QLD: "Housewives friend" Gabby Horan dies lonely: friend

AAP General News (Australia)
04-13-1999
QLD: "Housewives friend" Gabby Horan dies lonely: friend

BRISBANE, April 13 AAP - Gabby Horan, a former television and radio personality known as
"the housewives' friend", died a lonely death in sad contrast to her full and active life, a
long-time friend said today.

Mrs Horan, 75, was found dead on Sunday in her home in the inner-western suburb of
Auchenflower.

Close friend Vilma Ward said Mrs Horan would be sadly missed by the thousands she helped
during a lifetime of community work.

She said Mrs Horan had declined offers of help or medical treatment and had become
increasingly reclusive in recent years.

"Her son Paul rang me yesterday morning to let me know that she had died in her sleep,"
said Mrs Ward, who is a well-known Queensland consumer advocate.

"It appears she had a very lonely death, which is certainly not in keeping with how she
lived when she was very active.

"She always wanted to be around people and it's very sad that she had died lonely."

Mrs Ward said she and Mrs Horan had known each other for about 40 years.

"We go right back," Mrs Ward said.

"Gabby and I didn't always see eye to eye. We had some clashes but we respected each
other's rights to say it and to say what we thought.

"We still had lots of laughs."

Many people would remember her for her appearances in the 60s and 70s on television shows
such as Women's World and Beauty and the Beast and on radio station 4BK, Ms Ward said.

"Gabby had a very good following in her days of television and radio," Mrs Ward said.

"She was a little bit like myself because she was a bit like a mongrel dog because if you
get hold of something and you'd know there was an injustice there, you don't let go until you
fix it," Mrs Ward said.

Mrs Horan had been president of consumer and women's rights group the Queensland
Housewives' Association for 40 years, she said.

She had tackled issues ranging from consumer rip-offs to politics and had once stood,
unsuccessfully, as a Liberal candidate for state parliament, Mrs Ward said.

But Mrs Horan could not be considered a "feminist" in today's accepted sense of the word.

"She didn't like political correctness," Mrs Ward said.

"Gabby felt that she had achieved something if she had got one person to stand up for his
or her rights.

"She hated children being used or abused."

Mrs Horan is survived by two sons and a daughter.

AAP rad/sd/bm

KEYWORD: HORAN LEAD

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