South Australia’s first female Labor Senator Rosemary Crowley remembered in State Memorial service
The long-time politician was the first South Australian woman to be elected a Labor Senator, and was instrumental in paving the way for greater representation.
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Trailblazing Senator Dr Rosemary Crowley AO was honoured by friends, family, and parliamentary colleagues in a state memorial service on Saturday, after her passing on March 1st at the age of 86.
The service, officiated by Senator Penny Wong and attended by dignitaries including Premier Peter Malinauskas and former Australian Democrats Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, took place at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Hall.
Senator Wong began the service with a tribute to her friend and mentor, praising her tireless advocacy for women and naming her as “amongst the most consequential legislators ever to represent South Australia”.
“She was one of those people who truly lived her values, with all the boldness and courage it demands to beat down doors, and the humility, humour and perseverance that’s demanded when doors sometimes slam in your face,” Senator Wong said.
“She was a mentor to me and to many others.”
“She saw innate value in everyone, she believed in humanity and in human potential.”
Senator Wong said Dr Crowley was one of a “great generation of women that forged the way”.
“She never let up in the pursuit of a more equitable and a more just society,” she said.
“Australia is a better place for Rosemary.”
Dr Crowley’s children and grandchildren took the stage, reading poems and delivering moving tributes to their mother and grandmother.
“We were and are so proud of her, for what she was able to get done and the people she was able to help,” son Vincent Crowley said.
“I think it's fair to say that she was a passionate woman, with lots of passions.”
“She loved art, theatre, opera, dance, and dancing, sometimes on the tables of the Senate from what I’ve been told.”
“She loved people, not all people all of the time, but lots of people, lots of the time.”
“She loved her friends, she loved her family, and she loved her grandkids.”
Dr Rosemary Crowley AO was born in 1938, and practised as a doctor before joining parliament as a Senator for South Australia in 1983, becoming the first Labor woman from SA to go to Canberra.
While in parliament, she was an advocate for inclusivity, and was a key organiser in the annual International Women’s Day Breakfast.
She became a minister in the Keating government in 1993, serving as Minister for Family Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women.
After her retirement from the Senate in 2002, she continued to be an active member of the Labor Party, and was awarded an Order of Australia in 2015 for her work as a parliamentarian and her advocacy for women.
On her passing, Peter Malinauskas called her a “tireless advocate for social justice, women’s rights, and progressive reform”.
Rosemary Crowley is survived by her three sons, Stephen, Vincent, and Diarmuid, and her two grandchildren.
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Originally published as South Australia’s first female Labor Senator Rosemary Crowley remembered in State Memorial service
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