Fond memories of first lady
FORMER Australian first lady, the late Margaret Whitlam, once gave an hour of her time to serve customers at a Jewish-owned knitwear shop in Bondi, Sydney.
FORMER Australian first lady, the late Margaret Whitlam, once gave an hour of her time to serve customers at a Jewish-owned knitwear shop in Bondi, Sydney.
The wife of former prime minister Gough Whitlam, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 92, was a regular customer at Surfknit, owned by Eugene and Herta Foltyn.
Son Peter Foltyn recalls his late father telling how the first lady came in for a fitting on a busy day when he was working alone in the shop.
“On seeing that my father was very busy and on his own, she immediately told her driver to go away and come back for her in an hour so she could help dad out in the shop,” he said.
“Many ladies that day were served by a prime minister’s wife.”
Foltyn told The AJN that while he was sad on hearing of Mrs Whitlam’s passing, it brought back positive memories of her, and her demeanour and attitude towards migrants.
“Because my parents were post-war immigrants from Europe, to have somebody like that treat them in such a positive manner was wonderful for them,” he said.
He recalled his father, who went blind in his 80s, being so inspired that he joined the Labor Party at the age of 83.
In the wake of Mrs Whitlam’s death, tributes came in from Jewish MPs on both sides of the political divide.
Labor member for Isaacs Mark Dreyfus praised Mrs Whitlam’s contribution to gender equality in a speech to Parliament on Tuesday. “She was a central figure in creating momentum for the women’s movement and giving heart to millions of Australians working hard to dismantle the barriers of gender inequality,” he said.
Liberal MP for Kooyong Josh Frydenberg said she left “an indelible mark” on Australian society.
“She may have been married to a prime minister, but she was a significant figure in her own right, contributing selflessly to so many charitable causes and being an effective ambassador for our country,” he said.
“She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry executive director Peter Wertheim said Whitlam would be remembered as a remarkable and accomplished figure.
“As a young swimmer she competed successfully at the Empire Games in 1938 and later went on to become a public advocate for social justice and women’s rights,” he said.
“At a time when women were generally expected to confine themselves to the traditional roles of a wife and a mother, she managed to combine those roles with her careers as a journalist and social worker, and did so with memorable courage and humour.”
GARETH NARUNSKY
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