Trixie Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes
Rachel Trixie Anne Gardner, Baroness Gardner of Parkes, (née McGirr; born ) is an Australian-born dentist and Conservative member of the British House of Lords. She was the first Australian woman to have been elevated to the peerage, and as of 2023 is the most senior Life peer in the House of Lords. Biography Early life and education Baroness Gardner was born in Parkes, New South Wales, the daughter of Greg McGirr, a former leader of the New South Wales Labor Party. She earned a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) in 1954 from the University of Sydney, where she was a resident at Sancta Sophia College, and studied in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu. She moved to the UK in 1957. Politics Gardner was a councillor of Westminster City Council from 1968 to 1978 and was Lady Mayoress (when her husband was Lord Mayor) during 1987–88. In 1970, she stood for Parliament for the Conservative Party against Labour's Barbara Castle in Blackburn, and in February 1974 stood against the Liberal John Pardoe in North Cornwall. In 1971, she was made a Justice of the Peace. In addition, she was elected as a member of the Greater London Council (GLC) representing