To make a difference
friend Allan, who she then married when she was still only 16.
“I’ll often think about that, and I’ll look at 16-year-olds now and think, ‘Geez, that was me, with a child’,” Ms Couzens said.
“For me, I think it was naivety. I got through really well and I had good family support, which makes a difference.
“I don’t regret any of that, because it’s all been part of my life experience.
“That’s not to say I would encourage young women to get pregnant at 16, but I think it’s shaped me into being the person that I am.”
Despite Allan’s death in 1980, Ms Couzens said she still feels he is a big part of her life, citing her three children who carry his Aboriginal heritage.
(Ms Couzens also has a fourth child from a subsequent relationship.)
“It’s sad to think he never got to see them grow up, because they were all tiny when he passed away,” she said.
When she’s not busy in her duties as Geelong’s sitting member — which she admits is not often — Ms Couzens loves to spend time with her family.
Along with her four children, she also has 15 grandchil- dren, who range from three to 22 years old. “I’ve always had a strong bond with my kids and their kids,” she said.
“Spending time with them is really important.”
As the 60-year-old shapes up for her second election campaign, she said she was optimistic about her chances of being voted back into office.
“I think the people of Geelong will judge us on our record and I think we have a very good story to tell,” Ms Couzens said.
“There are so many things that I would really love to finish off, which is why I want to be here for another term.”