Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Enid Alison Dowling OBE, BEc died on 18 February at the age of 94. She was late of Toowoomba and formerly of Tara in southern Queensland. She was born in Sydney in 1912. Her mother died when she was only three years of age. Her distraught father threw himself into work, travelling overseas extensively. Enid and her elder sister and younger brother were brought up through those important formative years mostly by nannies and housemaids. After a couple of years, her father remarried, and a modicum of family life resumed.

Enid had an interesting childhood. Her family lived right on the harbour and she often watched the sailing clippers, with their loads of wheat and wool, coming in and out through the heads. She saw Major De Groot cut the ribbon at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And she was a keen sailor, spending many Sundays on the harbour with her brother, Bill.

Because her father felt it was important for girls to have a full education, Enid attended Sydney university and obtained a degree in economics. It was not easy. She did secretarial work during the day and attended lectures and studied at night. Those were the Depression days, so she often could not get time off from her work to sit for exams. She would therefore resign from that job and find another job after the exams.

In 1938 she married Ron, and this brought about a major change in her life. All she had known was Sydney—she had been born, raised and educated there and she had worked there—and suddenly she was a farmer’s wife in central western New South Wales, but she never completely accepted the role of a farmer’s wife.

Enid was a superb organiser. She started the Gumble CWA, in which she was active right up until the end, some 60 years later. After the family moved to Tara in southern Queensland, she became active on the Tara hospital board auxiliary.

In 1950 Enid and her children, Bill and Alison, moved to Queensland, which, according to her family, was a bit of a culture shock for her. At her funeral, her son related a story to demonstrate just what Enid faced. Soon after arriving in Queensland, a neighbour called to say that they had seen a dingo on the family’s back boundary, and so a dingo drive was organised. The assembly point was the homestead. Half-a-dozen men duly arrived, discussed their tactics and then set off. Enid thought they would like a cup of tea when they returned, so she pulled out her best china and the silver teapot and made sandwiches, which she arranged on a silver server. When the hunters returned, she offered them a cup of tea, and one said: ‘If you don’t mind, Mrs Dowling, we would rather have a rum.’ So this Sydney girl’s education moved on apace.

Enid had a lively intelligence and was always interested in politics. Queensland politics was going through some dynamic changes at the time, and it was not surprising that she joined the Country Party. After years in the political darkness, the coalition finally won government in 1957. It was an exciting time for country people, who finally felt they had a voice. This created an opportunity for Enid to embrace the momentum and help in the formation of the Young Country Party, which Margaret Lawrie had started at about the same time. Enid went on to succeed Margaret Lawrie as its supervisor and led the youth of the Country Party into its golden era.

At this stage she started to reach her life’s fulfilment. She was dealing with young people in a political atmosphere and she seemed to have a wonderful rapport with them. She would talk freely about her hopes and also about their hopes, their disappointments and their political aspirations. Several of her proteges went on to become members of parliament, including many cabinet ministers and even a premier, and me.

She travelled extensively through the state to conferences, meetings and rallies and was greeted affectionately as Mrs D—right up until her death, she was known to us all as Mrs D. I attended those rallies, and she would throw open her home. We would see the captains of industry and state and federal cabinet ministers who had come to talk to young people aged from around 16 to 24. It was quite revolutionary in those days, and we got a great grounding.

In 1977 she was awarded the OBE, and I quote a section from her citation:

Mrs Dowling has been unsparing of her time and talents and numerous worthy bodies have benefited from her drive and enthusiasm in the cause of rural women.

In extending sympathy to Bill, Penny and Alison, let me say that this was a life well lived.