Gibson, Margaret

Margaret Gibson ran theCentral Queensland News for nearly twenty years in the 1960s and 70s. Established by her mother in 1937, who convinced some local businessmen that they should become shareholders and help her to purchase the Leichhardt Weekly (to be renamed the Central Queensland News), Gibson took over the running of the paper when her mother became ill in 1963. She was the first woman to be elected President and life member of of the Queensland Country Press Association in 1978/79.

Like her mother before her, Margaret Gibson was an enterprising woman who was very much involved in community affairs in Emerald, where she lived. She became the first woman to be a member of the Emerald Shire Council, serving from 1970-1979. As deputy chair of the council from 1973-79 she represented the shire at regional and state government conferences. She was very influential in the Emerald Arts Council Committee and was foundation president of the Emerald Pioneer Cottage.

Events

c. 1960 - c. 1980	Career in journalism active
1980	MBE for services to the community

Australian Women Exhibitions

• Faith, Hope and Charity Australian Women and Imperial Honours: 1901-1989, Australian Women's Archives Project, March 2003, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/honours.html. [ Details... ]
• The Women's Pages: Australian Women and Journalism since 1850, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2008, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/cal/cal-home.html. [ Details... ]

Online Resources

• Johansen, Grace, 'Women in Central Queensland: A study of three coastal centres 1940-1965', Thesis, Central Queensland University, 2002, http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au/thesis/adt-QCQU/public
  /adt-QCQU20060921.120038/index.html. [ Details... ]