Bishop, Mrs L.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:28): I rise today to remember the life of Mrs Lenora Bishop, whose ceremony was held on 16 September 2015. Mrs Lenora Bishop was born on 16 May 1919 to parents Lindsay Rupert Wilson and Elizabeth Wilson. She was educated at Umpherston Ladies' College and later at St Joseph's College. Mrs Lenora Bishop was Mount Gambier's first female mayor and, unknown to her at the time, South Australia's first female mayor. She was interested in medicine but, like many in the country, did not have the financial opportunity to attend university, I am sad to say a plight that still applies today.

Mrs Bishop's first job was at the District Council of Mount Gambier, and later she was secretary at the legal firm of Mr W.E. Pyne. Mrs Bishop became one of the first four women tellers in South Australia for the National Bank. As part of her training, she was taught to shoot, and practised this regularly. It is fortunate to report that she was never called upon to use her shooting skills. She was also the first female reporter for TheBorder Watch newspaper, where she attended many council meetings which gave her insight into local government procedures.

In 1941, Mrs Bishop married Roy Gilbert Bishop and had three children: Judith, Phillip and Steven. In 1959, she was approached to stand as a councillor for the north-east ward of the Mount Gambier City Council and became the second woman to serve on our council. Of course, five years later, as I previously mentioned, she was elected mayor and went on to become the first (and coincidentally the only) female mayor in Mount Gambier but also in the state of South Australia.

During her time in office, Mrs Bishop was a visionary. She saw the need to plan not just for the present, but for the future, 10 to 50 years ahead. This resulted in land being purchased for recreation purposes, which we still enjoy today. Of note is the Blue Lake Sports Park, which is a sporting complex comprising many sports. Football, netball, hockey, cricket, baseball and softball are all played at the park, and even cycling and horse show jumping are enjoyed there. She was a strong advocate of beautifying the city and the lakes precinct by implementing the planting of numerous trees around the street and lakes area.

Mrs Bishop also established the following: the first public library in Mount Gambier, Heritage Industries (which is a sheltered workshop for people with disabilities) and the senior citizens club, as well as opening Mount Gambier's very own television station, SES8. Many of these things, in their time, were pioneering to say the least.

Lenora had no secretarial support as mayor and had to write all her own speeches and deal with all her own correspondence. She drove to most mayoral functions in her favourite blue Mini Minor. After three years, she retired as mayor in 1967, receiving a standing ovation for her achievements. She later returned in 1972 and was elected the first female alderman on Mount Gambier City Council, a position she held for two years. Mrs Bishop was also the founding president of the Women's Probus Club of the South-East, and in 1990 she was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to local government and the community.

I stand here today to pay my respects to a true visionary and a true Mount Gambier stalwart. Vale, Mrs Lenora Bishop.