Woman Taught a Generation to Drive in 1960s Australia

When Margaret Greenslade passed her driving instructor exam in 1963, she became just the 43rd licensed instructor in all of South Australia. More remarkably, she was likely one of the first women in Australia to hold that license.

For decades, Greenslade taught generations of drivers in the Riverland region. Students would stop her in the streets years later to thank her for teaching them to drive.

But her impact went far beyond parallel parking and three-point turns. In the late 1960s and 70s, as migrant families moved to the Riverland, Greenslade became an unofficial guide to their new home. She taught them to drive, drove them to government offices, and helped them fill out paperwork to settle into Australian life.

Her son John found the work deeply meaningful. "She was the living epitome of that saying, 'If you want to get a task done, give it to a busy person,'" he said after his mother died in February at age 96.

Heather Saunders leads Women Can Australia, which helps women gain their driver's licenses. She says Greenslade provided something rare then and still rare today: a safe environment for women to learn from another woman. This matters especially for women from culturally diverse backgrounds who may prefer female instructors.

The Ripple Effect

Greenslade's pioneering spirit extended beyond the driver's seat. She served on school boards, volunteered with Meals on Wheels for over a decade, and became a passionate advocate for women in the workplace.

John discovered recordings of his mother speaking at a 1960s state convention about women's under-representation in the workforce. After meeting with Chrysler's Adelaide office, she learned they had only one woman in senior management worldwide. She wasn't afraid to call out that inequality.

Her husband sometimes wished she'd focus more on profit than service. But Greenslade saw teaching as community service first and business second. That generous spirit defined her 96 years.

In a 2018 oral history recording at age 89, she reflected on her career with characteristic warmth: "I found it a very satisfying time, being able to help people by way of being a good citizen."