• Personal
  • Employers
  • Advisers
  • Calculators & forms
  • News Hub
  • Contact us
QSuper QSuper
  • Products
    • Why QSuper
    • Can I join QSuper
    • Investment options
    • Fees
    • Financial advice
    • Compare us
    • Insurance
    • Account types
      • Accumulation account
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
      Why QSuper?

      A focus on long-term performance

      More reasons to feel good
  • Super
    • Grow your super
      • Salary sacrifice
      • Super co-contribution
      • Voluntary contributions
      • Spouse contributions
      • Contribution caps
      • Tax deductions
    • Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
    • Consolidate your super
    • Find your lost super
    • Changing jobs
    • Nominate beneficiaries
    • Early access
      • Claim a death benefit
    • Seminars and education
  • Retirement
    • Why retire with QSuper
    • Retirement accounts
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • Retirement planning
      • Make your super last in retirement
      • The Age Pension and Super
    • How much super do you need to retire
    • Access your super
      • When can you access your super
      • Proof of identity
      • Withdraw your super
    • Seminars and education
      Award-winning

      Our Lifetime Pension won Canstar's Innovation Excellence Award 2023

      Find out more
  • Investments
    • Investment options
      • Lifetime
      • Diversified and asset class
    • Performance
      • Overview
      • Graphs
      • Unit prices
    • Online investment advice
    • Change your investment options
    • How QSuper invests
    • Investing your super
  • Insurance
    • Insurance options
      • Income protection
      • Total & permanent disability cover
      • Death cover
    • How much insurance cover do you need
    • Change or cancel your insurance
    • Make an insurance claim
      • Death benefit claims
  • Advice
  • Calculators & forms
  • News Hub
  • Contact us
Join
  • Call
Join Log In - Open navigation
Member Online

Forgot username?
Forgot password?
Register
 
Upcoming outage

Due to required maintenance, Member Online will be unavailable from 9:00 pm, Friday 9th May until 12:00 pm, Saturday 10th May. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Navigation

QSuper
  • Personal
  • Employers
  • Advisers
  • Search
  • Join Log In
  • Products Expand
    • Why QSuper
    • Can I join QSuper
    • Investment options
    • Insurance
    • Fees
    • Financial advice
    • Account types Expand
      • Accumulation account
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • Compare us
  • Super Expand
    • Consolidate your super
    • Grow your super Expand
      • Salary sacrifice
      • Super co-contribution
      • Voluntary contributions
      • Spouse contributions
      • Contribution caps
      • Tax deductions
    • Find your lost super
    • Changing jobs
    • Nominate beneficiaries
    • Early access Expand
      • Claim a death benefit
    • Seminars and education
    • Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
  • Retirement Expand
    • Why retire with QSuper
    • Retirement accounts Expand
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • How much super do you need to retire
    • Retirement planning Expand
      • Make your super last in retirement
      • The Age Pension and Super
    • Access your super Expand
      • When can you access your super
      • Proof of identity
      • Withdraw your super
    • Seminars and education
  • Investments Expand
    • Performance Expand
      • Overview
      • Graphs
      • Unit prices
    • Investment options Expand
      • Lifetime
      • Diversified and asset class
    • Online investment advice
    • Change your investment options
    • How QSuper invests
    • Investing your super
  • Insurance Expand
    • Insurance options Expand
      • Income protection
      • Total & permanent disability cover
      • Death cover
    • How much insurance cover do you need
    • Change or cancel your insurance
    • Make an insurance claim Expand
      • Death benefit claims
  • Advice
  • Your account Expand
    • Super Expand
      • Transactions
      • Statements and History
      • Consolidate
      • Add to Super in Retriement
      • Investments
      • Performance
      • Financial Advice
      • Insurance
    • Profile Expand
      • Personal details
      • Security
      • Authorities
      • Employer
      • Beneficiaries
    • More Expand
      • Contact us
  • Calculators & forms Expand
    • Superannuation & Retirement Calculators Expand
      • Super and retirement planning calculators
      • Retirement planning
      • Insurance
      • Maximise your super
      • Savings
      • Investing
    • Forms Expand
      • All
      • Forms for claims, withdrawals, and transfers out
      • Forms for deposits, contributions and transfers in
      • Insurance forms
      • Investments
      • Transfer
      • Other forms
    • Publications Expand
      • PDS
      • Guides
      • Annual reports
      • Factsheets
      • Other publications
      • Target Market Determination
  • News Hub Expand
    • Category Expand
      • News
      • Superannuation
      • Retirement
      • Finances
      • Investments
      • Community
      • Wellbeing
      • Employer
  • Contact us Expand
    • Email QSuper
    • Language assistance
    • Browser support
    • Formal enquiries and complaints
    • FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

News Hub

All Articles News Superannuation Retirement Finances Investments Community Wellbeing
News Hub Retirement

Gloria Simpson: a lifetime of super

Community News Superannuation
04 November 2022 5 min read

Gloria Simpson has been a QSuper account holder for 71 years, joining the fund back in 1951 when she was just 16 years of age. And she still pays tribute to a ground-breaking female super pioneer who kept her firmly focused on her super through the years.

A lifetime of super – reflections from one of our longest-serving account holders

 

QSuper is now a part of Australian Retirement Trust, the superannuation fund formed through the merger with Sunsuper. We’re proud to take care of over $200 billion in retirement savings for more than two million members.

Gloria admits she was “very young’’ when she joined the workforce as a State Government employee and in her first role worked as a female assistant in the Main Roads Commission.

“My dad had to ask me to go to work so I couldn’t finish my senior year,” said Gloria.

I didn’t get paid very much – not as much as the male clerks – but I started superannuation very early on,” she said.

She later married her husband Mick but had to resign under the Australian public service’s “marriage bar”, which required women to give up their jobs once they married.

In 1966, when women in the Australian public service won the right to remain employed after marriage, Gloria applied for reinstatement and returned to work.

Big transformation: from paper to digital

During her time at Main Roads, Gloria worked in a section called Registration Records and back then a separate, paper file was created for every motor vehicle, motorcycle and even tractor.

“Everything registered for the road had to have a separate file, which was stored in these huge filing cabinets,” Gloria said.

Eventually, as the digital age spread through the public service, those files were destroyed and replaced with digital files, and a significant portion of office space was reassigned to computers. “This is back in the days when computers used to fill entire rooms,” she said.

Chance meeting with a ‘super’ woman

After a few years of working, Gloria attended night school to earn her senior certificate.

“It improved my superannuation, pay and whole working experience,” she said.

Gloria said in the early days she “didn’t know much at all” about superannuation, but that changed when she met former QSuper board member Karen Peut.

Ms Peut is an Executive Director of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and was the first woman to be appointed to the State Service Superannuation Board. She was appointed to the QSuper Board in May 1985.

“My loyalty to QSuper is most likely due to Karen,” Gloria said. “At some point she became my boss, and I learned a lot from her because she was so enthusiastic about super and women investing in super.”

Gloria retired in 1992 when she was 63, at a time that most women retired at 60.

At the end of my career, I could see the amount that had built up in my super. It was at that time I appreciated the compounding interest, so I stayed on a few more years for that benefit.”

A night to remember

As our longest-serving female QSuper account holder Gloria and Mick were invited to join the Australian Retirement Trust Riverfire celebrations as our VIP guests in September.

“We’ve gone to Riverfire over the years when we could - I can remember the F111s were just amazing - however, the vantage spots we’d been to in the past never let us see what was happening on the Story Bridge,” Gloria said.

“This year, we were front and centre and had the most magnificent, uninterrupted view of the Bridge - the fireworks were just incredible.”

Gloria said there was “such a sense of community” on the night - even before they got to the event.

“When we arrived, some young people came over to us and helped us get Mick’s wheelie walker out of the car,” she said. “They even went out onto the road and stopped the traffic so we could get across the road safely. It was a lovely start to the most wonderful night.”

Heart

Together it's more super

Learn more about QSuper, part of Australian Retirement Trust, here.


The opinions expressed and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Trustee. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of any of the information supplied and you should seek advice for your circumstances.

QSuper products are issued by Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd (ABN 88 010 720 840, AFSL 228975) (Trustee) as trustee for Australian Retirement Trust (ABN 60 905 115 063) (Fund). Any reference to "QSuper" is a reference to the Government Division of the Fund. Before acquiring or continuing to hold any financial product, you should consider whether the product is right for you by reading the relevant product disclosure statement (PDS). The PDS and Target Market Determination (TMD) for QSuper products are available at qsuper.qld.gov.au/pds or call us on 1300 360 750 to request a copy.

Related Content
100 How to live to 100: tips from a QSuper member
01 Nov 5 MIN READ

QSuper member Joyce Sharman reveals her simple secrets for living a long, healthy life.

Read more
Community Lifestyle
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...
100 How to live to 100: tips from a QSuper member
01 Nov 5 MIN READ

QSuper member Joyce Sharman reveals her simple secrets for living a long, healthy life.

Read more
Community Lifestyle
John Sharman Work for retiree John Sharman means living the dream
21 Mar 5 MIN READ

While many his age are kicking back and enjoying their super nest egg, John Sharman relishes the freedom to continue his career on his terms.

Read more
Career Lifestyle Superannuation
Retired couple sitting by the pool Location the key to happiness for retirees Scott and Monica
07 Dec 3 MIN READ

QSuper members Scott and Monica share their tips for a happy retirement.

Read more
Finance Lifestyle Superannuation
more super Together, it's more super
12 Sep 5 MIN READ

What does more super look like for members?

Read more
News
All Articles News Superannuation Retirement Finances Investments Community Wellbeing
  • Our products
    • Why QSuper?
    • Investment options
    • Fees
    • Insurance
    • Financial advice
  • Super & retirement
    • How much do you need?
    • Grow your super
    • Consolidate
    • Changing jobs
    • Seminars
    • Access your super
  • Investments
    • Performance
    • Unit prices
    • Graphs
  • Calculators & Forms
    • Calculators
    • Forms
    • Publications
    • PDSs
    • TMDs
    • Member Outcomes Assessment
  • Contact us
    • 1300 360 750
      Mon-Fri 8.00am to 6.00pm AEST
  • About us 
  • Careers 
  • Sitemap 
  • Privacy 
  • Security 
  • Disclaimer 
  • Terms and conditions 
  • Disclosure 
  • MySuper product dashboard 
We're part of Australian Retirement Trust
2020 awards
Facebook LinkedIn YouTube

The information on this website contains general information only. It doesn’t consider your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before making any decisions about QSuper, you should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determinations (TMD) to consider whether the product is right for you.