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COLD WAR ESPIONAGE IN THE SUBURBS
The Suburban Australian Widow Who Became a Spy
The story of Anne Neill
Anne Neill was a church-going, middle-aged widow from suburban Adelaide. She was also a secret agent for the newly-formed Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). This softly-spoken woman in her 50s was the first ASIO agent to enter “enemy territory”, i.e., the USSR.
By today’s standards, Anne looks quite old for someone in her 50s. Her white hair was short and curled. She wore floral dresses and beaded necklaces. A grandma. Anne’s ASIO handler referred to her as a “fluttery old lady”.
But there was a lot more to Anne than met the eye.
“In the 1950s, she played the part of the perfect housewife: inconspicuous and softly spoken, with a penchant for baked goods and community gatherings. But the middle-aged Adelaide widow was in fact one of ASIO’s most effective penetrative agents, known as a ‘sparrow’.” ABC Radio National
Anne believed in Christianity and the British Empire. She also believed in world peace, a belief strengthened after her…
