued could not halt the advances of permissiveness. Furley died in 1985 at Mosman and was cremated.