Bessie Frewin was born in Newcastle in 1892, the sixth child in a family of nine. She left school at 13 and went into domestic service. Her interest in politics and social justice began then and continued throughout her life.

She married George Henry Gibbons Frewin on 17 December 1919, in St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, and they had two daughters and two sons. They owned and ran a Ham and Beef shop in Lavender Bay until the land was resumed for the building of the Harbour Bridge. Later, they lived at Cammeray.
In her election pamphlet for the Council Election of 1948, Bessie Frewin stressed her long held beliefs in education, the abolition of slums, the provision of more parks and playgrounds and the preservation of the harbour waterfront for public use.

Sources used to compile this entry: Interview Yvonne Richardson, daughter, November 2004; Oral history interview with Bessie Paterson and Leah-Yvonne Richardson, by Lianne Hall, 29 September 1995, held Stanton Library, North Sydney, NSW.