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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
It's the one fact most Aussies know about Sussan Ley. Now she's dramatically changed her story
Sussan Ley has walked back the quirky reason behind why she added an extra 'S' to her name. The new Liberal Party leader told The Australian newspaper in 2015 that she changed the official spelling of her name due to a youthful fascination with numerology. Numerology is an occult practice that ascribes meanings and significance to numbers. 'I read about this numerology theory that if you add the numbers that match the letters in your name you can change your personality,' Ley told the paper. 'I worked out that if you added an "s" I would have an incredibly exciting, interesting life and nothing would ever be boring.' But now the Opposition Leader has changed her tune,dismissing it as a 'flippant' remark. 'It was a flippant remark that I made to a journalist,' Ley told Tom Elliott on 3AW on Friday morning. 'It's actually not the reason. It was something I did during my rebel teenage years. Ley, a divorced mother of three and grandmother of six, certainly has had a colourful life. She has worked as an air traffic controller, an aerial stock mustering pilot, a shearers cook, a wool and beef farmer and public servant (pictured: Ley with family members at her late mother's recent funeral) 'And, you know, I went through a punk phase in those years and added the extra S. So, people have been fascinated by the numerology angle, but it's actually not correct.' Ley defeated former Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor to become the first woman to lead the Liberal Party in its 80-year history last month. Ley, a divorced mother of three and grandmother of six, certainly has had a colourful life. The 63-year-old has previously worked as an air traffic controller, an aerial stock mustering pilot, a shearers cook, a wool and beef farmer and public servant. Ley went to university as a mum and as a mature aged student to complete a BA in economics and masters in tax and accounting. She has been the Member for Farrer since 2001 and has served as a Cabinet Minister in the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison Governments.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley set to farewell ‘extraordinary' mother Angela Braybrooks on Friday
Sussan Ley will farewell her 'extraordinary' mother Angela Braybrooks at a funeral in her hometown of Albury. Ms Braybrooks died just days after the Opposition Leader became the first woman to win a party room vote to leader the federal Liberal Party. The former mental health nurse will be farewelled by family and friends at St Matthew's Church in Albury on Friday. Several of Ms Ley's Coalition colleagues are also expected to attend. Ms Braybrooks died in Albury in the early hours of May 17 'comfortable and at peace'. Sharing the news of her mum's death, Ms Ley thanked staff at Riverwood Aged Care Facility, where Ms Braybrooks was receiving end of life care. Ms Ley paid tribute to her 'extraordinary' mother, and shared her gratitude that she was able to share a final Mother's Day with her late mum. '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,' Ms Ley wrote in a social media post. 'Growing up in wartime Britain, Angela could never have dreamt that her daughter would become Australia's first female Leader of the Opposition, but because of her, that happened this week. 'Like so many of her generation, she weathered uncertain times with strength and determination. 'I have taken inspiration from her every single day of my life and I always will.' Ms Ley also opened up on the final days she spent with her mum. 'It was a gift of fate that I was able to share Mother's Day with my mum one last time on Sunday,' she wrote. 'On Monday night in Canberra, our parish priest organised a FaceTime call, telling Angela she had to 'hang on' to see one more special moment in her daughter's life. 'If she could do that, he promised 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. 'While 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.'
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Sussan Ley opens up on final moments with her mum before she died after watching her daughter become the first woman to become Liberal leader
Sussan Ley has shared how she spent her final moments with her mother, who passed days after she made history as the Liberal Party's first female leader. Angela Braybrooks, 93, spent her last days in palliative care and surrounded by family before passing on Saturday. Following her election to Opposition Leader on Tuesday, Ley rushed to the hospital in Albury, on the NSW and Victorian border, to be with her mother. 'When I got home, her eyes sort of lit up when she saw me,' Ley told the Sunday Telegraph. Ley was born in Nigeria as a British citizen and spent her early years in the Middle East where her father worked in military intelligence. While most wives at the time stuck to their traditional roles as home makers, Ley recalled her mother constantly at work. Ms Braybrooks ran a daycare, opened a library in their house and trained as a nurse when their family settled in Australia. Ley proudly calls her mother her role model and told her such in their last moments together. 'I held her hand, I talked to her about life and things we've been through together, and I hope she hears,' Ley said. 'It's a good opportunity to reflect on all things that she did in her life, because my mum was a bit of a trailblazer.' The Opposition Leader shared news of her mother's passing in an emotional Instagram post on Saturday. 'In the very early hours of this morning, my mother, Angela Braybrooks, passed away here in Albury,' Ley wrote. '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 Ms Braybrooks 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. '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.
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberal opposition leader Sussan Ley pays tribute to late mother
Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley has paid tribute to her mother, Angela Braybrooks, who died during the early hours of Saturday. "My family and I feel this loss deeply," Ms Ley said in a statement. Ms Braybrooks's death comes just days after Ms Ley was appointed leader of the Liberal Party following a tight partyroom ballot on Tuesday. The former deputy leader defeated conservative rival Angus Taylor, receiving 29 votes to his 25. Ms Ley said her mother played a role in her recent success within the Liberal Party. "Growing up in wartime Britain, Angela 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. Ms Ley said it was a "gift of fate" that they were able to spend Mother's Day together before she ventured to Canberra. "On Monday night in Canberra, our parish priest organised a FaceTime call, telling Angela she had to 'hang on' to see one more special moment in her daughter's life," she said. "If she could do that, he promised her, 'We'll have champagne tomorrow'." After her victory, Ms Ley drove back to Albury, along the New South Wales-Victoria border, to be by her mother's bedside. "Whilst mum was no longer verbal, she watched every moment of my press conference," she said. "As I walked back into her room that afternoon, her eyes lit up with excitement. It was a moment I will treasure, forever." Ms Ley has thanked the community for their support and kind words.
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Opposition leader Sussan Ley reveals her mother Angela Braybrooks has died in tragic update
Sussan Ley has revealed her mother, Angela Braybrooks, has died. The devastating update from the Opposition leader comes just days after Ms Ley made history, when she became the Liberal's first female leader. 'In the very early hours of this morning, my mother, Angela Braybrooks, passed away here in Albury. My family and I feel this loss deeply,' Ms Ley said in a statement. Ms Ley expressed her 'deep appreciation' to staff at Riverwood Aged Care centre who cared for her mother, saying she was 'comfortable and at peace' in her final moments. '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,' Ms Ley said. 'Growing up in wartime Britain, Angela could never have dreamt that her daughter would become Australia's first female leader of the Opposition, but because of her, that happened this week.' Ms Ley said her mother weathered uncertain times with 'strength and determination' and she had taken inspiration from her 'every single day'. 'It was a gift of fate that I was able to share Mother's Day with my mum one last time on Sunday,' she said. 'On Monday night in Canberra, our parish priest organised a FaceTime call, telling Angela she had to 'hang on' to see one more special moment in her daughter's life. If she could do that, he promised 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. While 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.' 'Thank you to the many Australians who have expressed their sympathies to me and my family. We look forward to celebrating Angela's life, the extraordinary person she was, and all she achieved.'
