Freda Irving

Irving was born at the Victoria Barracks in Melbourne and was the third and final child of Godfrey Irving and his wife Ada Minnie Margueritha née Derham. She attended school at Lauriston Girls’ School.{{Cite web |title=Biography - Freda Mary Howy Irving - People Australia |url=https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/irving-freda-mary-howy-12683 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au}}

After completing her studied Irving became a journalist after being inspired by a meeting the woman's editor of The Evening Sun, which led to her beginning to be employed by them in 1925. There she became a journalist and social writer and, in 1932 when it was renamed the Sun News-Pictorial. she became the social editor.

In 1936 she was sent by The Herald (Melbourne) to cover the Abdication of Edward VIII which was seen by many as her 'big break'.

In 1940, due to World War II, she became of publicity officer for the Victorian branch of the Australian Red Cross and, in 1943, joined the Australian Women's Army Service which was led by her sister Sybil Irving and she served on her staff as the amenities officer and later within the directorate of public relations; during the war she also spent two years in Papua New Guinea.{{Cite web |date=2016-05-27 |title=Chapter 4. A Woman President |url=https://www.melbournepressclub.com/article/chapter-4--a-woman-president |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=www.melbournepressclub.com |language=en}}{{cite news |date=2 October 1941 |title=Leader Of Women's Army |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article247629459 |accessdate=12 May 2025 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=New South Wales, Australia |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=VI |issue=166}} In December 1945 she left the army as a captain.{{Cite web |title=IRVING FREDA MARY HOWY : Service Number - VF398095 : Date of birth - 16 Sep 1903 : Place of birth - MELBOURNE VIC : Place of enlistment - MELBOURNE VIC : Next of Kin - IRVING SYBIL |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/entries/irving-freda-mary-howy-service-number-vf398095-date-of-birth-16-sep-1903-place-of-birth-melbourne-vic-place-of-enlistment-melbourne-vic-next-of-kin-irving-sybil/ |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=AWR |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Appleyard |first=Christine Evans |title=Civilising Forces: Class, Gender and the Australian Women's Army Service 1941-1947 |url=https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2695622 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=www.awm.gov.au |language=en}}

In 1946 Irving returned to the Sun News-Pictorial before, after doing some freelance work for them, moved across the The Argus (Melbourne) in 1948 where she worked under Gladys Hain on its women's magazine. She was known to encourage the staff under her, particularly women, to write and investigate about stories of importance to women and to write detailed profiles of women. One of her protegees was Betty Olive Osborn.{{Cite web |last=Melbourne |first=The University of |title=The Women's Pages: Australian Women Journalists Since 1850 - Betty Osborn |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/cal/osborn.html |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=www.womenaustralia.info |language=en-gb}} Experiencing poor health Irving took a break from journalism in 1952 and worked briefly as a farmer but soon rejoined to cover Queen Elizabeth II 1954 royal tour of Australia.{{cite news |date=4 February 1954 |title=and here is Freda Irving's pen portrait of the queen: she just dazzles the beholder |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26588814 |accessdate=12 May 2025 |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |location=Victoria, Australia |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia |issue=33,516}}{{cite news |date=7 March 1954 |title=Queen's record dressing sets record high for us |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26595061 |accessdate=12 May 2025 |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |location=Victoria, Australia |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia |issue=33,544}}{{cite news |date=18 February 1954 |title=Queen wore big hat |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26591636 |accessdate=12 May 2025 |newspaper=The Argus (Melbourne) |location=Victoria, Australia |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia |issue=33,528}}

When The Argus closed in 1957 Irving was then the Women's editor and she made sure that every member of her team got a job elsewhere. After the papers closure Irving herself struggled to find work and she referred to this condition as being 'on the beach' and she took a role in public relations between 1958 and 1963 before becoming a Melbourne editor of The Australian Women's Weekly between 1963 and 1965. During these periods she also ran a licensed grocery store at Croydon.

Irving retuned to journalism in 1967 and worked for a variety of newspapers ad magazines including the Melbourne Observer, The Age and POL. She also wrote a gossip page for The Sun-Herald, a newspaper based in Sydney.

In 1972 Irving became the first president of the Melbourne Press Club and in 1981 was appointed a Order of the British Empire for her services to journalism.{{Cite web |title=Australian Honours Search Facility |url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1084265 |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=honours.pmc.gov.au}}{{Cite web |last=Project |first=Australian Women's Archives |title=Faith, Hope, Charity - Australian Women and Imperial Honours - Browse Year - 1981 |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/honours/1981.html |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=www.womenaustralia.info |language=en-gb}}

Irving died on 26 September 1984 at Kilmore.

Irving's papers are held at the State Library Victoria.{{Citation |author1=Irving, Freda |title=Papers of Freda Irving, ca. 1932-1984 |publication-date=1932 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/254388867 |access-date=12 May 2025 |author2=MacDonald, J. S}}

A collection of biographical cuttings about Irving and a 1980 oral history interview with Irving are held at the National Library of Australia.{{Citation |title=[Biographical cuttings on Freda Irving, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals] |publication-date=1900 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/35892099 |access-date=12 May 2025}}{{Citation |last1=Irving |first1=Freda |title=Freda Irving interviewed by Garry Sturgess for the Garry Sturgess collection |publication-date=1980 |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/184712600 |access-date=12 May 2025 |last2=Sturgess |first2=Garry (Interviewer)}}

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Category:1903 births

Category:1984 deaths

Category:20th-century Australian women journalists

Category:Journalists from Melbourne

Category:People educated at Lauriston Girls' School