Mayor Jessie Margaret Scott, 1976.
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GOLD MUSEUM (SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUM ASSOCIATION), BALLARAT.
Next door to the mayor’s office is the Jessie Scott Room. It is named after Ballarat’s first female mayor, Jessie Margaret Scott. She was elected mayor in 1976, after 120 years of male mayors. This was the room that Jessie used as her office. Today, it is used by councillors and other City of Ballarat staff as a meeting room.
Jessie’s experience with local government began when her husband Gordon Scott was elected mayor of Ballarat in 1958.1
She had been a member of the council for six years before she became mayor and served a total of 11 years as a councillor.
Jessie’s acceptance speech as mayor was very modest, describing herself as ‘only a housewife who will aim to understand all points of view’.2 Yet she quickly proved herself as a strong-willed, hard-working supporter of local government. As a councillor and mayor, Jessie was highly outspoken and challenged expectations.
Jessie Scott rides a bike at Victoria Park.
IMAGE COURTESY OF THE GOLD MUSEUM (SOVEREIGN HILL MUSEUM ASSOCIATION), BALLARAT.
Jessie was a strong community worker and admirable leader. During her time as mayor, she oversaw a great deal of change and was not always supported on all sides. One of her major achievements was the enhancement of the western end of Sturt Street. She argued strongly that roses should be planted at the entrance to the city, a surprisingly controversial campaign that was dubbed the ‘War of the Roses’. While not everyone approved, in the end Jessie succeeded.3
Jessie continued to play an active role in her community even after she retired from council in 1981.
She was a founding member of the Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens, the first female president of the Begonia Festival Committee, the first woman on the Ballarat Water Commission and Sewerage Authority and a life member of the Ballarat Horticultural Society.4 In 1978, Jessie was made a member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her civic achievements.
Jessie set a high bar for those who followed after her. Other women mayors of Ballarat have included Wanda Chapman from 1988 to 1989, Vashti Lloyd from 1990 to 1991, Judy Verlin from 2008 to 2009 and Samantha McIntosh in 2016.
REFERENCES
[1] ‘First lady mayor dies’, The Courier, 5 July 2004, www.thecourier.com.au/story/579808/first-lady-mayor-dies/, accessed 12 June 2018.
[2] ‘First lady mayor dies’, The Courier, 5 July 2004, www.thecourier.com.au/story/579808/first-lady-mayor-dies/, accessed 12 June 2018.
[3] ‘Honouring the unforgettable Jessie Scott’, The Courier, 6 July 2004, www.thecourier.com.au/story/580870/honouring-the-unforgettable-jessie-scott/, accessed 12 June 2018.
[4] ‘Honouring the unforgettable Jessie Scott’, The Courier, 6 July 2004, www.thecourier.com.au/story/580870/honouring-the-unforgettable-jessie-scott/, accessed 12 June 2018.