Alex Hawke (Mitchell, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to acknowledge the passing of a former Baulkham Hills Shire mayor and councillor and long-time resident of the Hills district, Peggy Womersley, on 16 January after a long and protracted struggle with illness. Peggy was an outstanding contributor to the growth and development of our district not only through her stint on council and as mayor but also within our local small business community in the Hills.

A pharmacist by profession, Peggy opened a store at the Kingsdene shops on Felton Road, Carlingford, before expanding into much larger premises at Westfield North Rocks. When I was growing up in Carlingford as a youngster, my family and I were frequent visitors to Peggy’s chemist shop, and I can distinctly remember the personal level of care and attention that she delivered to our community. She was a very successful small business woman because of her ability with people. She will be greatly missed throughout the communities of North Rocks and Carlingford, where she served the community with distinction for so many years, and her successful small business enterprises, pharmacies, continue to flourish in those communities.

Peggy, together with her husband, Noel, and children, Jan, Roger and Sue, first moved into Carlingford in 1967 before moving to North Rocks in 1986. She was elected to represent the residents of East Ward and the former D Riding for three terms, from 1987 to 1999. During this time, Peggy held the office of shire president and mayor for three years, in 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94. She later went on to serve as the shire’s deputy mayor for a further three years, in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.

In December last year, the Baulkham Hills Shire Council moved to thank and acknowledge Peggy’s fine contribution to our community by naming a local reserve in her honour. I am very happy to say that the local oval near where I grew up, a few hundred metres down the road from my family home, Carlingford’s Kingsdene Oval, is now known as the Peggy Womersley Reserve. This reserve is located just a stone’s throw from her former pharmacy and, indeed, is an appropriate and much welcomed development in our community.

Peggy was a much loved community advocate who was always held in high esteem by the residents of Carlingford and North Rocks. She was at one time a state political candidate after the demise of Tony Packard and, in a field of 25 candidates, she missed out by a single vote. Our state, New South Wales, was the poorer for the lack of her experience in small business and her ability with people. It was a great privilege to attend the thanksgiving service held in honour of her diverse and varied life on 22 January. At the service donations were made to the Peggy Womersley Westmead Medical Research Foundation, raising significant funds for research.

Today I want to record that Peggy was a great woman and an outstanding contributor to the Hills community. She will be sadly missed by her family and those who had the honour of working with her, but her legacy will continue, her small businesses will continue to flourish and her family are making a great contribution to the Hills community.

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