Opposition leader Sussan Ley has announced the tragic passing of her mother just days after she made history as the Liberal Party’s first female leader.
‘In the very early hours of this morning, my mother, Angela Braybrooks, passed away here in Albury,’ Ley wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday.
‘My family and I feel this loss deeply.
‘We express our deep appreciation to the staff at Riverwood Aged Care facility for the quality care provided to Angela. In her final moments, she was comfortable and at peace.
‘Mum was a mental health nurse who helped so many people through her life. She taught me the values of resilience, self-reliance and persistence.’
Ley said when Angela grew up in wartime Britain she ‘could never have dreamed that her daughter would become Australia’s first female Leader of the Opposition, but because of her, that happened this week’.
She said on Monday night a priest had urged her mother to ‘hang on’ so she could see one more special moment in her daughter’s life, promising her, ‘we’ll have champagne tomorrow’.
‘On Tuesday, hours after I was afforded the enormous privilege by my Liberal colleagues of leading our party, I drove back down the Hume Highway to be at her bedside,’ Ley said.
Sussan Ley has announced the tragic passing of her mother Angela Braybrooks (both pictured)
Ley said her mother Angela (pictured) was a mental health nurse who ‘helped so many people through her life’. Her death comes just days after she was appointed as Opposition leader
‘Whilst mum was no longer verbal, she watched every moment of my press conference. As I walked back into her room that afternoon, her eyes lit up with excitement. It was a moment I will treasure, forever.’
On Tuesday, Ley won a 29-25 vote against Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to replace Peter Dutton.
Shadow Energy Minister Ted O’Brien was elected as deputy leader, with Jacinta Nampijinpa Price – who was aligned with Mr Taylor – dropping out of the contest shortly before the poll.
Ley, 63, is one of the Liberal Party’s most-experienced hands, having served as a Cabinet minister under the Coalition’s past three prime ministers – Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison.
A former commercial pilot, farmer and public servant, she has held the rural seat of Farrer in NSW’s south-west since the retirement of her long-serving predecessor and former National Party leader and deputy prime minister Tim Fischer.
Ley famously changed the spelling of her first name from ‘Susan’ to ‘Sussan’ in her 20s after exploring numerology. She believed that adding an extra ‘s’ would make her life ‘incredibly exciting’ and ensure ‘nothing would ever be boring’.
Ley is a mother-of-three and had the support of the party’s moderates, with some believing a woman at the helm will help win back female voters.
