Margaret Henry

Margaret Henry (25 July 1934 – 9 September 2015) was an Australian community activist and local government politician.

Early life Born Helen Margaret on 25 July 1934, she was the youngest of three children, having two older sisters. Her parents were Miriam Dora Groth and William Gardner. a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

Education Henry went to Newcastle Girls High (now Newcastle High). She was awarded Dux at Newcastle Girls High in 1951

Community advocacy In 1980 Henry joined the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and the Hunter Regional Committee of the National Trust After the 1989 Newcastle Earthquake she established the Citizen's Earthquake Action Group which was set up to save culturally significant buildings that were damaged in the earthquake including Royal Newcastle Hospital North Wing and Wheeler House. In 1992 Henry was a founding member of Save Our Rail Inc.

After her death she was fondly acknowledged by many in the wider community, including tributes from David Shoebridge and Leah Rhiannon and others.

In 2018 the annual Margaret Henry Memorial Lecture was established, with the first lecture given by Marcus Westbury. In 2019 Wendy McCarthy AO, a prominent businesswoman, feminist activist and educator delivered the lecture.

Political career In 1968 she joined the Labor Party until 1988. and in 2016 received posthumously the Freeman of the City of Newcastle on Australia Day.

Personal life In 1958 she married Brian Henry. She lived in the United Kingdom for one year teaching secondary students in Manchester area before returning to Newcastle in 1962. She had three children: David born in 1964, Alison born in 1962 and Catherine born in 1960. In 1984 she divorced her husband Brian. On 9 September 2015 she died of pancreatic cancer.