Miss Gertrude Richardson: Taree’s first female mayor

At a meeting on 15 December 1947, Miss Richardson was elected Mayor of Taree Municipal Council.¹

Gertrude Annie Richardson was born on Dumaresq Island in 1896 and was schooled locally before undertaking business training in Sydney. She then found employment in the office of solicitor David Cowan in Taree, before moving to Forbes to work for Mr R S Hawkins, returning when Hawkins opened an office in Taree. She was later associated with Redman and Lee, auctioneers and valuers.²

As Mayor she was forward thinking and advocated forcefully for Taree. It was during her leadership that significant works were undertaken including the public swimming pool off River Street, a day nursery in Taree Park, preparatory works for a town planning scheme and the promotion of a tree planting programme.³ Under her stewardship the 1949 Bluett Award for most progressive Council was awarded to Taree.⁴

Gertrude, a self-described law clerk, lived at 24 Boyce Street, Taree, a home she shared with her widowed sister, Mrs L R Lee⁵ and it was here, on the morning of 25 July 1950 that she suffered a stroke which led to her death in the Mayo Hospital later that day.

She died while still in office and is buried in the Dawson River Cemetery.⁶

Author: Penny Teerman