Freda Whitlam is best known for her work as the principal of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, at Croydon in inner-west Sydney, where she worked for 18 years.
14 Facts About Freda Whitlam
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Whitlam was born in Mosman on 11 September 1920 and was the sister of Gough Whitlam who became Prime Minister of Australia.
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Freda Whitlam's father Fred Whitlam became Australian Crown Solicitor in December 1936.
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Freda Whitlam went on to teach French in Canberra and learned Latin and Esperanto.
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Freda Whitlam earned her master's degree there in 1955 and then went on to take further studies at London University.
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Freda Whitlam became the new principal of the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Croydon starting in 1958.
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Freda Whitlam resigned from the school in 1976, citing political issues between herself and the school's council as the reason for her early retirement.
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Freda Whitlam took part in the movement to form the Uniting Church and thus ended her principalship of the school.
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Freda Whitlam was appointed moderator of the New South Wales Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia in 1985 and served in that role until 1986.
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Freda Whitlam was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 1987 Australia Day Honours for "service to education and to the community".
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Freda Whitlam was involved in drug reform in 1993, where she signed onto a charter to abolish criminal sanctions for personal illegal drug use.
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In 1999, Freda Whitlam was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from the University of Western Sydney.
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Freda Whitlam continued to teach Latin well into her nineties.
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Freda Whitlam died in a nursing home in Penrith on 30 May 2018.