Ballarat MP pays tribute to former PM’s wife

FRIENDS and family of Australian icon Margaret Whitlam farewelled her at a private funeral in Sydney on Friday.

Ballarat MP Catherine King was among mourners who paid tribute to the wife of the former prime minister, Gough Whitlam, who died a week ago at the age of 92.

Alongside Prime Minister Julia Gillard and four previous prime ministers and their spouses, Ms King recognised the contribution to Australian society Mrs Whitlam made during the music-filled farewell to her.

Ms King said she wanted to say goodbye to Mrs Whitlam on behalf of the electorate and people of Ballarat.

“I know Margaret Whitlam and her husband, the former Prime Minister, always had great interest in and respect for the tradition of Eureka and a special place in their thoughts for Ballarat,” Ms King said.

“Mrs Whitlam made a number of visits to the city and region, demonstrating her great interest in our history and culture.”

On a recent visit to Ballarat, Mrs Whitlam included a brief stop at the bust of her husband in the Avenue of the Prime Ministers in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

Decades earlier, Mr and Mrs Whitlam visited Sturt Street’s Eureka Pizza for a meal with Mrs Whitlam signing a print in the restaurant.

It hangs on the wall to this day, with the inscription “Margaret Whitlam, November 1974’’.

“Her visits are symbolic of her life-long commitment to the important artistic, cultural and historical elements, not only in this region, but across the nation as a whole,” Ms King said.

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