The Australian Women's Register

Summary

The daughter of Edward and Amy (née Thiselton) Dolling, Alison Dolling was born in St Peters and grew up in Tranmere, South Australia. She was educated at Ellerslie College, Tranmere, and Methodist Ladies College, Wayville, before studying at the universities of Adelaide, Washington, Seattle, Berkeley and King’s College, London. Returning to Australia she taught in both South Australia and New South Wales, including ex-servicemen after World War II. Dolling joined the Chronicle newspaper as the editor of the Women’s Pages and was unemployed after the Chronicle closed down. Her publications include Chronicle cameos and a district history of Marion. She completed research on John Harvey and the Spoehr family, as well as being involved with family history and German ancestry. She also worked on the book South Australian Women Artists by Shirley Cameron Wilson. Dolling’s special interests included Australian history, especially early architecture, literature and art.

Events

• 1962 - 1971

  Editor of Opinion,the journal of the SA English Teachers Association

• 1977 - 1979

  Editor of Bulletin, the National Council of Women of Australia quarterly

• 1941 - 1965

  Secondary school teacher

• 1950

  Tutor of migrants and Asian students

• 1958 - 1962

  Part-time lecturer in Australian literature and history of education at the Kindergarten Training College, Adelaide

• 1977

  Member of the Australian Society of Authors

• 1976

  Member of Women in Media

• 1974

  Member of the Historical Society of South Australia

• 1960

  Member of the Australian Federation of University Women

• 1965

  Member of the Lyceum Club (Adelaide)

• 1976

  Awarded an Australia Council grant from the Literature Board