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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-28 Daily Xml
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Mary, Lady Downer

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:03): I am grateful to have the call today: the 106th anniversary of the Grille protests at Westminster gives me the opportunity to speak about Muriel Matters, the heroine that night, and another famous South Australian-born woman who spent many years in London and was significant in many ways, but especially to the Muriel Matters Society, as its first life member.

News of the sudden death of Mary, Lady Downer, on 14 October reached me almost straight after the news broke, and the sad loss of our esteemed life member is felt by all in the Muriel Matters Society. For Mary's life story is entwined in Muriel's history because one of Mary's brothers was married to Faye Matters, the earliest collector of Muriel's history, whose work has made it possible to restore Muriel to her rightful place in history. Mary very kindly gave the society early encouragement and support, and I am grateful to Jane Lomax-Smith and Elizabeth Thomas for alerting me to Mary's important connection to Faye, who I never met, because she passed away a few weeks before I knew of her association with Mary.

Mary took part in the Muriel Matters Society's very first TV interview with Ian Henschke on the 7.30 Report, and was the special guest at an event held in Rundle Mall where she was interviewed by Pat Mickan for our first balloon commemoration in 2009. Her recent back operation did not stop her attending the inaugural Muriel Matters Society life members' lunch in June this year, and I am particularly grateful for the happy time that we all shared with her before what was to be her final trip to London.

Mary Isobel Gosse was, as Paul Starick wrote in The Advertiser on 16 October '…a member of the closest South Australia comes to aristocracy.' She was born on 13 December 1924. Her father, Sir James Gosse, was a successful businessman with links to Adelaide Steamship Co. Ltd., the Bank of Adelaide and the Norwood Football Club. Her great-great grandfather was Robert Barr-Smith, a legendary philanthropist and joint partner in Elder Smith & Co.

Mary attended Seymour College between 1936 and 1942 when it was known as Presbyterian Girls' College. When the time came, like her brothers, Mary enlisted. She was 18 when she joined the Searchlight Battalion and became a truck driver in Western Australia. In July 1946 she met her future husband at a cocktail party in the marvellous building that was the South Australian Hotel. According to Alick Downer in his book, The Downers of South Australia, published by Wakefield Press, he knew 'instantaneously she seemed different from any girl I had ever met', and in December that year, three days after her 22nd birthday, they became engaged. Sir Alick went on to say in the following paragraph, 'And we lived happily ever after.'

Later in the book I was interested to learn that in Scotland, in September 1965, Mary launched HMAS Oxley, the first of the Oberon-class submarines built for the Royal Australian Navy. Submarines remain an issue of interest to all South Australians to this very day. Mary also launched the first of the express container ships for the Australian trade. She named the Encounter Bay in 1968. Perhaps this explains Mary's interest in navigable craft.

Mary spent her life doing good works and supporting her much-loved family and was tireless in her enthusiasm and support. I quote again from the book where Sir Alick said:

Three of our four children were born in election years; the youngest, Una, was conceived in another. Despite our increasing family, and their extreme youthfulness, Mary gave me unstinting support both in the constituency and in Canberra. Her easy manner, personal charm, ability to mix readily with every section of the community, assisted me, and the Liberal Party, in ways which can never be sufficiently applauded. She also emerged as a frank and honest critic of my endeavours, a difficult but necessary role for a wife to play in the advancement of her husband's career. Twenty-five years later, she was to be acclaimed by a leading British Labor Cabinet Minister as the most outstanding diplomat's wife in London.

Catherine Murphy from the Mary Potter Foundation acknowledges Mary Downer's contribution as an active patron from 1994 and tells us that she would often tour the hospice and speak with staff and patients. She was a generous supporter and sponsor of race day each year from 2000. Mary was also the primary patron of the Barossa Valley music festival until its final festival in 2005.

Mary's life motto has been quoted as 'Do your best...and enjoy.' I quote from a 2008 article in Barossa Living where Mary said:

It's most important to have a sense of humour. It's a great mistake to take oneself too seriously. Alexander shares my quirky sense of humour. Unfortunately, it has proved on several occasions to get him into trouble—a fact which he is keen to point out is all my fault.

In the later part of her life I am sure she was living this motto. She was visiting her son, Alexander, in London in his current role as High Commissioner, with history turning full circle by the time of her death as her husband had been High Commissioner between 1964 and 1972 after his service in the House of Representatives, commencing in 1950. Mary became Lady Downer in 1965 when her husband was knighted.

In their time in London they were part of the expat community, and I am told Mary established the Chicken and Chablis Club. She was cremated in the UK, as was Muriel Matters, but not at Hastings—rather, at the Mortlake Crematorium on 22 October after a service officiated by the Dean of Westminster.

Mary will be remembered tonight by members of the Muriel Matters Society as we gather to commemorate Muriel becoming the first woman to speak in the House of Commons. Mary Downer will continue to be remembered well into the future by all who knew her, and particularly by her extended family to whom we send our sincere condolences at this very sad time.

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