This is the kind of person everybody wants to be. The Queen of Wands has all the confidence and dynamism of the other wands characters, but hers is truly grounded in passion. She lives a life that she really loves, and owns it all with joy (even the rocky patches – this isn’t about having a ‘perfect life’.)
Little Red Tarot
The truth is that there are many women who reflect the energy of this dynamic Queen but after dedicating so much of her life to the Australian Broadcasting Commission there is no doubt that Margaret Throsby, nicknamed the Velvet Throat, can wear this crown.
Margaret Throsby was born in Neutral Bay, a lower north shore suburb of Sydney. Her father was Charles Throsby, an English barrister who died when she was 12, and her mother was Alison Battarbee, a cellist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She attended North Sydney Girls High School, then spent a year studying speech pathology after leaving school.
It was in 1967 that Margaret began working for the ABC, presenting a wide range of music and current affairs programs. In a world where male announcers were the order of the day, thanks to her creative energy, she managed to break down a major barrier when she passed an audition and was put on as an announcer, on probation.
By diverging from the typical work of producing, directing, writing and engaging in radio dramas Margaret effectively conjured a new role for herself and broke any barriers for a new generation.
She was the first woman to read national radio news. Subsequently, in 1978 she was the first woman to present national television news (SIPCA website, 2008). Once this happened “the genie was out of the bottle” and other women were engaged as anchors and took up prominent roles.
Now best known for her interviews on Classic FM, Margaret Throsby’s guest list has included Prime Ministers, divas, trailblazers and humanitarians. However, fascinating as her guests may have been, there is little to dispute the fact that it was always Margaret’s warmth and engagement with her guests that drew people to regularly listen to these interviews. Her natural, radiant energy drifted over the airwaves as she successfully drew out creative ideas from others.
Waltzing With Matilda's 