Léonie Ebert

Léonie Ebert (1937-), educator and advocate, was a City of Adelaide Councillor from 1997-1998 where she initiated the Youth Ambassadors Program. Formerly a teacher and principal, in 1982-1983 she became the first woman President of the South Australian Institute of Teachers (SAIT), now the Australian Education Union, and was founding Chair of the SAIT Status of Women Committee.

Ebert was also the first woman chair of the Australian National Curriculum Studies Association founded in 1983. That same year she was appointed an UNESCO Education Commissioner. She holds a Masters of Educational Administration from the University of New England and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Adelaide.

In 1989, Ebert established the Graham F. Smith Peace Trust to honour her departed husband. In 2017, this foundation was awarded the Governor’s Multicultural Award for support of positive social change through art-based programs relating to human rights, sustainability and social justice.

Celebrating 125 years of women's suffrage in South Australia.

Image: State Library of South Australia, Messenger Press Collection, B74519/1, circa 1998