"Nancy Joy Baluch" Member of the Order of Australia/AM was an Australian politician who served as Mayor of Port Augusta, South Australia/Port Augusta from 1981 to 1993 and from 1995 until her death. Her term as mayor of 29 years is believed to be an Australian record.

Baluch was born in Port Augusta to George Budgen Copley and Jessie Stuart, née Parker. She attended Cook and Port Augusta Primary Schools and Port Augusta High School. She married Teofil Stefan Baluch, a Ukrainian who had been imprisoned in Dachau concentration camp in World War II. She worked as head stenographer for the Mechanical Engineering Branch of Commonwealth Railways between 1949 and 1953, and was owner/proprietor of a motel from 1961 to 1981. She was elected to City of Port Augusta/Port Augusta City Council in 1970.

Baluch became involved in local politics after her son, a severe asthmatic, was born and she became a campaigner for improved health services. After becoming mayor in 1981, she led the successful effort to ban drinking in public places in Port Augusta. She also came to public notice when she imposed a night-time curfew on the citizens of the town in order to reduce violence.

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God, Private Enterprise and government have made me what I am, and now they have to take some of the blame.

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Life marches by, I suggest you get on with it.

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I can be very polite, but I've found that doesn't always get a result. You have got to bang and thump tables.

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