By Leigh Reinhold
Pictures: Andrew Jacob
National treasure Margaret Whitlam wrote a lively column for
Woman's Day when she was jet-setting the world as wife of Gough, our Prime Minister from 1972 until 1975.
Whether she was dancing with Imelda Marcos or dining with the Queen the reader was always given a different insight into the world of international politics when Margaret had her say.
You met many members of royalty and political dignitaries when you were the prime minister's wife from 1972-75. What about the former first lady of the Philippines, the inimitable Imelda Marcos?
Poor old Imelda. She was a bit of a trial, from the very beginning. She used to have these soirees before dinner. She'd ask you to dinner and beforehand she'd have her time at the piano and she'd have her favourite song playing and she'd be singing. Gough had been there during the war, so we went and stayed with her there.
And on another occasion we went out on the Presidential yacht and she'd get her sunset moves happening. We had dancing on the deck and she would come and pluck some young man out of the guests and say, "Come, we will dance". I remember Imelda picking up one young man who was absolutely flabbergasted but he managed very well, and of course, she was floating handkerchiefs as she danced.
What was Ferdinand doing?
I think he was doing the best he could!
Why do you think Woman's Day has been so successful for 60 years?
Probably because it has maintained the content that it promised and that it still promises. A lot of people sneer about having a section on cooking and a section on the latest fashions for mums to wear but people who read those sections just love it. I think that
Woman's Day can be congratulated on sustaining its role. It's a friend to a lot of people, it's never pretentious and doesn't offer things that it can't deliver — it's an honest magazine. I have an affection for the magazine and I was proud to work for it. It didn't hurt me. And I don't think I hurt it at the time.
Return to the Woman's Day 1970s page 
