Beryl Beaurepaire

Beryl Beaurepaire was a founding member of the Liberal Party of Australia, and a close ally of Malcolm Fraser's. She played a key role in the Liberal Party across three decades, using her political influence to promote social change for women. A proud feminist, she worked to promote equality and opportunity for women in political life, in the workplace, in organisations and in the community. This often put her in conflict with members of her own side of politics. Thwarted in her ambition to take a place in the family company, Beryl served in the women. s air force in the Second World War. With marriage and the demands of a young family, she found release in community and charitable work, which led Robert Menzies and Henry Bolte to involve her in the Liberal Party at the executive level. They could hardly have foreseen how she would exploit her growing political influence. This book includes many photographs, among them fascinating pictures from her family album, and was written with unrestricted access to Beryl. s voluminous papers, as well as with the help of many of the key figures in her public and family life. This is the remarkable portrait of an influential woman: establishment yet reformist, a staunch individualist who also carefully cultivated a network of powerful contacts.