Obituaries Australia

Helen Hughes, 1936

State Library of Queensland, 102817

Many Melbourne friends of Miss Helen Hughes daughter of the Federal Minister for Health (Mr W. M. Hughes) and Dame Mary Hughes will regret to hear of her death in London following an operation.

As the daughter of Australia's wartime Prime Minister Miss Hughes was much in the public eye when only a baby and Queen Mary knitted a little petticoat for her when she was in England with her parents at that time. She also appeared in the news at the opening of Australia House in 1918 when she presented members of the Royal party with flowers. Yesterday was her twenty-second birthday. A pupil of Abbotsleigh, Wahroonga (NSW) Miss Hughes was popular as a schoolgirl and later when she made her debut was regarded as one of the loveliest debutantes of the season. When the Duke of Gloucester visited Australia Miss Hughes was his dancing partner at a ball in Canberra and at several balls in Melbourne when her fair beauty was much commented upon as well as her personal charm. Her name was prominent among those Australians attending the Coronation festivities for which she left earlier in the year and she was presented at Court. She was paying a round of visits in England where she has many friends.

A close friend of the family said last night that Miss Hughes had talked to her mother on the wireless telephone recently and that arrangements had been completed for her to return to Sydney in the Orion leaving on August 27. Miss Hughes was a member of the ski club and last season was among those who took part in the snow sports at Kosciusko. She was also an enthusiastic racegoer and was to be seen at all the big meetings at Randwick. Lady Northcote wife of a former Governor-General of Australia was Miss Hughes's godmother. As well as social accomplishments Miss Hughes was interested in domestic science and was a good cook, as well as designing and making some of her own clothes. She frequently appeared as a mannequin for charitable entertainments and also acted as a model for fashion photographs. Some time ago she underwent an operation for appendicitis.