By Jed Lanyon
Former state MP, the Honourable Rosemary Varty has been awarded with an Order of Australia Medal for her service to the community and the sport of lawn bowls.
The Seville resident served as state MP for the former Nunawading province from 1985-1992 and then for the former Silvan province from 1992-1999. In this time, Ms Varty was shadow cabinet secretary and then parliamentary secretary of cabinet (PSOC).
Her role as PSOC saw her lead a group to bring cabinet and legislative process from the 18th century to the 20th century by introducing electronic processing to parliament and the legislation document management system.
Ms Varty made a spectacular entrance into state politics when her crucial election ballot resulted in a tie vote.
“The 1985 one was unusual in that it was a tied vote and we had to go to the court of disputed returns and it was declared null and void, so there was a fresh election.
“The thing about it was, it was the seat that decided who could control the upper house and it became a fairly critical seat. So anything after that was relatively easy.”
Prior to her stint as a state MP, Ms Varty served as a councillor for the city of Box Hill (now Whitehorse Council).
Ms Varty grew up locally, attending Seville Primary School in 1939-1944 and Lilydale Higher Elementary School (now Lilydale High School) in 1945-1949.
She said she enjoyed playing sports and served as a director and president of Bowls Victoria, where she orchestrated the merging of the Victorian Lawn Bowls Association and the Royal Victorian Lawn Bowls Association into the single state organisation.
She also served as an official for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games for the sport of fencing.
“It was the first use of the electronic tips on the end of the foils,” she said.
“It was fantastic, there were people who came from all over the world… The most wonderful part of that was the opening ceremony. Because all the officials were at the MCG, and to see Ron Clarke run in with the flame, around the track that had been installed there, up the steps and stand up the top to light the cauldron. That was the most fantastic thing, I can still see it as plain as plain, because it was a beautiful day.”
Ms Varty has had a tremendous impact within the Yarra Valley community in helping design Healesville Hospital’s sanctuary garden and worked to establish the committee that brought in the concept of the Water Play Park to replace the Seville pool.
She said recognition for the community work should have gone to the volunteers involved in the projects locally.
“If I was able to help them, then that’s good. But they’re the ones who really do the work, they’re the ones who really should be getting the honours.”
From 1999-2018 Ms Varty was a member of the Mont De Lancey Historical Trust and worked as a guide and board member.
“I enjoyed being able to show people around. It’s an encapsulation of about ten years in the life of the local community. Being able to explain to people what happened, I always got a lot of pleasure doing that.”
Ms Varty now lives on her great-grandfather’s farm in Seville, a 150 year old property where she grew up.
“When I was a youngster, girls weren’t allowed to be farmers. The farm was for the boys but my niece now owns the farm.
“When I was married I had to move away from the farm… I came back to live in Seville in 1993 and back here (on the farm) for 11 years. I never wanted to go away from here, but that’s the way it was in those days.
“It’s a lovely part of the world. There’s no place like the Yarra Valley.”
