Margaret Holmes has been a peace campaigner for many years and having just celebrated her 100'th birthday has only just started to take things easy. At a time when the internet did not exist and the only way into Europe and America was by boat, Margaret was both widely read and  travelled. She kept abreast of the issues of the day and brought her information and contacts back into Australia and into the public domain.

She was vocal in her opposition of Nuclear testing on Australian soil at a time when the Prime Minister - Robert Menzies was pushing for it to go ahead. She also campaigned against Uranium Mining fought for Aboriginal rights and supported the abolition of Apartheid in South Africa.

During the 1950's and 1960's Margaret was becoming increasingly aware of the perils that lay ahead for  the USA if their role in Vietnam was to escalate. Her fluency in French and her access to French newspapers gave her valuable insights into the tactics and conditions within Vietnam gleened before the French were driven out in 1954. She used this knowledge to allert Australia of the dangers and to allert the public of the consequences of potential conflict.

In addition to that Margaret helped to set up the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom - an organisation that empowers women to work for peace and justice.

Margaret remains a fascinating and energetic peace campaigner. Her book is well worth a read and her work worth celebrating. Margaret's work was acknowledged in 2001 when she was awarded the Order of Australia.

To hear the 2GB podcast from Monday 13th April 2009 please follow this link.