30/04/2026
Forum Communicators was founded in 1941 by three amazing Queensland women: Marjorie Puregger, Lady Jessie Groom and Miss Ruth Don OAM.
This article is about one of these women, Marjorie Puregger. We will be bringing the stories of Jessie Groom and Ruth Don to you in the coming weeks.
Marjorie Puregger: A Life of Purpose
In the story of Queensland’s civic and cultural development, few names deserve greater recognition than Marjorie Puregger. Her life was defined by by a sustained commitment to building a more thoughtful, inclusive, and engaged society.
Born in 1905 in Sherwood, Brisbane, Marjorie came from a family shaped by ideas and public life. Her grandfather, Robert Bulcock, was a prominent figure in politics and business, while her uncle, Vance Palmer, was a respected literary voice. That intellectual inheritance was matched by her own academic excellence - she attended Brisbane Girls Grammar School as head girl and later graduated with honours from the University of Queensland, winning the McDermott Prize for English in 1927.
Her early career in journalism with newspapers such as the Sunday Mail and Truth sharpened her voice and her awareness of social issues. But it was a formative trip to Europe in 1935 that deepened her understanding of the world, and shaped her lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes.
It was also in Europe that she met her future husband, William John Puregger, an Austrian-born chemist and social democrat. They married in Brisbane in 1937 and became partners not just in life, but in service.
From the late 1930s, Marjorie immersed herself in humanitarian work. She served on relief committees supporting victims of war in Spain and China and, following the annexation of Austria in 1938, she and Bill worked to assist Jewish and political refugees to resettle in Australia. In 1939, she helped found the Refugee Emergency Council of Queensland, which provided practical support such as housing and employment for new arrivals.
Marjorie was also deeply invested in the future of Brisbane itself. Through public talks and articles, she advocated for a more vibrant and liveable city - calling for green spaces, cultural precincts, a conservatorium of music, and a central civic square. Many of these ideas became realities.
After the birth of her daughter in 1940, Marjorie became a strong advocate for women and children, helping to establish the Kindercraft Association and a Brisbane day nursery in 1943. She also campaigned for improved conditions in maternity wards and played a leadership role in the National Council of Women of Queensland, serving as vice-president from 1948-1950.
However, one of her most enduring contributions came in 1941, when she joined Jessie Groom and Ruth Don to found the Brisbane Forum Club. This initiative was ground-breaking, as it wasn’t just about meetings, it was about empowerment.
The Forum movement was designed to teach women public speaking, meeting procedure, and leadership skills, while encouraging continued education and active participation in public life. What began in Brisbane quickly expanded across Queensland and throughout Australia, encouraging generations of women to find and use their voice.
Marjorie herself became a key leader within the movement, serving as president of the Queensland association and later authoring a practical handbook on chairing meetings. This work evolved into her widely influential book, Mr. Chairman!, first published in 1962. It became a definitive guide to meeting procedure in Australia, going through multiple editions and continuing to influence organisational practice decades later.
Behind her public achievements was a woman of striking character. Outwardly warm and engaging, she was a perfectionist with a strong sense of justice. Together, Marjorie and Bill Puregger contributed to a wide range of organisations, from cultural institutions like Musica Viva to international affairs groups and community service bodies. Bill himself was recognised with an OAM for his contributions, reflecting a shared lifetime of service.
Marjorie passed away in 1995, but her legacy remains embedded in the fabric of Brisbane and beyond, in its cultural institutions, its community organisations, and perhaps most significantly, in the confidence and capability of the many women whose voices were strengthened through the Forum movement.
Her life offers a clear message: Change does not happen by accident. It is shaped by those who care enough to speak, to organise, and to act.
And in doing so, Marjorie Puregger ensured that others could do the same.
Marjorie and Bill are pictured below.
